Has LinkedIn changed the face of Recruitment?

Having worked in Recruitment at RIZE Worldwide for over 4 years, I have certainly seen huge changes in how I perform my role on a day to day basis. Perhaps the most significant change is the increasing use of social media. With sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and most significantly LinkedIn becoming more and more popular, it has been vital to utilise these to attract the best talent. Whilst this has helped RIZE to appeal to a broader candidate and client audience, has it de-personalised the recruitment process? Have we lost that personal touch that used to be so important?

With over 15 million users in the UK and a reach to over 200 countries worldwide, LinkedIn has become the “search tool of choice” for recruiters. Things however were not always like this and some recruiters have arguably become too reliant on this tool. Since the beginning of my recruitment career I have always been encouraged to build a more personal relationship with candidates. These relationships have been built through numerous calls and face to face meetings. Understanding candidates real needs is best achieved by getting to know them and building trust. This personal touch has meant that when they are looking for that next assignment, I am more likely to be the first person they think of. By the same token, if I require help on a tricky job role; they are the ones who can provide the all-important referrals.

It is now very common for a recruiter to spend an entire day on LinkedIn searching for candidates and sending out endless invites in the hope that the perfect candidate will accept and be available for the role. As the graph below illustrates, it is debatable whether LinkedIn deserves its premium search tool status.

If used in the right way there is no doubt that LinkedIn can be an extremely useful tool to any recruiter’s arsenal. Job seekers should certainly need to be mindful of its reach and thousands of candidate’s have secure new roles with its help. It has also provided a platform for professionals to share opinions and experiences worldwide. It can however make recruiters lazy, where they no longer pick up the phone and build real relationships and real understanding. In the end social media is here to stay and will remain an important part of the recruitment process but perhaps next time, before signing into LinkedIn, recruiters might consider who is it you know and who can I call first?

George Pretty or if you would prefer….

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gpretty