Twitter flutter... tweet... Facebook... booked face... link me link up LinkedIn...
It seems there is a new world... social networking... and there are now a plethora of articles on the internet about this phenomena and how it will change our world... and I am sure they are true.

It reminds me of when the internet was emerging and Job Boards had just started we knew Job Boards would change recruiting… I mean who these days could imagine not using job boards… well I have a similar feeling about digital media and how it will effect recruiting… its kind of like we know it is going to have an effect but we are all waiting to see what the effect social networking will have….

So what is social networking anyway?

Networking has been around since humankind discovered there was value in communication, and in modern times it is anything from gathering at a church congregation to attending industry specific trade fairs. Nowadays we all recognise it is in the interests of any business to network, as it allows for effective word of mouth marketing, and is generally an informal atmosphere to provide and learn information, and most importantly create a relationship.

In light of the Social media revolution – your traditional one to one word of mouth marketing can now be multiplied reaching a wide group without having to bring all of the people physically together. And that’s all it is!

So what’s the difference?

Let’s discuss a few social network platforms to gauge a better understanding of how they may assist recruitment.

LinkedIn – is predominantly a business networking site, growing its reputation as a credible and professional site. It is easy to navigate, post ads, view profiles and reach out to people that are interested in pursuing a position. There are gate keepers in LinkedIn, not anybody can contact anybody, and as a result people who are wary of confidentiality will be more attracted to it. For a recruiter this platform can streamline the search for the candidate, providing a great way to source new candidates.

Facebook is a more open social media site; some recruiters use it as another form of job board. As a Facebook user instead of logging on to a specific job board to look for jobs, once the user has added on the recruiter’s link, they will receive constant updates of new jobs they can view in one quick click. Here it is not the case of who you know, but who knows you.

Twitter is different again; it works as a short-hand way of communicating real-time with mobile users to quickly get across the message of a hot job or company information. People “follow” on Twitter so the idea is to find someone who interests you and follow them by reading what they are “tweeting”. Again some recruiters use it as a job board of sorts “tweeting” new roles that they have, so their “followers” get quick updates on the latest “Hot Jobs”. Generally it is a faster more shorthand version of online networking… good for mobiles!

These three mediums require input to produce the desired output but so does any form of networking. As such, the people who excel at traditional face to face networking will usually adapt well to on line networking… and getting the right job is often about networking.

So what about the future of these sites as recruitment enablers?
Although baby boomers are now taking up these new forms of networking there is no doubt the online socialisation of the Y generation was the initial driving force as it will be for the next wave of online networking sites. Currently the Y generation represents 14% of the workforce and in 11 years will represent 42%.

So whether you agree or not, online networking sites will become part of the recruitment landscape and they are here to stay. From a recruiting perspective these sites offer fast cheap and easy exposure for businesses to enhance their branding and widen their relationships, attracting candidates

However, while Social networking supports recruiting and will have a big impact for recruiters… just as the case with jobs boards, these sites will never replace the face to face human component of the recruiting process.

Please feel free to contact us at Frontline Retail. with any recruitment requirements - we are here to help.