Online Technologies and Their Impact on Recruitment Strategies—Using Social Networking Web Sites to Attract Talent

Are you wondering if the time you spent in doing networking either face-to-face or virtually (e.g. linkedin anyone?) is well spent or wasted? Think again!

See below what the SHRM - Society for Human Resource Management - just published on a study they just did on this regard.

"Since 2006, there has been a 17 percent increase in human resource professionals who use social networking sites as recruiting, resumé verification, and applicant screening tools at least occasionally, according to a survey released today by the world’s largest human resources organization. And what they find can be damaging to an applicant’s hiring prospects.
The overview of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey, Online Technologies and Their Impact on Recruitment Strategies—Using Social Networking Web Sites to Attract Talent, showed organizations still recruit primarily through national online job boards (48 percent), but 3 percent of human resource professionals make social networking sites their primary recruiting source.
“Social networking sites will change forever how human resource professionals recruit new employees, check for corporate culture fit, and verify resumé accuracy,” said China Gorman, acting president and CEO of SHRM. “HR professionals need to use caution when they see potential inaccuracies on social networking profiles, and employees should be wary of how they portray themselves online. SHRM’s survey shows that negative information contained in profiles has more of an impact on hiring decisions than positive information.”
Key findings in responses from nearly 600 HR professionals:
• Negative information on an applicant’s social networking profile, such as personal views or values contradictory to the hiring organization, negative or slanderous discussions of current or former employers, friends, or co-workers, and excessive alcohol use, have a greater impact on hiring decisions than positive information.
• Social networking sites were most effective (“somewhat” or “very effective”) in recruiting for exempt/non-management (61 percent) and middle management (64 percent) positions.
• The top reasons for using social networking sites for contact and recruitment were to recruit passive applicants who might not otherwise apply (69 percent), followed by the ability to target applicants with specific job levels (40 percent) and skill sets (38 percent).
• Organizations who don’t use social networking sites to contact and recruit applicants cited a lack of staff time to add this recruiting method (49 percent), and questions about credibility of information from those sites (42 percent)."

In addition to this here is some further data related to the Recruiting Resources primarily used when Recruiting Job Candidates:
1. National Online Job Boards (e.g. Career Builder, Hot Jobs...) - 48%
2. Employee Referrals - 43%
3. Career Section of organization's website - 35%
4. Internal Job Postings - 16%
6. Niche Online Job Boards -13%
7. Print Advertising - 12%
8. Job Fairs - 8%
9. On Campus College Recruitment - 8%
10. Regional online Job Boards -5%
11. Direct Hire Agencies (excluding temp) - 5%
12. Informal networking - 3%
13. Temporary Agencies - 3%
14. Social networking (e.g. My Space, Facebook...) - 3%
etc.

This study gives YOU as either passive or active job hunters good ideas in how to build your own brand more efficiently in order to market it more successfully to potential hiring managers.
For instance, on how your profile on a Social networking site influences - or not - their hiring decision more than 50% would be somewhat more likely to hire the individual if involved in professional societies or organizations or in volunteer or civic groups. And 46% would do the same if the information on the applicant's profile page supports that provided on the applicant's resume. Out of all the data they provide the conclusion on this is: "Negative information has a greater influence on hiring decisions, than positive information".
Also, the number one reason social networking sites are used is to recruit passive applicants who might not otherwise apply or be contacted by an organization.

Isn't this great meat for thought? Now if you are looking to find your next ideal job this is a good opportunity for you to sit and review your job hunting strategy. How are you investing your time? what's your niche? have you built a brand? have you identified your target in the job market?
Go now and google your name and see what's out there? Nothing? Time too work...go ahead and start building your virtual brand.
And whatever Brand you define to build... make it real and authentic.
"To grow is to go beyond what you are today.
Stand up as yourself. Do not imitate.
Do not pretend to have achieved your goal, and do not try to cut corners.
Just try to grow"
Svami Prajnanpad (1863-1902) - a Hindu philosopher.