The Hiring Progress: Social Networking
The Hiring Progress: Social Networking
:In the Beginning
The job of recruiting and hiring has changed drastically over the years. Several years ago it was a process based for the most part on human interaction. Wearing a button up shirt and tie to match a welcoming smile as the candidate walked into a prospective job offer. Maybe it was his first job he was walking into. A grocery store cashier, or a line cook at his local fast food restaurant. Perhaps he was fresh out of college, and this was the big interview with the marketing firm in the big city. Regardless of the situation, it evolved around the first impression and representation of the candidate. A printed out or hand written resume written well enough to make or break the opportunity to get the job.
There was some research done based on the position sought after. Phone calls to previous employers, talking to references to see if this young man or woman was the right candidate. Extensive research was time consuming, and not every company has that time to spend. They need that cashier there today. They have clients expecting a plan of action for the upcoming year. Even though the recruiting office or manager knows what he is doing, an undesirable prospect can slip through the cracks if he plays the system properly. Employee background checks, well important, sometimes had to come second to necessity.
:Entering the Digital Age
In time computers and networks came to be commonplace in both homes and businesses. More research could be implemented before saying yes or not to a possible candidate. In the recent years a new platform has risen that allows for quicker advertising and screening of employees. Social Networking.
:What is Social Networking?
Social networking put simply is a website that connects people to people. It allows people to put this or her self online in a manner they are comfortable with, and stay connected to friends and family. Your most basic social network website will allow updates to be posted to a form of homepage. Along with these posts, one is capable of adding photos, videos, and sharing news articles and various posts from other people so their friends and family can see it as well.
:Why is Social Networking Important?
Various websites allow for a quick dispersal of a job opening. Where a newspaper must be printed, purchased, and delivered, websites can display a post immediately, and for a much lower cost. Some websites outside of social networks such as craigslist can be put to use displaying job listings for the surrounding area, allowing resumes to be emailed and filed into a system programmed to locate key words relevant to the job at hand. Websites in the world of social network allows such postings to spread.
In some cities the business thrives on tourism. A city such as New Smyrna Beach fl can combine social media to increase employment rates, and increase tourism through Facebook advertising. This allows the social network platform to increase both work efficiency, and company income.
Below are various social network sites that have become prominent in the hiring and screening process. This list shows how these sites can benefit both recruiters, and job candidates.
LinkedIn: A website that some believe will become one of the most key websites for recruiting, it is based around business and professional skills. This allows it to act like a recruitment database that any company can tap into. Recruiters and search through profiles based on the work they are requiring to quickly find potential candidates. Before ever meeting or speaking with the person behind the profile, they can obtain an idea of the strengths of the person, their area of work, and other important facts in the hiring progress. Likewise candidates can use LinkedIn to locate possible job opportunities based off of their individual skills and strengths.
Facebook: It is difficult to argue that Facebook is the most popular of the social networking websites. The world stays connected to it at all times of the day. Posting vacation photos from home or posting an update well on the move from a mobile device, the world has it’s eyes constantly on Facebook. This not only opens the door to an almost limitless body of applicants for a job, but also allows for a job posting to spread rapidly. Using their system of “likes” and “share” a single post can potentially reach thousands within a couple of days. This post can link an possible applicant to the Facebook of a company. Here they can learn more about the work performed, and how to contact the company to submit a resume or schedule an interview. With the mobile platform this can be done from any location, even the passenger seat of a moving vehicle.
This also benefits the screening process. Simple things such as the grammar and spelling used in a Facebook post, to the news articles and links posted by the possible candidate can give a more in depth work at the personal habits they would bring into the workplace. At times it can even be used to see if the applicant is involved with drug related or criminal activities. There are actual reports of various people arrested for such posts involved criminal activity and threats.
Twitter: Not far behind the popularity of Facebook is Twitter. A social network that allows people and companies to create an up to 140 word posts or “tweets”, and post photos and videos. Incorporating the use of hashtags, (works beginning with a # that link to other similar posts with similar hashtags), tweets can be grouped together and viewed easily relating to a singular subject. Though typically less invasive of an individual’s life, it is still a platform for recruiting and screening. In less than 140 words a company and inform possible applicants it is hiring. Incorporating the hashtag trend, this information can suddenly reach a much more diverse population.
Like Facebook, Twitter can be used to examine what a person is tweeting, and see into the lifestyle and habits of potential candidates.
:Social Networking’s Effects on Recruiting Summarized
Companies are always looking for ways to connect with potential new employees and customers. These social networking websites allow a simple and effective method for doing so. Employee screening can be made far more effective when looking though various applicants for a job. Although social networking can’t replace the progress of meeting in person, it is a vital tool in a world that is always connected to these social networks. A proper interview may start with a Facebook post or a tweet on Twitter, but the human element should always be present. Every interview, rather successful or not, should end with a firm handshake between the employer and the applicant.
