Social Networking and Recruitment

Social Media Marketing, Social Networking and Social Media Optimisation are the latest additions to an online Recruiter's role. Without attention paid to social networking with Job Seekers, Recruiters forgo the growth opportunities and leverage found from participating in such environments.

Internet usage has changed and evolved as such, into an advanced and sophisticated experience of user and audience interaction. With greater broadband penetration worldwide but more specifically in South Africa, diversified Job Seeker audiences are now being reached through a 'broader band' of internet coverage. Parallel to the diversification of online audiences, so have these audiences' needs and desires diversified.

Online interaction (Recruiter social networking) has become more conversational which has brought about a new age of the way in which online Recruiters can now market and promote their clients employment opportunities to passive and active Job Seekers. Through forward thinking and a determined switch in the way Recruiters communicate to Job Seekers, Recruiters have a unique opportunity to colonise social marketing and participation with Job Seekers and effectively profit from and grow their organisations through socially networking with Job Seekers.

What is a Social Network?

Social networking sites are the single most popular form of social interaction amongst online networkers and more importantly diversified Job Seeker pools. Such social networks include websites such as MySpace (which offers user email, a forum, communities, videos and weblog space), Facebook (where users connect through old and new friends, upload an unlimited amount of photos, share links and videos, and converse with likeminded online peers) and Bebo (where users can share photos, music, personal blog posts, and draw on members white boards).

Social networking websites award Recruiters with the opportunity to use these networks to engage with both the passive and active Job Seeker markets while interacting with such audiences on their own terms within their own 'personal' social comfort zone.

While some of the above social networks gravitate around friend to friend networking there are some social networks geared for business associates and more specifically where Job Seekers, employers and Recruiters network amongst industries (LinkedIn). Such professional social networks focus on promoting professional associations, specialised skill and niche market networking. Here social networking is taken beyond 'friend to friend' interaction and has evolved to 'commerce to commerce' connectivity, where executives and professionals within specified markets interact.

Such networks allow members to find clients, subject matter experts and potential business partners along with business opportunities, job vacancies as well as be introduced to key contacts for business networking.

Essentially Recruiters are able to connect and network with Job Seekers that fall specifically into their niche area of recruitment. By joining groups, advertising vacancies and discussing different roles, such simple participation creates a viral domino effect and more and more networked contacts will join your network.

By utilising such demographics to create awareness about your recruitment agency as well as niche markets that you recruit in and vacancies you currently pursue, passive and active Job Seekers develop a level of loyalty based on the network relationship. With a greater pool of Job Seekers that Recruiters are able to network with the more reliable Recruiter resources will be to make use of when staffing requirements arise.

While social networking may be relatively new to South African Recruiters, the quicker that Recruiters open themselves up to adopting this new and alternate means to Job Seeker location and retention, the greater success and advancements will be made. As we move with the changing times so our practices and efficiencies adapt, change and streamline. Change in any industry is an imminent eventuality and the quicker we respond the sooner we experience success and see the benefit from healthy evolution.