Social media has improved the recruitment process by making it more open and democratic. Using this method alone however, takes the ‘personal touch’ out of relationship building and candidate identification. It is therefore unlikely to completely replace the traditional recruitment methods in the near future. You can read the full report here: www.nigelwright.com/_downloads/NW_Social_Media_Report_2011.pdf

1. Nigel Wright Recruitment
The effect of social media on business practices: An
overview of European trends

2. company introduction

3. company profile
• Founded in the United Kingdom in 1988
Office locations
• Specialist in consumer sector recruitment in
all key disciplines
• London
• 65 Consumer Sector specialist consultants • Newcastle
• Full back office support, analysts, database • Copenhagen
and administration
• Paris
• YOY growth of 22% averaged over past 4 • Stockholm
years
• Amsterdam
• Full international reach through own
network of office locations

4. our vision, purpose and values
VISION
VALUES
Our vision is to build a secure, socially
responsible, and sustainable organisation of
international acclaim where outstanding • Service Excellence
customer service and innovative solutions make • Winning
us the best at what we do, the leader of our
• Fun
markets, and a great place to work.
• Excitement
PURPOSE
• Drive
Our purpose is to deliver a recruitment solution • Competitive
that exactly matches the business needs of our
• International
customers by leveraging our knowledge and
operational expertise in the specialist markets in • Enabling
which we operate. • Innovate

5. capability

6. geographical scope

7. benefit
Nigel Wright provide insight into a specific marketplace, we
give our clients the opportunity to access global talent and
we are able to provide strategic input based on market
intelligence. We see our involvement with your company as
a strategic business alliance, enabling your company to
assemble an exceptional team.

9. what our clients say
When we were looking to recruit a Business Manager Nigel Wright were able to provide a shortlist of candidates
that fully met our requirements. The consultant who managed the recruitment process took the time to visit our
business and take the brief in person. The consultant's own industry experience was evident from his
understanding of our business and his professional networks enabled him to find precisely the individual that we
were looking for. This has enabled us to strengthen our existing team considerably.
FLORETTE – SANDY SEWELL, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR
Over several years Nike have established a highly effective working partnership with Nigel Wright. This
relationship has succeeded through Nigel Wright’s ability to source people who not only have the technical skills
that we require but perhaps more importantly to find people who possess the behavioural competencies that are
critical in helping Nike to retain its culture.
Additionally, Nigel Wright acting as our representative to people in the market continues to demonstrate a
number of attributes that have proven to be a major asset in helping us to attract quality people to our business,
not least: respect, common sense and a personalised customer service.
NIKE UK LTD - PETER WISNIEWSKI, HR DIRECTOR

10. the effect of social media on business
practices:
an overview of European trends

11. executive summary
• Social media is ubiquitous - an integral part of people’s lives
across the world – it is a phenomenal tool for communications.
• It is increasingly becoming the space where professional and
private lives are lived across the world.
• Engaging with peer groups across a wide range of social
networking platforms, is essential.

12. Key drivers
• Increased expectation amongst stakeholders that they should be
able to debate issues and share ideas with institutions across social
media platforms
• Rapid adoption by activist communities as a means of getting
publicity and support

13. The role of social media
• Tracks sentiment and give advance warning
• Rally supporters and mobilise/inspire internal audiences
• Supercharge customer relations
• Engage critics
• Facilitate stakeholder involvement in product, policy or service
development
• Sustain and amplify the impact of other marcoms
• Drive seo performance
• Measurement tool

14. T mobile flash mob
26 million views on youtube

15. Tahrir square Cairo

16. professional and social networking
users worldwide
Leaders in professional and social networking: user numbers
• Facebook – 500 million
• Twitter – 200 million
• Linkedin: 85 million
• Viadeo: 35 million
• Xing: 10 million

17. recent developments
Integration of social and professional networking.
• Facebook launches LinkedIn ‘resume style’ profile for users and
‘work for us’ app. for employers.
• LinkedIn allows users to ‘follow’ companies and brands and
integrates # hashtag function with Twitter
• Viadeo buys two social media sites (Tanji.com in China,
ApnaCircle in India)

18. social media – good for business
but is it good for recruitment?
• Knowledge sharing is made easier through the adoption of social
media tools
• Companies can take advantage of this open access, but they need
to understand the rules of engagement
• Candidates who want to be found are not necessarily the best for
the difficult to fill roles
• The candidate database has not gone public - it is inaccurate,
disorganised and incomplete.

