Avoiding risks when using social media in recruiting
Over the past few years, the popularity of social media has continued to increase. Not only are well known sites like Facebook and LinkedIn expanding with each new active user, but entirely new social networking sites continue to be created. These websites have evolved from their original purpose as a social connector with friends, to a valuable tool in a company’s recruitment process. Recruiters have been learning more ways to strategically use these sites in getting ahead of the competition, but in doing so they can find themselves at risk of legal question in comparing the information accessed online in relation to their hiring decisions.
A simple Google search of a candidate’s name or a visit to their Facebook and LinkedIn page can reveal a lot about the person, providing an inside look into their life that you normally wouldn’t see on traditional job applications and resumes. In a January 2010 report released by Microsoft, 79 percent of those hiring managers they had surveyed used social media and online searches in their hiring, and of those, 70 percent had actually chosen to reject candidates because of the information that they had found. Knowing how to use these websites efficiently without accessing information that could lead to possible discrimination claims is crucial in the hiring process. With all of the available information at your fingertips, it is important that when choosing to integrate social networking sites in the screening of a candidate that the search remains relevant and nondiscriminatory. Recruitment agencies that set up a policy to follow standards set up by organizations such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act for screening candidates will have effective results. They also will avoid any future legal question that could arise finding that them guilty of violating laws such as the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act or others created to prevent discrimination in hiring.
In order to keep recruiting fair and avoid any question of a hiring decision there are a few key things to remember and techniques to have in place before searching the web. Establishing a strong recruitment policy along with prior education of these guidelines to those in charge of screening candidates (preferably someone who is not making the hiring decisions) is important. Making sure that these policies include what information can and cannot be included in making hiring decisions is vital in addition to creating a set list of what websites are to be used in accessing this information. Using social media to look into one candidate and not others puts recruiters in a questionable situation. If you choose to use social media to look into one candidate, it’s important that it is done with all others as well. Lastly, keeping documentation of all information to reference back to what was used in the recruitment process will be greatly beneficial to the company should any questions arise.
Social media is very valuable in the recruitment process when used correctly and integrated along with other screening tools. It has the ability to locate a large amount of possible candidates as well as provide valuable information. Those recruiters who are able to keep up with consistently changing social networking trends and have a strong knowledge of how to navigate these sites, position themselves above others; finding the best candidates possible, while staying clear of any potential discrimination claims.
Using LinkedIn to recruit graduating college students
LinkedIn is a popular social network among professionals and college students. While Facebook is more for personal use, LinkedIn allows professionals and college students to showcase their experience. With over 90 million members, recruiters are finding this social network as a useful tool to find qualified professionals or graduating students to source for potential jobs.
LinkedIn is growing each and every day. In fact, one million new members join the social network every twelve days. More than one million companies have created LinkedIn Company pages, and that number keeps on growing (Buss). It is a growing trend for recruiters to use social networks, such as LinkedIn, to look for professionals to fit their job description.
Hiring graduating college students for entry-level positions is easy with the growing number of students joining the website. The chart below shows the rapidly increasing number of student memberships.
Hire Velocity uses LinkedIn, in addition to over 200 job boards, to source for candidates. Make sure to check out our LinkedIn page.
Buss, Jason. “College Recruiting on LinkedIn.” Talent HQ (2011): n.
pag. Web. 18 Mar 2011. <http://www.talenthq.com/2011/03/college-recruiting-on-linkedin/comment-page-1>.
How to best utilize social networking in recruiting
Social networking has become a great way to connect with clients and potential recruiters. Utilizing social networking is important regardless of if you are looking for a job or looking to hire new employees. However, it is important that you choose the right social networks that will project a professional image on you and your company.
Facebook is a great tool for businesses as a whole. The smart companies have created a Facebook Page for their business and encouraged clients and potential clients to “Like” the page. The Facebook Page will allow your company to post updates to all of the Facebook users who have liked your page. This is a great way to attract traffic to your company website and encourage customers to voice their opinion. It allows your business to have two-way communication where the customer can interact with you, and you can interact with the customer.
On the other hand, Facebook is not a good tool for those who are looking to get hired. Facebook is typically used as a personal social networking site among friends and family members. Leaving your Facebook page open for employers to see can stop you from getting a position based on a picture you have been tagged in or a comment that was left on your wall. For this reason, it is important to change your security settings to limit the amount of information that people who are not your friend can see.
