Recruiting top talent through the use of social media has become the new norm. You guys agree?

Social Media in Recruitment: Useful or a Giant Waste of Time?

It’s definitely a norm; using Twitter and LinkedIn to advertise and promote jobs, as well as using these platforms to connect and communicate with potential candidates. Using social media is seen as an essential component to any kind of recruiting strategy.

But how useful is it? We spend a lot of time on social media, but are we seeing the returns on investment we put into our social strategies? We have to ask our panel of industry experts how influential social hiring has been for them. Hint: it is VERY useful!

Bryan Chaney

Social media is everything from forums and blogs, to tweets and email. So yes, we should be, and we are all using social media to recruit people that our hiring managers want to hire. The difference in using social media, compared to traditional CVs is that more contextual information is available online through someone’s personal brand and what they’re sharing. We understand more about a candidate’s personalities and passions because of this visibility. BUT this is a two-way conversation, which not all recruiters understand. Candidates are looking for personal stories from recruiters, employees, and brands as well. Most are only getting job specs, and they are hungry for the rest of the story.

Bryan Chaney , Director of Employer Brand, Indeed

Cheryl Cran

To be able to recruit top talent today you NEED to be social media savvy – LinkedIn is rated as the top social media source for finding potential talent. I have clients who have found stellar people through Twitter and Instagram as well. Social media IS where the millennial generation hangs out and statistics show that ALL generations look to social media for job opportunities. Recruiters need to use GIF’s, Videos, Quizzes, Games, Contests and other clever interaction style calls to action to engage people into the talent pool. Creating ongoing relationships with potential hires will ensure a continued talent pipeline for the immediate and far off future.

Cheryl Cran , CEO & Future of Work Expert, Synthesis at Work Inc

Nathan Perrott

There is no question that employers and recruiters should be using social media to attract top talent. The key question should be ‘How should we be using social media?’. And that can only be answered once you understand your target audience. We must remember that social media is a broad channel type and it can vary considerably. From the core ‘social’ channels we think of (like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram), to professional networking sites and employer review sites. We musn’t ignore the rise and power of private messaging apps (e.g. WhatsApp, Messenger & Snapchat).

Nathan Perrott , Director of Digital Marketing Strategy, AIA Worldwide

Hung Lee

A question like that might have made more sense 10 years ago! These days it’s difficult to create media content which isn’t inherently socially enabled. Likewise, there is very little that is social that cannot instantly become a form of media. We create and consume a huge amount of social media and employers need to communicate on places where your talent is going to be. It’s difficult to imagine for any company that cares about hiring to not at least explore using social technologies as part of their approach.

Hung Lee , CEO, WorkShape.io

Adam Glassman

Why aren’t you using social media is the question? With an unmatched ability to reach and engage a very specific audience, social is the perfect medium to reach new candidates and spread your employer brand and careers-focused content.

Adam Glassman , Recruitment Strategies Manager, Alorica

Chris Russell

Yes! The best people are usually on social media. If I had to choose among two candidates one with a Twitter following of thousands, and one with no Twitter presence. I’d give preference to the one with a social media following.

Chris Russell , Managing Director, RecTech Media

Jonathan Kestenbaum

YES! Social media websites, especially those focused on niche groups, have extremely engaged candidates and are great sources of top talent.

Jonathan Kestenbaum , Executive Director, Talent Tech Labs

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