Recruitment has adapted to the modern times since early 2000’s. Connecting the process of recruitment with technology particularly with social media, has indeed garnered several researches, particularly popular with Westerners, but less likely within Asia, distinctly, in the Philippines.
Based from Heery and Noon (2001), Singh and Finn (2003), Cappelli (2001), Lee (2005), Armstrong (2006), Parry and Tyson (2009), and Holm (2012), there is a rising phenomenon circling the recruitment industry, known as E-Recruitment or Electronic Recruitment, and sometimes also called as, Social Recruiting.
According to Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) and Glassdoor’s newest researches in years 2013-2016, Social Recruiting is rapidly growing, with 79-84 percent of worldwide organizations and applicants, using it currently, and an additional 9-16 percent forecasting to use it in the coming years. Small to large enterprises have started to optimize their options in recruitment whether within their premises or through the help of executive search partners from top headhunting firms.
Gustavo Pena (2015), Managing Partner of Ascendo Resources, an award-winning executive sourcing firm in the US, implied that LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook have been game changers for the recruitment industry, especially in creating many great connections with both clients and candidates in a guaranteed seamless hiring process. Also, during a recent interview with Craig Fisher in 2016, Head of Employer Brand at software firm CA Technologies and CEO of TalentNet, a social business strategy firm in America, he concluded that application of recruiting on social media has enabled employers to target applicants based on the preferred and aligned specific hard and soft skills set.
In a more local perspective, Christine del Castillo, former Community Manager of Workable, an Online Recruiting Software, mentioned that social media offers the easiest and fastest access to millions of high-quality candidates for free if you know how to find them, and further labeling Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter as the big three social media recruiting tools used in the Philippine Recruitment Industry, which goes for both internal human resources and external executive search and headhunting firms. On the other hand, Paul Rivera, co-founder and CEO of Kalibrr, a popular job site in the Philippines, shared that companies need to keep up with the latest trends in recruitment, which in turn allows both in-house recruiters and headhunters in doing a good job when pitching a career opportunity. He recommended that industries including those doing in recruitment should establish their brands by leveraging on touch points like Facebook, and Linkedin.
Basically, communicating with potential candidates in processing their applications through profile screening (e.g. provided resumes via email or job site and social media profiles), conducting interviews (phone calls and video calls) and test assessments (online web pages), as well as imparting feedback on the status or progression of one’s application (text messages, emails, chats, and social media direct messages); all aid in ensuring a smooth application process by sustaining a high level of engagement with respective candidates, and further attracts potential candidates.
This is what the landscape looks like nowadays—social recruiting has indeed spread widely across the globe continuously, and is penetrating the Philippine market swifter than expected. Inevitably, each passing year comes a new wave of the workforce, simultaneously increasing, therefore possibly giving more room to alternative sourcing channels. Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter may be leading at the moment, but innovative web applications such as Instagram, WhatsApp, Viber, Pinterest, and Snapchat are gradually easing in the professional network.
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About the Author:
Hi! I'm Eds, an HR professional with more than five years of experience in Recruitment gained from both corporate HR and executive search. Currently, I'm a Senior Research Consultant under the Consumer; Healthcare & Life Sciences, providing end to end recruitment services and solutions across Managerial up to C-Level functions to various multinational clients. Feel free to connect with me!