We often hear from company leaders asking how and why their company should use social media in their business. With employee recruitment and turnover costs reaching beyond $3000 on average (according to the Wall Street Journal), recruiting talented employees through social media is a no-brainer.
In fact, we’ve been saddened that so many companies have used technology to create long, annoying web applications—more barriers to getting good people—rather than using technology to tap into the networks that already exist to find those diamonds of the work force.
But it sounds like many companies are jumping into social media for recruiting full force.
According to a new survey, 92% of U.S. companies say they are using social networks to find talent in 2012. Recruiters (3 out of 4) are checking social profiles of candidates. Linkedin is the top platform, used by 93% of respondents, followed by Facebook (66%) and Twitter (54%).
Social Recruiting Results
But the part of the poll that we found most interesting was the results.
- More than 7 out of 10 employers have successfully hired a candidate through social media (73%). This is up from 58% in 2010.
- Of those social hires, 89% of respondents have hired from LinkedIn, 25% through Facebook and 15% through Twitter.
- Since implementing social recruiting, almost half (49%) received more candidates to choose from.
- More than 4 out of 10 (43%) say the quality of applicants has improved.
- 1/3 of respondents see more employee referrals, which tend to lead to the most valuable hires.
- 20% reported it takes less time to hire when using social recruiting.
(By the way, we included the above bullets directly from Jobvite’s press release because they are a great example of how to present stats in a compelling and interesting manner.)
The survey, by social recruiting platform Jobvite, polled more than 1,000 human resources and recruitment professionals.
Our Take-a-ways
If you are an employer, social recruiting can equal savings in time and money, as well as reach a greater pool of quality candidates.
If you want to improve your career, mind your social media. Provide valuable information, show your expertise, and avoid bad grammar and discussing drinking exploits.
