The advent of social media has had a dramatic impact on the world of recruitment, affecting how agencies and employers go about finding potential candidates, and how jobseekers market themselves to employers. “It is a continuous live stream of information allowing employers and candidates to find the perfect fit,” suggests Simon Conington, managing director of BPS World. “Before there was only a CV and interview to base your judgement of a candidate on; social media has created more than one platform for recruiters to learn about a candidate and vice versa.”
Such sites have also changed the way in which recruiters advertise roles. “While the opportunity is there to pay for sponsored posts on social media, the freedom to post job opportunities at no cost has allowed recruiters to explore new advertising avenues that previously didn’t exist,” points out Nicola Mewse, operations director, at Hales Group. “With 89% of 18-29 year olds active on social media, it’s risky for recruiters not to embrace social.”
Yet while social media can undoubtedly help identify potential candidates, it does not replace the need for traditional recruitment skills, and in particular the human element of recruitment. “Candidates value access to recruiters who understand their situation and welcome an in-depth discussion around the specifics of a given role,” says Andrew Speers, managing director at energy recruiter Petroplan. “Human-to-human contact is what reassures candidates that we understand what is involved in a placement, which in the energy industry is often in unfamiliar or remote locations.”
The human element also means recruiters can get a better idea of a candidate’s personality, which is not possible to the same degree online. “Cutting out the face-to-face process and relying on online contact eliminates the added value of assessing a person’s ‘fit’,” says Sarah Denmark, client services manager at Wade Macdonald. “People tend to respond to questions very differently online compared to face-to-face, and if you cannot eyeball them then you will be unable pick up on nuances that may indicate weaknesses in their answers, experience or character.”