Has HR been wrong about social media recruiting?

Has HR been wrong about social media recruiting?

Finding new employees via social media is the next “big thing” in recruiting, right? Maybe not.  

The folks at Link Humans looked into applicants’ use of Facebook — and it doesn’t quite line up with what many HR pros have heard.

How do people use Facebook for searching for jobs?

  • Nearly 70% have never used Facebook to look for work, and
  • Almost 95% of people said they’ve never found a job and subsequently been hired via Facebook.

When people did find a job via Facebook, according to Link Humans, it was either because “a friend of a friend became my employer” or ” a friend saw I was looking for a new job.”

More relevant info:

  • Only 68% of respondents have filled out their professional info on Facebook, and
  • More than half of those surveyed said they wouldn’t connect with current or former co-workers.

Facebook and recruiting don’t mix

Facebook appeared to be more useful to people looking for general information about a company — nearly 80% of applicants said the social media site was good source of info

But when looking for employment, only half of respondents said Facebook was worth looking at.

Perhaps the most alarming responses were:

  • More than half of the respondents said they didn’t want recruiters approaching them on Facebook, and
  • Nearly 90% of respondents said they’ve never gotten in touch with a recruiter via the social media site.

The results don’t spell the end of social media recruiting, of course. But they do point to the fact that Facebook isn’t the place many candidates go to look for jobs — nor do they want it to be that place.

Check out the full infographic below: