There’s no doubt that social media has been adopted by the recruitment industry as a valuable hiring tool. LinkedIn is the more prominent social media site within recruitment with many employers using it as a means for scouting talent. But other major social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are also used by employers and job seekers alike, to source the ideal employee and land the perfect job.
Social profiles can say a lot about a candidate, in some instances they can resemble a CV – providing you with information of work history, interests and any mutual correspondents. Before almost every British home established a Broadband connection, personal and background information on candidates wasn’t so readily available. You often had to rely on the words on applicants’ CVs and references from past employers. Nowadays however, a whole world of personal information seems to be easily accessible – you can even see what a candidate got up to last night or did for their friend’s birthday.
Whilst social media is an excellent recruiting tool, how do you define the fine line between using it ethically and abusing personal information to scupper a candidate’s chances of getting hired?
When Social Media Compromises Recruitment
Facebook has been under a great deal of scrutiny over privacy settings recently, as users have little control or knowledge over what aspects of their personal information are publicly viewable. The fact that this information is so accessible has had a significant impact on the recruitment process.
In the past, your first impression of an applicant (after reading their CV) was a face-to-face or in some instances, telephone interview. This allowed candidates to prepare in advance, research your company and impress their interviewer. Nowadays that’s all changed, as some employers research their candidates on social media sites before seeing them at interview – this can severely taint the recruitment process as first impressions have already been made, often without the candidate even knowing.
Many argue that this is incredibly unethical and renders the recruitment process unfair; to establish equality and fairness when hiring it’s essential that every applicant starts with a clean slate. One thing to bear in mind here is that people generally behave differently at home than they do at work, and often treat their social media profiles like their virtual “living room”. If a candidate provides you with details of their social profiles then you can use them to your advantage; if they don’t then it’s best to leave their personal profiles well alone.
When Social Media Enhances Recruitment
Social media can be an extraordinarily valuable tool for recruiting when used ethically. You can use your business’s social profiles to alert Facebook fans and Twitter followers of current job vacancies, they can then visit the online recruitment company and apply for the position. This can help you to receive applications from people who have a genuine interest in and knowledge about your company.
Social media sites are an excellent platform for communicating with candidates. They’re far less corporate than an email, and many people check their Facebook account more frequently than their emails. They may also be more easily accessible on mobile devices as many social media sites have apps which are optimised for mobile use. Some email platforms aren’t as easily accessible on smart phones, meaning candidates may not check them as frequently or have access to them whilst on-the-go.
Here at Blue Octopus, we’re grasping social media as an additional recruitment tool. If you decide to start your quest for a new staff member with us your vacancy will get pushed out through our Facebook and Twitter profiles. This means hundreds of job seekers who’ve followed and liked our profiles will receive the update of your vacancy and have the option to apply. We also have profiles for employers. You can follow or like us to receive industry news and updates, alerts of new posts published on the Blogtopus and engage in general recruitment banter.
