Recruitment is changing and it is not surprising, given the growth of social networks and their impact on the recruitment policies of companies.
The www.masters-in-human-resources.org/recruiting site shows in its recent study that LinkedIn has revolutionized the world of recruitment: 200 million users in over 200 countries.
However, social networks remain a technology that companies and recruiters use to speed sourcing1 of candidates in a short time, thanks to the power of the internet tool. But at this stage of consultation on Linkedin, there are still several steps to be crossed before recruiting the right profiles.
The study shows that only 50.5% of users have completed and updated their profile… It is therefore for the recruiter to find 49.5% of missing information, and especially to validate the visible one.
LinkedIn suggests to its members to complete their profile using recommendations from their network. There are even tools that automatically write the most flattering remarks about your work: www.endorser.org/ can automatically generate great feedback.
The recruiter must be accurate and enough advised to read through the lines. How to differentiate between real skills and a profile that focuses on his image? Many coaches specializing in “personal branding” are emerging.
Once all the user information is analysed by the recruiter, he has to establish contact with the target candidate. The response rate of candidates through InMails (internal Linkedin e-mail) is 10 to 20%.
The recruiter has still many tasks to do to reach his candidate. And if by chance this step is completed, the recruiter must follow 80% of the remaining recruitment process:
– Understanding the motivations of the candidate and convince him that the proposed Job Offer is in adequacy with his professional profile (25% of a successful recruitment process)
– Analyse and enrich the exchange in a face to face interview (30% of a successful recruitment process)
– Initiate and follow the application to Operational Managers (15% of process)
– Manage the job offer and candidate’s integration (10% of a successful recruitment process)
The use of social networks therefore weighs about 20% successful recruitment and they are efficient in the process of recruiting, especially in the fast identification of candidates upstream.
But, we should not forget that marketing database has never replaced the outlets or e-commerce sites for example. It is the same for the recruitment. Linkedin as well as others social networks do not replace the required expertise and the methodology to guarantee the successes regarding recruitment.
This is good news for Executive Search Agencies using exclusively direct approach! They still have their place of strategic partners of companies by combining control of technology, process, methodology and knowledge of the environment of the companies for which they work!
Anne Charlotte VAILLANT
Owner and Managing Director
1 Sourcing : Looking for candidates using key words.