What is Social Recruiting? (And How to Make the Most of It)

HR Insights for Professionals
The latest thought leadership for HR pros
Social media has already revolutionized how we communicate, play, socialize and work. With its combination of broad reach and precise targeting, it is also the perfect channel for recruitment.
15 January 2018

We live in a world that is hugely influenced by technology and the networking solutions that the Internet has provided us with have changed the way we do things. The power of digital opportunities is limitless and we are now seeing massive shifts in how businesses perform processes from marketing to recruitment. Social recruiting is one trend that is becoming increasingly popular with recruitment teams for talent acquisition.

What is social recruitment?

Melanie Benwell, Managing Director at PathWorks Personnel, offers this definition:

Social recruiting is using social media and it’s many platforms to buttress existing recruiting methodologies.

 

Whilst HRZone describes social recruitment as:

Social recruitment is concerned with sourcing candidates for jobs via social media channels and social media networks.

 

Ultimately, social recruitment, or social hiring, is the use of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to find and attract the right candidates. There are many tactics that can be utilized, including directly advertising jobs, creating viral content and searching for suitable individuals.

Social recruitment can help reduce the time and cost of recruiting. With immediate access to greater volumes of information, recruiters can learn, adapt and improve their campaigns in real time. Its global reach means messages can reach much further without losing effectiveness, while the depth of information available enables them to be delivered strategically. Social hiring can also be very cost-effective, particularly when weighed against the large overheads of professional recruiters and head-hunters.

What platforms are being used for social recruitment?

LinkedIn is an incredibly well known platform for career networking and with 467 million users it has an enormous reach. Being able to search through LinkedIn profiles enables recruiters to find their ideal candidates, even if they have not applied for a role at the company they are recruiting for. And it is not just LinkedIn that is being used for social recruiting, according to a recent post from SearchHRSoftware, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram are also being used for social hiring.

Social recruitment is not purely about searching for potential candidates; LSE Careers state that businesses are using social media for:

  • Brand management
  • Advertising
  • Researching candidates
  • Headhunting
  • Referrals