Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/207525
TekTober Top candidates can read between the lines of the organizations who take their social media presence seriously and those who don't. Jobseekers, especially those in the younger Gen Y generation, see frequent social media activity as a strength and product of leading, innovative companies. Social media campaigns reinforcing a company's culture and Internet videos sensations going viral are all talent grabbers. "Organizations need to develop a comprehensive plan to connect with top talent. It wasn't too long ago when the idea of a company not having a website would be an instant deal breaker for candidates," explains Ben Martinez, HR director for HireVue. "Today, that holds true for social media presence. If a company isn't on at least LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, it will be unlikely to get candidates, especially the newest entrants to the workforce, to apply. But having a social media presence and an active social recruiting strategy are two different things. Simply linking to company social media profiles isn't enough. Instead, the company needs to show that it knows how to use the different platforms to not just engage with customers, but also build their employment brand and work to identify, attract, and communicate with candidates." find jobs. According to a report from Betts Recruiting, more than 14 million people sourced social media to find their last job. The 2012 Social Job Seeker survey reported that 52 percent of job searchers use Facebook to look for work, 38 percent use LinkedIn, and 34 percent Twitter. And it's undeniable that social recruiting is producing some serious results. According to Jobvite's survey, the organizations using social recruiting are experiencing some impressive benefits: 33 percent report improvement in time to hire; 49 percent see better quality of candidate; 43 percent found more candidates; and 32 percent experienced heightened quantity and quality of employee referrals. "Like any marketing, there's an art in science to the launch and management of a social media recruitment campaign," says Miller-Merrell. "Companies like Rackspace have seen the number of candidates who apply for positions decrease and Taking Social Seriously Ready to jump into a social recruiting strategy? Ray Schreyer, manager of global talent acquisition at IBM revealed some best practices during a recent webinar (How to Create a Killer Social Recruiting Strategy from Blogging4Jobs). Schreyer recommends developing an integrated plan and specific roadmap. Like other talent acquisition approaches, social recruiting needs a defined strategy. A good place to start, Schreyer says, is to conduct an internal social media audit to see whom in your organization is a superstar at leveraging its potential. Your culture should encourage social interaction and your strategy should be communicated company wide. Assign a specific executive or a team of resources to manage it. Create a timeline and content calendar, which will allow you to track your progress. Also be sure to create social recruiting guidelines so every recruiter is on the same page. OCTOBER 2013 | www.hrotoday.com [9]