Where Should Recruiters Look For Candidates?

         Social media has come of age, and it is no more limited to just being a platform for estranged friends and family members to come together and stay connected. Today, social media is used for a wide variety of reasons including promoting business, products, services and also looking for the right employees for your company.

       Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have already become favorite places for business owners to promote their brand and raise the visibility of their business to attract more potential customers.

       The social networking sites are also used by recruiters to look for the right candidates for vacant positions in the company. A recent survey has revealed that more than 90 percent of the recruiters use the social media sites to identify fresh talent. This figure has increased form the last year's stats. Earlier it was only LinkedIn were people looked for prospective employers and employees.

LinkedIn is still a good platform to stay connected with older employees, look for references and ask friends to recommend you. However, LinkedIn has now been joined with other similar sites such as Facebook which has now started actively participating in the job search area.

      Hence, the recent trends show that the recruiters should actually be concentrating at the social networking sites to find the right candidates for the jobs. There are several reasons that make this a wonderful idea. The traditional hiring method used by the recruiters usually includes posting job vacancies in the Internet or print media.

       After that, the HR department receives hundreds of applications from aspiring candidates. An HR analyst performs the short listing of candidates based on a few criteria and after that other tests and rounds of interviews are held.

          Thus, the traditional method usually takes a lot of time, effort and money. With the advancement of the Internet and the popularity of the social media sites, posting job vacancies online and getting resumes and recommendations in response to the requirement has become extremely easy.

       The social networking is fast replacing the traditional methods of finding a suitable job, and many recruiters have already started realizing the potential of this medium. What makes them so special? Thousands of Facebook and LinkedIn users log on to their accounts almost daily without fail to check on the updates and stay connected, hence it is an effective way to reach out to the prospective employees within less time.

         In the social networking sites, recruiters can quickly scan the profile and portfolio of the candidates even before he sends the formal resume. It is also easier for the recruiters to check the likes, dislikes, friend circle and other details about the candidates which may be essential for the nature of the job. It is also a great place to seek recommendations for a candidate and also verify whether the details regarding the past work experience of the individual are true.