Content area
Full Text
Abstract
Purpose - The aim of this article is to explore how HR professionals can best use social media in their search for talent.
Design/methodology/approach - This article discusses the current state of social media for recruitment and its relation to job boards, and examines best practices, including consideration of a social media recruitment strategy plan, appropriate resources and the importance of a content strategy and social media policy. The best practices are based on a comprehensive review of literature coupled with experiential accounts from practitioners and the author's firsthand experiences in crafting successful social media strategies.
Findings - While levels of awareness and adoption continue to develop both for recruiters and job applicants, organizations must consider adding social media to their overall recruitment strategy to meet the goals of being cost-effective, targeted, and strategic; remaining competitive; and sourcing top talent.
Originality/value - The article points to the need for starting small, gauging response, and utilizing an iterative approach to the inclusion of evolving social networks for optimized recruitment.
Keywords Social media, Recruitment, Job boards, Social networks, Talent
Paper type Research paper
Several years ago, it was acceptable for organizations to pass on social media, citing the fact that these channels may be no more than a fad, and reconciling themselves to the fact that they simply were not resourced to accommodate yet another channel. Today organizations can no longer afford to sit it out. The business reasons for engaging in social networking have been sufficiently documented through success stories across industries, signaling to organizations that if they choose not to engage, they risk becoming less competitive at best, and irrelevant at worst (McCann, 2010).
As part of an organization's recruitment strategy, social media is compelling. It is also still in the stages of being formulated, being adapted, and being adopted, which for many adds a layer of angst and apprehension. And yet, in this climate of slow economic recovery, companies have a need to get it right when it comes to hiring decisions, and they have a need to get it right in a way that is cost-effective and efficient.
Tactics such as job boards and employment fairs are proving less successful in a glutted market. They are producing far more individuals who...