Is There a Dark Side of Social Recruiting?
Social Recruiting. More than a buzzword, this practice has become a norm in recruiting employees of all levels. However, as with every other great trend that is “changing the face of the human resources industry (or any other industry, for that matter),” new information shows that companies may be failing at social recruiting. Today, we look to share the history, the common pitfalls faced by companies, and how to improve your social recruiting.
Common Downfalls of Social Recruiting
With an overwhelming 94% of recruiters using or planning to use social media in their recruitment efforts, how many are using it correctly? Social media is a powerful tool for finding and vetting candidates but many recruiters still have questions on how best to utilize these social networks and what they should be looking for.
We thank the Undercover Recruiter for sharing common social recruiting mistakes. These mistakes are as follows.
Encroaching upon Right to Privacy and Uncovering Protected Status
Nearly every social network besides LinkedIn was created with one purpose in mind: To create a personal social experience. Further, if you step beyond LinkedIn in recruiting, you may stumble upon information that defines an individual’s protected status under federal law:
- Age
- Disability
- National Origin
- Pregnancy
- Race
- Religion
- Gender
If you are using social media to recruit, it may be best to wait until you meet the candidate before checking out his or her social profiles. This will help to remove bias that could get you into trouble.
Wasting Too Much Time
Do you think using social media to recruit is easy? You may just be doing it wrong. The ability to create a steady stream of thought leadership, conversation, and relationship building to create a funnel of applicants is time consuming and costly.
Job Posting Bombardment
Take a look at your LinkedIn Company Page. What’s the last thing posted? Too many companies think that posting “I’m Hiring” is enough of a social media recruiting strategy. Some of these companies will go further and post the exact same “I’m Hiring” post on every social network. Then they repeat it.
All social networks are built differently, having different audience and dynamics. For instance, LinkedIn is apt for sourcing white-collar, mid-senior level candidates, while Twitter is great for joining in, having conversation, generating brand awareness and not much sourcing.
Once you have a clear understanding of the differences and the similarities, real candidate sourcing can begin.
Forgetting Traditional Methods
If your company social profile goes dark, you lose potential relationships with candidates. If a candidate decides to drop out of social media, you may risk passing over him or her. There are many evidences out there that suggest one is better off without social media than being on it. Plus, who would complain about a candidate who isn’t wasting time checking social media?
Recruiters always run the risk of not hiring such candidates even if they are qualified and suited for the position. Thus, as a HR decision-maker by using social media you might be disadvantaging candidates who do not have access to it.
Overcoming Social Recruiting Anxiety
The Overture Group knows how to combine all forms of recruiting to source the best of the best. Through our four-phase sourcing process, we learn what is right for your organization and can bring you the right candidate. Let us find your next senior executive. Contact us today.