Using Social Media to Attract Candidates in a Multigenerational Workforce
The economic landscape has changed. In recent years, companies struggling from the economic downturn have been forced to reduce their labor force and do more with less leaving millions of people out of work. Even during periods of high unemployment, when the labor pool is large, finding the right employee can be a daunting prospect. Both small businesses and large corporations face the same challenge: locating candidates with the right skills and qualifications. As recently as the year 2000, the main recruiting vehicles were classified ads, job boards like monster.com and hotjobs.com, brick and mortar job fair, listings on the company website and even the paper application. Those methods may have been successful years ago, but in the age of technology and the changing demographics of the workforce, they are no longer as effective in attracting candidates.
Many companies are using social media, also known as social networking, like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and blogging as an alternative giving them access to millions of potential candidates. According to a CareerBuilder.com survey of more than 2,500 employers and 4,400 workers, 35 percent of companies have been using social media to promote their company in some way. Of this 35 percent, 21 percent are using it to recruit and research potential employees (Chulik, 2010).
Social media has the potential to reach millions of candidates and can be more cost effective than traditional recruiting methods. In addition, since recruiters can post openings, respond to applicants and search the talent pool quickly, they can place candidates faster. Finally, using social media increases a company’s visibility among job seekers and provides multiple platforms to communicate information about company culture and the benefits of working for the organization.
Social Media, by definition, is the collection of strategies,...