There is an increasing adherence of utilizing social media in the recruitment process these days. Most human resource professionals agree that social media influences their hiring decisions and enhances their sourcing.  In this online era, social media recruitment is a win-win for both the employer and the employee. Apart from corporate websites, large enterprises increasingly rely on this medium to build their brand for attracting candidates & customers.

The Changing Nature of Recruiters
Job opportunities were once primarily posted in local press a decade ago which has now transitioned to more cost effective alternatives. With the advent of technology, nearly all job offers are posted on popular job portals and their social media accounts. Its time to critically understand the merits and perils.


Social Media Vs Social Networks
Cambridge Online Dictionary defines social media as “forms of media that allow people to communicate and share information using the internet or mobile phones”. However with the rising popularity of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, there is a confusion differentiating social media from social networks.

Typical examples of social media include blogs, podcasts, video, wikis, etc. "Social Networks" are web-based services that allow individuals to: -

(1) Construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system,
(2) Articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection,
(3) View and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system.

Social media is best understood as a group of new kinds of online media, which share most or all of the following Characteristics: -

Job Seekers getting Social

Social media serves as a platform for professional job seekers to research on their employer’s company. Employers are using social media to showcase their brand as well as post vacancies often which can benefit job seekers a lot. Employers are also partnering with intelligent recruitment consultancies to attract job seekers. These recruitment consultancies train the candidates on resume writing, group discussion, interview preparation, etc. periodically. However there are some candidates who are concerned about the security issues associated with publishing their personal information online.

The Recruitment Process
This form of talent acquisition begins with posting job announcements online. The recruiters shortlist the candidates who are most eligible and announce their interview. Based on the business needs, the interview can be direct or telephonic. Telephonic interviews are heavily indulged in social media nowadays.

Social Media Onboarding
Recruitment process doesn’t end when a qualified candidate has been hired. The true success is measured by how long that newbie remains at the same company. Once the employees are on board, internal social media is employed to create talent communities that serve as a platform for training, promotion, performance review and development and hence can assure employee retention.

1. Increased Brand Reputation: With millions of internet users, the visibility of your company will be increased and so will the jobs which will be view by a large number of qualified candidates throughout the nation. Hence hiring managers have to make sure that their marketers provide a positive light to their company culture, values and vision.

2. Enhanced Reach: This is where your candidates are and now the favorite hunting ground for recruiters. As per the recent count on Monthly active users: Facebook 1.79 Billion , Twitter 317 million, Whatsapp 1 billion, Linkedin 467 million, Instagram 500 million and more.

3. Cost-effective: Recruitment related transaction costs are lower when compared to the traditional job advertisements and very efficient in terms of getting a lot of information in one place.

4. Well Qualified Candidates: Undoubtedly, social media users are the early adopters and the employers can hire such innovative and technically savvy easily.

5. Higher Response Rate: Job description can be posted online in no time and hence vacancies can be filled faster, even within an hour. Communication through social networks can guarantee better response rate than traditional approaches because of their credible and authentic nature. 

Recruiters: "Do Keep these in mind"

Social Media can be overwhelming and a few important tips can assist Recruiters in applying it to the recruitment strategy.

1. Don't believe everything you read: Over 130 million Facebook users could be fake. This is something every recruiter needs to be cautious of when reviewing profiles. Its the focus on quality engagement that matters.

2. Know your Media: Different types Social media brands engage with users differently. Keep in mind the functional benefits while using as an effective recruitment channel.

3. A Targeted Approach: Employers must ensure that they promote their job offers in the right groups through social media that are followed by most desired target audience as potential job seekers. Promoting otherwise is usually a waste of investment.

4. Reinforce the Job Description: Ensure that the information provided on those corporate social media is in a format that is concise, informative and easy to follow. Rich information will get you quality responses.

5. Intelligent Screening: Social recruiting mostly provides only a window view of the candidate’s professional abilities. Conduct personal interviews, open ended quationing, screening evaluations, background verifications, references are some supplimentary tools that can be used.