Millions belong to social media sites through Facebook, LinkedIn
and others. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
and others. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
It was bound to happen. First, business professionals started using social media sites to establish personal networks so they could find a better job. Then Human Resources professionals began using the sites to find candidates. Now the circle is closing as those same HR professionals are finding social media a reliable source for validating the references and professionalism of candidates.
The practice of using sites such as Linked In, My Space, and Facebook to check out a candidate is in a very controversial infancy but likely to grow. The chief growth driver - budgets. Catherine Calame of Future Tech Enterprise, an IT Solution provider, points out, “It saves money on job boards like Monster and Career Builder.”
“Many recruiters, right or wrong, use Facebook and My Space to get info on candidates,” according to Greg Garrison, President of V Recruiting. “These sites serve as little windows into their lives. Using social media tools is now the norm and not the exception of most savvy recruiters.”
Cathy Missildine-Martin, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Intellectual Capital Consulting, Inc, regularly uses social media for reference checking before passing candidates to clients. She acknowledges the use of social media is controversial. “We all know that is part of it, but personality, character and morals do and can play a part in selection.”
Integration of social media appears likely to continue to expand. Jennefer Traeger, of Traeger Communications, points out that a newly release virtual job fair platform from Unisfair has recognized the power of social technology. Unisfair integrates Skype for live voice and video conferencing.
“Facebook and Twitter links allow participants to share a virtual event with friends and followers in real-time,“ according to Traeger. Unisfair’s newest release “also offers social bookmarks and ‘Follow Us’ icons, allowing registrants to share event news with their community and help event organizers and sponsors build attendance,” says Traeger.
This is the first in a series of articles on the role of social networks in the recruiting process. Here are other articles:
Articles in our “Role of social media in recruiting” series:
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