LinkedIn is a more appropriate place for job seekers to network with employers and contacts. This social network is used for professional uses and shows off your experience, education, recommendations, and more. It is a great way to reconnect with a possible contact that may be able to help you get that interview. Additionally, you can search for open positions from some of your favorite companies using the social networking site.
LinkedIn is also a great tool for businesses because it gives a quick overview of the company and allows people to see who is working there. The front page of the LinkedIn page gives a snapshot of the company size, industry, year founded, headquarters, and more. Recruiting managers will be able to utilize LinkedIn by posting open job positions (for a fee) for any LinkedIn member to check out.
These are a few of the many social networking sites available for businesses or job seekers. It is 2011 and it is essential that your business have a presence on the social networking sites. To even better improve the customer experience, businesses should post updates on a regular basis and make sure that they are interacting with the customers.
Check out how Hire Velocity utilizes social networking sites by visiting our LinkedIn and Facebook pages.
Social Media in recruiting
One new tool is giving organizations the ability to search for quality candidates for free! Social Networking is taking over and if your organization is not already on board it’s time to jump on. Social Networking gives an organization a glimpse into a potential candidates work and school history, likes, dislikes, and personality. No other resource gives an organization the ability to essentially know a candidate before ever making contact with them.
Not only can organizations benefit from using Social Networking but candidates can benefit as well. Candidates are gaining access to the hiring managers, CEO, and CFO of all types of organizations including fortune 500 companies. It can allow candidates to get their foot in the door and gain knowledge about that organization and their staff. If a candidate utilizes the resource they may discover some information about the hiring manager and the organization that can be beneficial during an interview.
Before an organization starts using Social Networking there is pertinent information to know to make Social Networking successful for your organization.
Make the commitment- Social Networking is not just a trend; it is becoming a main resource for recruiting. Once an organization starts there is no turning back. Your organization needs to stay committed to it. Make sure there is consistency in the tone and activity. It is also important to comment on other organization’s blogs and posts; this is free advertisement for your organization. When your comment is posted, it is now publicly seen on your organization’s site, which can attract viewers to your site.
Use resources within your organization- Become “social friends” with your organization’s current and past employees. Being social friends expands a company’s potential candidate pool by providing unlimited access to this network of “social friends”. “Social friends” may share similar interests and work ethics as them and lead to potential recruiting opportunities. Also use employees to promote the organization’s site and potential open positions.
Measure the success- Organizations depend on certain metrics to determine the success of a resource. Social Networking gives your organization the ability to measure the success and customize how your organization chooses to measure the information. An organization needs to set quantitative goals and then track the contacts, candidates, and referrals that result from their social media efforts.
Using Twitter for Recruiting
Twitter is a great tool for businesses looking to have direct contact with consumers. With over 15 million active users, businesses have cited the social media network as a way to let users know about new products or services. Twitter even has a dedicated page for businesses explaining how the service can be used. But can Twitter be used in the recruiting industry? The answer is yes. Twitter is a fantastic resource for companies looking to reach an endless amount of users with little effort.
Many companies have dedicated an entire Twitter account to listing available jobs. For example, MTV (@MTVnetworksjobs) tweets its open positions and is always willing to answer questions about job related questions. The account has over 21,000 followers, this means that every time the network posts a job, over 21,000 people see it. Furthermore, if one of those over 21,000 people retweet the job listing, every one of his or her followers sees it too. This is a fantastic approach to promoting your open positions to an endless amount of candidates.
For the average business, getting over 21,000 followers like MTV Networks is not an easy task. It takes quality posts and strategic timing to acquire a following. It is important to take into consideration when people will be using Twitter before posting a job listing. For example, tweeting a job posting at 3am on a Monday night is not likely to have a large reach because many users are asleep and may have work early the next morning. Instead you may want to think about tweeting it at 7:30am when many users are waking up to check their Twitter timeline before getting ready to start the work day. You may want to also think about retweeting the job posting later in the day at around 6:30pm when users are getting out of work and home to browse the Internet. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t acquire a large following at first, keep tweeting on a regular basis and the following will surely come.
You can always check out Hire Velocity’s on Twitter @HireVelocity and @HVJobListings.
Byron West
President
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