Over the years, the need to remain connected has driven the rapid adoption of new and innovative technology in the recruiting industry. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding social recruiting and mobile recruiting lately. But what’s just buzz, and what will become a permanent part of every recruiter’s toolbox?
Mobile Recruiting & Social Recruiting
Note: There are two distinct definitions for mobile recruiting. Mobile recruiting can refer to marketing and recruiting strategies that rely on SMS, QR code and mobile technology (a relatively new idea in the industry). Mobile recruiting also refers to the tools and best practices used for managing the recruiting process on the go.
Social recruiting is the all-encompassing term for strategies leveraging social media outlets for sourcing and recruiting candidates. Some might argue that social recruiting is only reinventing the wheel – as hiring professionals have always drawn on their social networks – but this is something different. Social media is taking the wheel, and bringing it out of the Stone Age.
Mobile Recruiting: Apps and More
My favorite part about mobile recruiting? Apps. Recruiters love gadgets. And mobile apps are, like, so in right now. Beyond staples like LinkedIn’s mobile app, there are a few recruiting apps that I really like.
- JobScience puts the functionality of an applicant tracking system right into recruiters’ pockets. Access jobs, applications and contacts on the iPhone. Their nifty resume search completes this powerhouse package.
- TrafficGeyser’s Instant Customer is a handy gadget for business card and contact management. Snap a picture of the contact’s business card, and Instant Customer scans the contact info, creates a profile for the candidate, and allows you to send a pre-written follow-up.
- Recruit2’s Global Recruiting Roundtable app gives users access to top industry news and trends, and allows them to plug in to a community of experts. The app also delivers some serious functionality (sharing capabilities, videos, full article library) while running on a straightforward interface.
- JobSpeek wins the award for originality. This free app adds a new dimension to job postings: audio. When posting a job description, recruiters can record a “hiring message.” Your very original postings go live on JobSpeek, as well as the major job search engines. It’s just downright cool.
Mobile SMS and QR code recruiting is getting some serious attention in recent months. Many of the big-name innovators in talent acquisition are on the quest to get candidates using smartphones to connect with their organizations. However, recruiting leader and sourcing consultant Geoff Peterson says, “The technology’s not 100% there.” A lot of time and energy is going into developing this new avenue for recruiting, though, and I expect we’ll see more developments in the next year or so.
Social Recruiting: Plan for Your Slice of the Pie
Though recruiting has always been social, social media has opened an entirely new can of worms. And if you want a piece of the social recruiting pie, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
- You need a strategy. You may have a Twitter account, but that doesn’t mean you have a social recruiting strategy.
- Don’t bombard, engage. Anyone can post “an exciting opportunity” on LinkedIn. If that’s all your using your social media accounts for, however, you’re going to lose your audience fast.
- Keep the social in social media. You can get all the Facebook fans and Twitter followers you want, but unless you’re engaging your network, they’re just numbers.
Do Social & Mobile Really Create an Improved Process?
Amidst all the social and mobile recruiting buzz, everyone is talking about an “improved process,” and gushing over the benefits of all of these great developments in recruiting technology. But this phrase strikes a chord with me. What, exactly, dictates “an improved hiring process?” Will all of these nifty apps and tools continue to drive the high-volume recruiting demands of the 21st century? Or will the automation of the more tedious processes give us the time to shift the focus back to what recruiting is all about (getting to know people)?
Based on your answer, you’ll be the one to decide what hip new trends are worth investing in.
About the Author
Kyle is the HR Analyst at Software Advice – a company that does human resources software reviews. He blogs about trends, technology and best practices in HR and recruiting by day, and drinks entirely too much wine by night.
