Out with the old and in with the new

Recruitment – don’t be in the dark

Recruitment is an interesting business and across the many investments I have enjoyed in my business life definitely one of the most profitable. Reflecting on the industry I have to report there are changes afoot and the lack basic understanding of the contraction of parts of the industry and new methodologies needs to happen fast.

Intellectual levels of entry.

Social Media

I have been very surprised at the very small numbers of recruiters using the different types of social media to help them. Yes, the majority have a Facebook account, but usage is solely for their friends and family. Many have LinkedIN accounts, but very few are using them properly to help them with what they do. I have met people from the recruitment industry, who dodn’t even realise that they could source target companies via LinkedIN and when it comes to Twitter there position was at best ambivalent to the usage and and worst totally ignorant.

I have already had feedback via my Twitter. LinkedIN works for me and Facebook to lesser extent because it’s more social and less business. “Bit of pond life on it too ”

Things are changing very fast. I was around in recruitment when job boards first arrived on the scene, to fanfares and ticker tape parades. It took years for recruiters and companies for the online penny to drop and some still don’t believe it works now let alone where it’s eventually taking the them ….or not.

Social recruiting is no respecter of time. The companies and recruiters that use it are already reaping the benefits. They are accessing and engaging with candidates like they have never done before, and are finding it to be truly revolutionary for recruitment.

Candidate expectation of companies and recruiters using different social media channels to communicate and engage with them, rises every single day. It is they who will be the drivers. They will dictate how recruiters and companies will succeed or fail within social recruiting.  Why is because social media has no respect of reputations. Big or small it doesn’t matter who you are; by not getting involved sends a bigger message out than getting involved and making some mistakes. Candidates will be attracted to companies and recruiters that they can engage, communicate and build a relationship with via social media, not the ones don’t even try!

Now you may be thinking that it doesn’t matter at the moment, because of the recession. Yes, there are loads of candidates out there at the moment, but that will start to change and it will start to very soon. If as a recruiter you have been toughing it out, waiting for the good times to roll again, think again. The recruitment landscape has now changed for ever. Social Recruiting is here to stay. The quicker you get started the less ground you are going to have to make up with your competitors!

Parts reprinted from a great blog here: http://tiny.cc/JEM4W