How much social media or networking helping organizations to hire talented people? We find many recruiters nowadays effectively using social networking for hiring the best people for an organization. Now the question which needs to be answered is on whether this social networking can replace other recruiting tools.
Social networking these days is considered to be one of the most sought out solution for sourcing and recruiting employees in an organization by recruiters. However, the potential that lies in social networking still needs to be tapped to a greater extent.
Social networking have been successful to a handful of recruiters but that doesn't mean it would be beneficial to all. Organizations need to figure out the answer to whether is it the right time to diverge from conventional tools to social networking approach as more and more recruiters preach and confirm social networking to be the best solution in the market these days.
What are the thoughts that go in people's mind when they are online and on social networking sites? We need to study how this behavior affects the online networking platform.
Psychology of the Recruiter or Head Hunter:
The hiring consultant is confident that as soon as he joins any social media site he is definitely going to get an access to an immense pool of talented professionals. On the various communities or specific networking groups he is confident to find people related to his industry or market. To check whether this statement is true we have to analyze what people want or think when they interact with one another on the social arena.
Thought that goes in people's mind when they join social networking websites:
They want to keep their existing social connections alive. It is been found that most of the people socialize online to retain and strengthen their relations which are offline. To build on their social capital and connections. Social capital refers to the value individuals can extract in terms of information, personal connections, interests etc from their online buddies or connections. Very few individuals have been found investing in building social connections to talk about career prospects or to tap upon any employment opportunity in the future. Here I am not mentioning sites like LinkedIn or Recruting Blogs which are solely dedicated for professional interactions. What seems on the most of the social arena is that people are more interested in sharing their life activities to an outer world rather than networking with others which prevents them from exploiting other possibilities of social networking.
The usage behavior here suggests us that:
Individuals network size is quite small in comparison to their overall connection strength.
Men responses are less if we compare it to any women. Six or more will be an average number of people with whom a female will be interacting while a man would manage to handle four at any point in time. The mixing of people with common background or profession is seen less as major talk revolves around sharing personal details and achievements. You are also not able to judge where that individual is working or what are his qualifications as people tend to avoid mentioning such details on their social networking profile. You are also not sure whether he has been successful in his profession or what his current employment status is till date.
The study above influences our decision and challenges us to revisit and analyze whether it is beneficial to judge people on the various so called social networking sites. Much deeper study is required before declaring this tool to be complete in all aspects.
How much successful is Social Media?
Hardly have we come across people chatting on how they will like their career to be or what competencies they need to build upon for future growth. Location details can be found but beyond this you really have to work hard to take out information. The only way left is to scrutinize and shortlist people on the basis of the information which is available. The consultant at times rejects people as they are not smart or are more fun lovers as perceived from their personal photographs attached to their profiles. This may lead to rejecting worthy guys and which is not appropriately justified.
How Do You Verify Online Details Of Candidates?
Assuming that a recruiter has finally shortlisted few candidates based on his assumptions and information provided on a networking site. The challenge lies here is on the verification of information collected to assess an individual's background. There are very few resources like LinkedIn to rely upon to confirm the details shared by an individual in his profile. It is advisable to be more cautious on relying on social media at this point.
Efforts and work needs to be done at both ends in order to take decisions on the social media information. Whether this would be the next generation recruitment tool, I am doubtful. - 32171
Social networking these days is considered to be one of the most sought out solution for sourcing and recruiting employees in an organization by recruiters. However, the potential that lies in social networking still needs to be tapped to a greater extent.
Social networking have been successful to a handful of recruiters but that doesn't mean it would be beneficial to all. Organizations need to figure out the answer to whether is it the right time to diverge from conventional tools to social networking approach as more and more recruiters preach and confirm social networking to be the best solution in the market these days.
What are the thoughts that go in people's mind when they are online and on social networking sites? We need to study how this behavior affects the online networking platform.
Psychology of the Recruiter or Head Hunter:
The hiring consultant is confident that as soon as he joins any social media site he is definitely going to get an access to an immense pool of talented professionals. On the various communities or specific networking groups he is confident to find people related to his industry or market. To check whether this statement is true we have to analyze what people want or think when they interact with one another on the social arena.
Thought that goes in people's mind when they join social networking websites:
They want to keep their existing social connections alive. It is been found that most of the people socialize online to retain and strengthen their relations which are offline. To build on their social capital and connections. Social capital refers to the value individuals can extract in terms of information, personal connections, interests etc from their online buddies or connections. Very few individuals have been found investing in building social connections to talk about career prospects or to tap upon any employment opportunity in the future. Here I am not mentioning sites like LinkedIn or Recruting Blogs which are solely dedicated for professional interactions. What seems on the most of the social arena is that people are more interested in sharing their life activities to an outer world rather than networking with others which prevents them from exploiting other possibilities of social networking.
The usage behavior here suggests us that:
Individuals network size is quite small in comparison to their overall connection strength.
Men responses are less if we compare it to any women. Six or more will be an average number of people with whom a female will be interacting while a man would manage to handle four at any point in time. The mixing of people with common background or profession is seen less as major talk revolves around sharing personal details and achievements. You are also not able to judge where that individual is working or what are his qualifications as people tend to avoid mentioning such details on their social networking profile. You are also not sure whether he has been successful in his profession or what his current employment status is till date.
The study above influences our decision and challenges us to revisit and analyze whether it is beneficial to judge people on the various so called social networking sites. Much deeper study is required before declaring this tool to be complete in all aspects.
How much successful is Social Media?
Hardly have we come across people chatting on how they will like their career to be or what competencies they need to build upon for future growth. Location details can be found but beyond this you really have to work hard to take out information. The only way left is to scrutinize and shortlist people on the basis of the information which is available. The consultant at times rejects people as they are not smart or are more fun lovers as perceived from their personal photographs attached to their profiles. This may lead to rejecting worthy guys and which is not appropriately justified.
How Do You Verify Online Details Of Candidates?
Assuming that a recruiter has finally shortlisted few candidates based on his assumptions and information provided on a networking site. The challenge lies here is on the verification of information collected to assess an individual's background. There are very few resources like LinkedIn to rely upon to confirm the details shared by an individual in his profile. It is advisable to be more cautious on relying on social media at this point.
Efforts and work needs to be done at both ends in order to take decisions on the social media information. Whether this would be the next generation recruitment tool, I am doubtful. - 32171
About the Author:
Learn more about social networking for recruiters. Stop by Amit Bhagria's site where you can find out all about social networking tools and what it can do for you.
