What is Social Recruiting and why is it Relevant?

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The most common definition used for social recruiting is that it is the process of sourcing or recruiting candidates through the use of social platforms as promotional and/or advertising channels by employers and recruiters. (Wikipedia)

Social Recruiting has enhanced the way companies find and qualify candidates. Its importance is hard to ignore: According to the Social Recruiting Survey put out yearly by Jobvite, an applicant tracking system (ATS) and social sourcing provider,this year’s data (2013) underscores that Social Recruiting is an essential HR practice used by 94% of surveyed recruiters across industries. The hard facts on cost savings and ROI are proof positive however the biggest stand out reasons to utilize Social Recruiting as part of your recruiting platform are the following reasons:

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Social recruiting falls into two different categories. The first is internet sourcing using social media profiles, blogs, and online communities to find and search for passive candidate data and information. The second is social distribution. This involves using social media platforms and networks as a means to distribute jobs either through HR vendors or through crowdsourcing where job seekers and other influencers share job openings within their online social networks.

To execute a successful Recruitment Strategy, a Recruiter must coordinate candidate sourcing by utilizing all available recruiting tools including: social media, job boards, employee referrals, recruiting tools and vendors, and others. The Social Media tools that are most popular to vet candidates include LinkedIn at 94%, Facebook at 65%, Twitter at 55% following by company blogs, Google+ and You Tube.

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By vetting candidates on Social Channels, Recruiters can make more informed hiring decisions.
My next blog post will cover how to develop key content on Social Profiles to maximize positive impact and avoid a negative reaction by Recruiters. Stay tuned!