How Did Social Media Become the New Way to Recruit Top Talent?
authorKirsten Delcie
dateDecember 11, 2021
If someone had told you as that social media would become one of the top ways for HR managers and recruiters to source and hire top talent, you’d probably have a good laugh at the thought. And who could blame you?
Social media platform email lists australia s were never intended or invented for anything more than enabling users to create and share content or participate in social networking with friends, family and acquaintances.
So, how did it become one of t
he best recruiting tools of the modern age?
Well, today we’ll explore exactly that. Read on to find out how social media became the new way to recruit top talent.
How Did Social Media Become the New Way to Recruit Top Talent?
Eat, sleep, breathe online
Technology and digital tools are everywhere. They have slowly become a part of everyday functions and routines to the point where most of our lives are carried out online. Think about it – you can do almost everything with the touch of a button.
Whether it’s grocery shopping, finding a new dress for your dinner date, booking dentist appointments, scheduling important meetings with colleagues halfway across the globe or even remotely control your car by using an app on your iPhone (yes, we’re looking at you Tesla!), there’s no shortage of errands or tasks you can’t accomplish from your phone, laptop or computer – so why not use it to find your next employee?
The evolution of social media
Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. Think about the last time you went a full day without checking Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram at least once.
Struggling to find an answer? Don’t worry, there’s no shame in it because the average person spends at least 2 hours and 24 minutes per day on social media – so you’re not alone. What’s more, there are approximately 3.196 billion individuals actively using social networks. That’s a lot of people spending a lot of time on these platforms.
But how does this tie into recruitment?
Well, as times have changed and evolved so has recruitment strategies and processes. Traditional recruiting methods are now too slow and expensive to acquire the cream of the crop. It is no longer sufficient to take the passive approach of putting out a job listing and wait for viable applicants to contact you – especially now that the dynamic between employer and candidate.
Today, businesses need to be more proactive in their recruitment efforts as candidates now hold all the cards. Top talent has endless opportunities available to them and has their pick of companies vying for their attention, and they are using social media as a tool to research each and every organisation to ensure that they make the right decision.
Social media as a recruitment tool
Did you know that 73% of millennials found their last job on a social network?
However, social media does not only benefit the job seeker. It can be used as an effective and efficient recruitment tool to source and hire the most suitable candidate for the role – whether they be an active or passive job seeker.
According to Adweek, 92% of companies use social media for recruitment, as it allows them to attract active and passive candidates, target specific and ideal talent pools, boost their employer brand and company culture, and save on recruiting costs.
Furthermore, 82% of companies attract passive candidates by recruiting through social media, while companies who actively use social media as a recruiting tool reported a 50% increase in the quality of candidates that were applying for vacancies.
And with so many businesses turning to social networks to find their next hire, platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook now have digital tools available for easier recruitment, allowing you to access a wide range of candidates at a low cost.
Social media is adapting to meet the ever-changing needs of its users. For instance, LinkedIn was first designed to be a career-orientated platform that connected the world’s professionals in a bid to make them more productive and successful. Now, candidates mainly use the site to find the right job, while businesses use it to recruit top talent.
Put simply, HR managers and recruiters noticed that more and more passive and active jobseekers were turning to social media to find vacancies or vet companies’ employer brands, and used it to their advantage.