Social Recruitment: Companies Try It, Largely Like It

Article Appeared In: www.itbusinessedge.com
Author: Ann All
Date: July 9th 2009

While many recruiters believe social channels like Twitter hold great potential as a way to source talent, some of them feel such channels don’t yet fulfill their promise. Yet a number of companies already use them in their recruitment efforts.

Peoplebank

The Australian recruiting company decided to add social channels to its regular mix of job boards, print advertising and word-of-mouth referrals when it realized how many of its own employees used such channels. Its first coordinated campaign, in 2008, involved recruiting 100 candidates for a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company seeking enthusiastic employees, says Peoplebank Chief Operating Officer Peter Acheson.

The positions were listed on LinkedIn and Facebook, in addition to being advertised in more traditional media. They led to a micro-site created especially for the campaign, designed to emphasize a “fun, high-energy theme up front and center throughout the entire candidate experience.”

The result? Acheson says Peoplebank attracted a larger-than-expected number of applicants, “particularly from the high-performing, dynamic types of people that we were seeking to fit in with this company’s culture.”

Enhanced speed and reach are the primary reasons to use social channels, Acheson says. Twitter is especially useful for attracting contract workers, because it allows them to respond quickly to postings. “That’s a real advantage in contract placements, where we’ve often got a client who needs to find IT skills quickly.”

Many people who follow Peoplebank on Twitter also retweet its postings and/or encourage contacts they think might be interested in such jobs to follow Peoplebank. “People who are in our LinkedIn or Twitter groups can easily send our messages to people they think would be interested in them. It just gives us another channel to reach our candidate markets.”

Acheson says companies must be able to trust their staffs to conduct themselves in a professional manner on social media channels.

“It isn’t a major problem, as we have a high-performing team already. If anything, it’s another reason for investing in skills development that empowers staff to take the initiative in spreading the company message in clear, compelling, appropriate ways.”