Social media has become a vital tool for recruitment, necessitating that employers invest resources to engage effectively with potential candidates. Companies should create targeted campaigns, understand their audience, and leverage various platforms to enhance their visibility and facilitate user interaction. As social networking continues to grow, adapting recruitment strategies to incorporate these tools is essential for attracting talent in a competitive landscape.

1. THE NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT www.hrreporter.com NOVEMBER 2, 2009
Published by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd.
Social media can be used for recruitment
But employers have to do legwork, put resources into it and add value
he social networking revolution communication — this is its strength
T has taken over the world — well,
the e-world at least. Social media
and blogs are now the fourth
most popular online activity, according to
Neilsen — ranking ahead of email but
over job boards and newspapers. There-
fore, employers have to actively respond
to a user’s questions or concerns in a
timely manner. By responding to mes-
sages, users will naturally start referring
trailing search, portals and PC software. others to the employer’s social network-
And the growth is expected to continue at ing page or website
a rapid pace. •Using multiple social media is more ef-
Don’t believe the hype? Try this statis- ■ GUEST COMMENTARY fective than using only one. This allows
tic on for size: More than one-half of the for more exposure and increases the like-
top 25 websites visited in Canada are so-
HARPAUL SAMBHI lihood a user finds you.
cial media-related, according to data from •Videos are an effective way to involve
web research firm Alexa. think outside the box when creating a vi- employees to not only recruit for the or-
Chat rooms such as MSN or Yahoo, so- ral campaign. For starters, a collaborative ganization but spread its material to
cial networks such as Facebook and Twit- effort is a must — you will need support their networks. This creates the viral ef-
ter and media tools such as YouTube and from all aspects of the business including fect a company desires to attain.
Blogger are building an increasingly marketing, communications, corporate The audience is clearly out there.
strong presence in the e-world. It’s even and HR. Facebook alone boasts more than 300 mil-
difficult to think back to the time when ex- Many employers use simple recruit- lion active users, so there is untapped po-
perts predicted Facebook would be a fad, ment techniques, such as creating a fan tential to provide people with information
social networks such as Bing and page for the organization on Facebook to while creating a viral spin. Accounting gi-
LinkedIn had yet to catch on and Twitter post upcoming job opportunities. But this ant Ernst & Young has successfully com-
— and the verb “tweet” — had no rele- is not the most effective way to use social posed such a strategy.
vance. media. Employees are unlikely to invite With the use of social media, it has not
But now the facts are indisputable: So- their peers to join, nor would the everyday only cultivated more than 40,000 users
cial networking is here to stay. Adapta- user land on the page. who tune in to frequent communication
tion, therefore, becomes the next big is- There are a number of ways employers with recruiters but it has also redefined
sue. How can a company adapt to the can effectively use social media: user-company interaction by taking a cre-
changing face of the e-world? Incorporat- •Identify the demographics you want to ative spin on simple things such as the
ing social networking into the recruit- target. Social networks tend to have a common frequently asked questions that
ment strategy is a must. Through the use particular type of user. appear on corporate websites.
of external social media tools such as cor- •Understand the type of material typical- HR professionals need to seize the
porate blogs, YouTube, Facebook and oth- ly forwarded from one user to another on change brought on by the social network-
er sites, companies can target specific de- a social network. ing revolution as an opportunity to rede-
mographic groups. This tactic will become •Using a social network to post job oppor- fine the industry and how they find the
even more important as the recession tunities will not work effectively. You talent their organizations need to thrive
winds down and labour shortages return need to provide extra value, whether it is in the future.
with a vengeance. through a campaign, products your com-
As a seasoned social networking nerd, pany sells or services you can provide. Harpaul Sambhi is the Toronto-based CEO
I am often asked how to recruit via social •Create a brand campaign that targets the of Careerify, a niche social networking
networking tools. The answer is not an user and the particular network. The site that matches employers and
easy one. There is a vast array of social more personal a network is, the more vi- employees. He can be reached at (416) 840-
networking websites out there. As a re- ral, and creative, the employer must be. 6216, hsambhi@careerify.ca or visit
sult, it is imperative HR professionals •A social network allows for two-way www.careerify.ca for more information.
© Copyright Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd., November 2, 2009, Toronto, Ontario, (800) 387-5164. Web site: www.hrreporter.com