Q. Hi, I have heard the term ‘social recruitment’ thrown around a lot this year. What is it and how is it different, say from posting a job online here on Bayt.com? – Danish H., Recruiter

A. Hi Danish, when you harness the power of social platforms to drive your recruitment efforts further, what you essentially get is termed as ‘social recruitment’.

As social media has developed and continues to morph today, its impact on HR and the recruitment process is inevitable.  Consider this statistic from our recent Personal Branding in the Middle East and North Africa, September 2013, poll – 61% of professionals in the MENA agree that their company does check the profiles of new recruits online before hiring them. Additionally 50.5% MENA professionals polled on Bayt.com’s 'Hiring Management in the MENA’, August 2012, poll say that they recruit senior management online.

Using Social Media Platforms for recruitment:

Most companies who have some kind of presence on the Internet have wisely got themselves an account on popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Social media platforms offer companies a unique opportunity to brand themselves better and give their brand a personality, thus connecting at a more individual level with their customers. 

 According to Bayt.com’s 'Corporate Usage of Social Media in the Middle East’ poll, June 2012, 65.5% of professionals in MENA say that their company has a Facebook page, making it the most popular social media platform for corporate use in the region. However only 6.6% of professionals say that their company uses social media for recruitment purposes, highlighting that companies in the region have yet to get on the social recruitment bandwagon.

Bayt.com’s own People platform and Specialties feature has helped millions of professionals successfully make the leap to professional networking. While professionals benefit greatly from discussions on the hyper-specific forums on Bayt.com Specialties, employers also have a chance to spot potential talent that shines through on this platform. What this means for employers using Bayt.com is that when recruiters post jobs or even search for professionals on Bayt.com, they will also be able to see ‘specialists’ suggested with those skills they are hiring for.

 Here are some aspects of social recruiting that employers can consider and factor into their recruitment cycle:

1. Employer Branding: Branding efforts shouldn’t just be confined to the time when you are advertising your products or services.  To attract the best talent, hiring companies need to put their best foot forward. Make sure your company page on Bayt.com is well maintained. Just as employers don’t want to see typos on candidate’s CVs, the same applies to the job post content on job boards.  
2. Engagement: All jobs posts on Bayt.com have social sharing buttons thus making it easy for professionals to share interesting jobs on Bayt.com with their network.  Companies, once they have posted their vacancy on Bayt.com, can also go a step further and share jobs on their social pages (Facebook, Google+ and Twitter). Using a consistent voice and the right tone is also important to make sure their posts are engaging.   
3. Customer Service: Wondering how customer service features in hiring? Companies should treat their job applicants just as they treat their customers – with respect. While it may not be practically feasible to call each of the 500 applicants who applied to your job, but you can always automate an email notification system. Bayt.com offers employers the multiple templates (that can be customize) so that job seekers are notified about their job application during every step of the hiring process. 
4. Selection – 71% of professionals on Bayt.com’s Personal Branding in the Middle East and North Africa poll say that a candidate’s social networking activity has made them change their mind about the person. Doing an online audit of the candidate is a step that companies need to build into their recruitment process, lest they don’t want to come across unsavory details about their new hires. 
5. Social Spokespersons – Hiring is an ongoing process and so companies should not halt their employers branding effort after they have finalized the hire. Your new hires and existing employees are the best spokespersons to promote your employer brand. You can also share your hiring success stories on social media as this will encourage fresh talent to approach you.  

Have you incorporate social recruitment into your hiring efforts? Share your stories on our comments section.