Lately, there has been tons of discussion around the use of social media in recruiting. While there are some companies that recognize the value of these new tools to achieve their recruiting goals, others argue that until Social Recruiting is more proven it should simply be added onto existing activities. While I’m in agreement that an organization should never jump into something without a clear understanding of how it adds value, I think that treating Social Recruiting as an auxiliary to other recruiting activities will ultimately result in failure.

Employment Brand Risk

Prospective candidates are savvier than ever. Companies that do not completely integrate Social Recruiting into their overall recruiting strategy will be easy to spot. Just like customers can recognize when an organization pays lip service to customer service, candidates can recognize when an organization pays lip service to Social Recruiting. The ability to share important information with personal and professional networks enables candidates to alert others of Anti-Social Recruiting practices. This creates a reputation risk for companies that employ this strategy as prospective candidates may no longer even consider your organization because of a poorly executed Social Recruiting strategy.

Inconsistent

Companies that have integrated Social Recruiting into their overall strategy recognize the benefits that result from engaging with prospective candidates using these tools. Organizations that view Social Recruiting as additional will think that simply using social media makes them social. These organizations will use social media to simply broadcast their message (monologue), instead of unlocking the true value from 2-way engagement (dialogue). Prospective candidates will recognize that although these organizations are using social media tools, the manner in which they are being used is inconsistent with their intended function.

More Likely to Quit

Organizations that consider Social Recruiting additional as opposed to integral will find it easier to scrap these initiatives because of a lack of instant results. Any organization that has used social media recognizes that it takes time to successfully engage with prospective candidates using Social Media. Through a combination of planning, measuring, and refining; organizations have gained a greater understanding of the factors for success. Without a true commitment to these tools, it will be harder to invest the time and energy necessary to reach this level of understanding. As a result, organizations without a strong initial commitment will simply throw in the towel instead of continuing to engage in activities that are not producing immediate results. This will make it harder for these organizations to ever use Social Media again.

With these considerations in mind, organizations should think carefully before they haphazardly pursue Social Recruiting. The time, effort, and resources are real.

-Omowale Casselle

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About the Author: Omowale Casselle is the co-founder and CEO of mySenSay, a social recruiting community that connects college students and corporations.