Finding Top Talent With Digital
The rise of the digital economy, and specifically social platforms, has revolutionised the way that organisations are able to recruit and interact with top talent. The way in which candidates connect with companies, and companies with candidates, is unrecognisable to the way it was done just a few years ago. Long gone are the days of dropping off a physical copy of a CV or scanning the classified pages of the local newspaper. In today’s context, social platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and even Instagram have decreased the distance between candidate and recruiter. It has never been easier or faster to connect directly with a potential employee.
Engaging Passive Candidates
LinkedIn recruiter licences, and other similar digital tools, give organisations access to thousands of potential candidates. Simply input your minimum basic requirements and it will spit out a list of people who meet your criteria. The benefit of this is that recruiters are no longer limited to candidates actively looking for new positions. Recruiters are now able to specifically target and connect with “passive candidates”, those people who could be satisfied in their current role, not thinking about making a move. However, by being approached with a tempting offer may consider making a move. This means that headhunting is now no longer limited to exclusive executive headhunting agencies. For organisations who recruit internally this means that finding top talent has been simplified, the costs of finding the best of the best have reduced and it gives recruiters the power to be directly in touch with candidates, rather than having to go through a middleman.
The flip side of this means that the people within your organisation never really leave the job market as they will be approached by other companies with tempting offers. In order to retain their top talent and thrive within the digital economy, organisations need to focus on and work hard to keep their current employees challenged, growing and fulfilled. The struggle to find and keep top talent is harder now than ever before which is why your employee experience is more important than ever before. It is only by providing employee experiences that meet your employee’s needs, keep them challenged and engaged as well as making them feel appreciated that organisations will be able to thrive in the digital economy.
Social Screening
Digital platforms have transformed the way in which recruiters are able to “reference check” potential candidates through social screening. Social screening is the practice of browsing the social media profiles of potential employees in order to help determine if a candidate is suitable for the position. According to CareerBuilders latest survey social screening has become so ubiquitous that 70% of employers look at candidates’ social profiles as part of their screening process and 57% of employers are less likely to contact a candidate if they do not have a presence on social media.
A Few Benefits of Social Screening:
- It gives employers a window into the life of potential candidates and can give you an idea if they will be a good fit for your organisation from a culture point of view and allows them to determine if a candidate will be a good fit for the company.
- Some platforms, such as LinkedIn, allow endorsements which gives employers insight into a candidate’s strengths.
- Social screening is a cost-effective and fast way to do a quick background check on a candidate and raise any major red flags.
Social screening goes both ways. Digitally savvy candidates will do just as much research on a company and its employees to determine if they want to work for the organisation. Just as a candidate’s social profiles give an employer a window into the life of the candidate, an organisation’s online presence, including its Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts, will give a candidate a window into what it is like to work at an organisation. HR departments need to make sure that their company’s online presence shows candidates what it’s like to work for the organisation and to give them an accurate insight into the company. This is the very first interaction that a candidate will have with a company and as we all know first impressions do matter so it is critical that this interaction is an accurate, convenient and engaging one.
