If, as a recruiter, you are still only using platforms such as CareerBuilder or Monster to source potential candidates for a position, it is time to rethink your sourcing strategy! The field of recruitment is an ever-changing one and the way in which recruitment consultants find candidates has changed drastically over the past few years.

Social media platforms such as (and especially) LinkedIn are now highly effective ways in which to find veritable gems for highly specialized positions.

If you thought that using social media to contact a candidate was tantamount to infringing on their civil rights, think again! Recruiters have been using LinkedIn as a popular method to source candidates after being sick and tired of being inundated with spam from sites such as Craigslist, Monster and the like. Of course, these are still great job boards and there are ways in which you can filter out unqualified candidates. However, every savvy recruiter knows that the best way to find the right candidate for the client is to make use of the right mix of the correct job boards as well as social media.

In addition, they feel that LinkedIn is a far more effective way to find employees as they can search for exactly the candidate they are looking for. They can also view a candidate’s profile, work history and education to see if they are qualified for the position before even contacting them and wasting their time.

Recruiters also enjoy LinkedIn because many searches are based on recommendations from people in their own network that they trust.

In addition to being an efficient recruiting tool, LinkedIn has also proven to be a great marketing tool for recruiting companies. This is because it allows you to have your own company profile. So, don’t get left behind!