Are employers really allocating most of their recruitment dollars towards social media? Is social media, ie: Facebook & LinkedIn, the only real tools employers will use from this point forward? Or, do employers simply think this is the way to go because this is where the masses presently are? Let’s take a look at this in depth…
How do people typically find jobs? Referrals and job boards. So, if you were looking for a job, let’s say as a graphic designer, you would more than likely look first towards friends/acquaintances and then hit the streets by actively searching on Indeed.com or a niche site specific to your industry. Facebook and LinkedIn may be solid resources for the first few days until you don’t uncover any leads. Indeed.com would be a good resource, but a bit too broad and doesn’t include all industry sites related to your field. More than likely, you would spend most of your time on Dice.com searching for a graphic design job and networking on their community blog. After all, dice.com is the leading job site for tech jobs. Are job boards dead? No, not even close…
Social media sounds like it has a lot of glitz and glam from years of people saying it is, “The next big thing.” After all, there are nearly a billion people on Facebook and LinkedIn does have a huge professional base. However, has anyone really successfully landed a job by only using LinkedIn? Maybe a few people, but the majority are still using job boards dedicated to their industries when in full active mode. Are recruiters and employers really seeing a good ROI from using Social Media as a recruitment channel? Perhaps, but I am willing to say not many. I still believe that the best form of recruitment still lies in the palm of a job board’s hand or better yet, a niche community site with a dedicated user base and following. If I was recruiting in bulk or for a specialty position, that is where I would venture. Not necessarily LinkedIn – even though a lot of professionals are on it.
So is the world changing to where Social Media are the only methods of recruitment in the future? I dare say no, but I feel social is just what it is meant for…to be social with friends and family. People don’t necessarily want their social lives intermingled with their business lives. I know I don’t. Not to mention the repercussions of using LinkedIn when you are gainfully employed and don’t want your boss to realize you are searching for something else. For me, SM is a lot of hype without the ROI to prove itself as the one solution for all hiring needs. I don’t think it will ever get to that point.
