Is It Time To Reassess The Way You Use Technology As A Recruiter?

The modern recruitment consultant has a variety of powerful tools at his or her disposal to make recruiting the right candidates both more efficient and cost-effective. From online job boards to a range of social media platforms, these tools have made it easier for recruiters to focus on high quality applicants, manage the entire process and eventually successfully place candidates.

But are you becoming too reliant on this technology? Are you using it as effectively as you can? We take a look at three areas of recruitment where reassessing your use of technology can help you become a better recruiter.

Are you fishing where the fish are?

Do you use Linkedin? If you’re like most recruiters it’s probably the social network you use most to look for candidates. However, are you using your time effectively? According to a survey by leading recruitment website Jobvite, while 94% of recruiters are active on Linkedin, only 36% of jobseekers are . We’re certainly not saying discount Linkedin altogether but maybe you should start to incorporate other platforms too. Facebook is the obvious place to start with 83% of job seekers active on there, but Google+ is worth considering as the number of active users increases in the UK. With only 18% of recruiters active, you could find a rich seam of candidates that your rivals aren’t even aware of.

Skype and Google Hangouts

Do you use Skype or Google Hangouts to talk to candidates? They’re useful and effective and could be a part of your armoury. But if you are using them too much at the expense of talking to candidates face-to-face, then you may not be being as effective as you should be. Useful for exploratory discussions with potential candidates, they should never be seen as a replacement for meeting in person. The ultimate goal is to screen candidates initially making that face to face interaction of higher value.

Due diligence

You may be using social media to search for candidates, but are you using it to do background checks on them? A candidate that has all the required skills and experience may not be all they seem to be, even if their references have come back unblemished. You’ll be surprised at what some people will put on their social media pages! Checking their Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Google+ profiles can be an illuminating experience and can save you the embarrassment of placing an unsuitable candidate.

Whilst technology can be at the heart of a recruiter’s job these days, it’s important that you continually reassess your use of the various platforms and ensure it is working effectively for you. Remember that recruitment is an art and not a science, and ultimately your success will come down to your experience, skills and wisdom. Utilise technology well and you it will help you along the path to being the best recruiter you can be.

Till next time,

Cheryl