19. Socail media challenge
Connected consumer Disconnected organisation
MEETS
Able to scrutinise, debate Unable to present a united view
And share issues and respond to feedback
Reveals silos quickly
Underlines structural
weaknesses

20. Generation Y and the workplace

21. Generation y and the work place
• Flexible working
– 85% want to spend 30-70% of time working from home
• Other priorities
– Work life balance
– Personal development
– Exciting job
– Motivational management
Not afraid to ask and not afraid to walk away

22. Subverting the milk round

23. Employer brand
• The brand is on show
• Candidates will know far more about you that you know about them
• They will already have formed their views on your organisation and
the people in it.

24. the disadvantages of incorporating social
media into recruitment practises

25. risks
There are limitations and risks associated with engaging future
employees via social media:
• Diversity
• Transparency
• Discrimination
• Confidentiality
• Branding

26. you only see what you see
Online profiles don’t necessarily paint an accurate picture of the
individual – candidates are selective:
• Some candidates are concerned about security issues
• Others are wary of being victims of discrimination
• Some use the space as a public resume – but it can’t always be
taken at face value
Being represented by a recruiter offers security - Candidates are more
willing to openly share relevant information in a confidential transaction.

27. employers perspective….
• Employees who promote themselves too effectively online, are
vulnerable to poaching. Many companies restrict access to social
networking during office hours.
• Most employers don’t allow confidentail information about the
company to be published online. For example: key clients or sales
targets achieved…
• These details are usually shared confidentially during a rigorous
assesment process during a consultancy run recruitment
assignment.

28. diversity: missing the talent…
Interesting demographics:
• Just over 80% of LinkedIn users are Caucasian and only 30% are
at Director or Manager level. (Quantcast, 2010)
• Only a small percentage of social media users have postgraduate
degrees. (Google, 2010)
• High earners (£100k+) are a minority (Google, 2010)
• World internet penetration rates from June 2010 highlight that 42%
of Europeans are still not online. (World Internet Stats, 2010)

29. brand and reputation management
• To attract candidates companies have to be wary of how the
‘employer brand’ is perceived online.
• Hiring managers must work closely with marketers to get the message
right – via social networking sites, corporate videos, blogs etc.
• When a hire is made, loyalty isn’t guaranteed - Social media allows
employees to scrutinise their employers more than ever before.
• Ensuring employee retention is an important part of any recruitment
strategy and another area where an intimate understanding of the role
of social media is crucial.
• Social media sites are now beginning to compete for ‘employer
branding’ space.

30. The social media trap

31. relationships matter
• With the arrival of social media, professional relationships have
been democratised.
• Checking a candidate’s credentials through his or her profile on
social media sites is global trend – but it isn’t reliable.
• Recruitment firms continue to add real value by knowing the on and
off line candidate pool intimately.
• You can’t replace real relationships with social media messages

32. new added value…
• As social media technology continues to evolves it presents an exciting
opportunity for business communities over the next decade.
• In truth social media hasn’t created any new information it has just
made some of what was already there more accessible to more people
and in doing so it educates and informs.
• Sharing best practice and keeping in touch with peer groups and
listening to demands and feedback from the market place is made
easier
• Ultimately in staffing terms success will be measured by the quality of
the shortlist. This is only achieved after a robust identification, interview
and evaluation process.

33. Pros of using social media
Pros
• Cost effective - social media hiring is low cost and for low value or
entry level hires is being considered by more and more clients
• Fast – There are many examples of employers using social media
sites to make ‘quick’ interim hires.
• Employer Branding and Retention – There is a plethora of social
media tools online for companies to effectively promote the employer
brand to prospective hires and current employees. But still use the
professional recruitment industry to manage their talent acquisition
program.

34. Cons of using social media
Cons
• Lacks diversity - 83% of LinkedIn users are Caucasian. (Quantcast,
2010)
• Time consuming – too much information for companies who want
to conduct a detailed and robust search. This is where recruiters
come into their own.
• Lack of control – managing brand outposts is tricky and inevitably
negative content will slip through the net.
• Transparency – how reliable is candidate information online?
• Discrimination – Personal information could lead to employers being
influenced by factors like race, religious views and age.
• Limited – ultimately the candidate can decide what information they
are willing to share. You only see what you see

35. final thoughts…
• Although, as an employer, some quick gains can be achieved; using
this method exclusively for recruitment, particularly beyond entry point
hires is not recommended due to the limitations already highlighted
• You can’t rely on who may or may not have an online profile, nor can
you be sure that the information contained in it is true.
• The main strengths of social media for a hiring company lie in allowing
them to project their employer brand and reputation beyond where it is
normally seen to enhance attraction and retention

36. any questions?