10 Ways Social Media Affects Recruiting, Job-Seeking Processes

by Nathan Eddy

The survey revealed that recruiters gravitate toward LinkedIn (94 percent), Facebook (66 percent) and Twitter (52 percent) in their hiring efforts. The findings also indicated that job seekers need to be aware of their personal brand image and understand that anything shared publicly on social media can be accessed not only by hiring managers but also by their bosses, colleagues, and clients.

Think twice about posting that risqué selfie online. “We would recommend keeping that in mind when posting on social media,” Finnigan said. “Today, recruiters aren’t just looking for transferrable skills on social. They’re taking into account cultural fit and whether candidates communicate their company’s values.”

The survey showed that 55 percent of recruiters use or plan to use mobile career sites to support recruiting efforts and are already seeing the benefits. In addition, 19 percent have seen an increase in quantity of hires and 14 percent say it improves time-to-hire. Fifty-one percent said they plan to increase investment in a mobile career site.

While mobile recruiting trends show promise, Finnigan said there is a disconnect between job seekers and recruiters. The survey indicated that 43 percent of job seekers use mobile in their search, but 59 percent of recruiters are investing nothing in their mobile career site, suggesting companies have a long way to go to make the mobile application and job search process more palatable.

Demand for skilled labor is high but supply is low, and the survey found 69 percent of recruiters expect hiring to become more competitive in the next 12 months. Thirty-four percent anticipate filling between 11 and 50 job positions in the next year, and 22 percent plan to fill more than 100 positions in the same period. Sales, operations and IT were the top openings recruiters are looking to fill.

When seeking employees, recruiters said the company culture is the most effective weapon (73 percent), followed by better benefits (51 percent), flexible hours (45 percent) and higher compensation (30 percent). Despite the rise of social recruiting, 60 percent of respondents said the best candidates are found through referrals, followed by internal transfers (54 percent).

Recruiters use LinkedIn most to search for and contact candidates, vet candidates pre-interview and posting jobs. Facebook was used to showcase the employer brand and generate employee referrals. Twitter was used mostly as a space to showcase the employer brand and post jobs, and used less to search for and vet candidates.

Finnigan said job seekers should be cognizant of what turns off recruiters on social networks. This may involve cleaning up their social footprint and tightening privacy settings. The survey shows that illegal drug references (83 percent), sexual posts (70 percent), and grammar and spelling errors (66 percent) tend to have the most negative impact on recruiters’ hiring decisions.

Social recruiting has grown quickly over the last few years and is likely to continue its rapid evolution. In 2010, 82 percent of recruiters used social media to recruit. In 2014, that number jumped to 93 percent, indicating social recruiting has become an industry standard. “Any recruiter who does not utilize LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to generate referrals, search for candidates, vet candidates, and post jobs is missing out on top talent,” Finnigan said.

In the coming years, it will be commonplace to see other social networks like Instagram, personal blogs, and Google+ pick up traction and become a part of recruiters’ arsenal. Companies need to act like marketers and showcase their employer brand and engage with candidates across many platforms—there’s a shrinking supply of talent out there, Finnigan warned.