SOCIAL MEDIA RECRUITMENT
Singapore – Companies are failing to help managers harness the potential benefits of using social media as a recruitment tool with their restrictive corporate policies and poor understanding of the medium.
A global survey of HR professionals released by talent acquisition and management software provider StepStone Solutions revealed that corporate policies and poor understanding of social media are stifling their recruitment strategy. Although two thirds of respondents are ramping up hiring figures in 2011, they are unable to use social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn to attract talent.
Seven in 10 said a general lack of awareness of the benefits was the greatest barrier to using social media, while 28% had corporate policies that restricted access to certain social networking sites.
Yet three in five organisations are already using social media as part of their hiring strategy with another quarter planning to explore the medium in the future. These HR professionals said 82% of jobseekers have responded positively to interacting with them via social media.
Furthermore, 36% of 500 HR managers think paper resumes will eventually die out with Facebook and LinkedIn profiles taking its place, said a separate survey by staffing service provider OfficeTeam.
StepStone’s chief executive Matthew Parker said 96% of HR bosses agreed that social media had a role to play in recruitment because they can “reach out to potential employees worldwide and build new talent pools. This is especially vital for companies looking for niche talent like mobile application developers or managers with experience in emerging markets.
“However, many recruiters aren’t opening Twitter accounts of LinkedIn pages in the absence of clear corporate support,” Parker said. “Red tape and a lack of understanding may be harming the uptake of social media despite the fact that recruitment tools with built-in capabilities are there to support them.”
OfficeTeam executive director Robert Hosking said jobseekers should keep their online profiles updated and professional at all times. He offers five tips to help candidates highlight their expertise or qualifications online:
1. Make sure photos that are visible in your social media profiles look professional. Untag yourself or adjust your privacy settings to limit who can see certain images.
2. Provide employers with a clear sense of your capabilities by posting information about your work history and highlighting key accomplishments on LinkedIn. Sharing personal interests and hobbies on Facebook can also help people relate to you more easily.
3. Incorporate key industry terms to describe your skills, specialties and positions of interest so hiring managers can easily find you online.
4. Be selective about who you allow into your social networks because potential employers may contact these individuals for insights on you. Your contacts also could alert you to job openings.
5. Regularly update your profile and be active professionally. Post useful advice or comment on articles on LinkedIn and industry forums.
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