The Adecco Global Social Recruiting Study
Whether you're a Job Seeker or a Recruiter, our study has some key insights for you.
Job Seekers: get the most out of the unlimited opportunities available through the proper use of social networks.
Recruiters: find out how to improve the quality of your professional social media practices.
Some background
The digital age is transforming the recruitment industry, allowing companies to reach targeted candidates and create new forms of employer branding, as well as helping candidates interact with their potential future employer. Recruitment is more dynamic than ever due to the uptake of social media, both for small businesses, as well as large corporations. For job seekers, social media is a valuable tool to find opportunities and advance careers.
The study
Recruiting is increasingly social and Adecco wants to know how it works. We conducted a survey between March 18 and June 2, 2014, collecting responses from 17,272 candidates and 1,501 recruiters from 24 countries. We want to understand how candidates search for jobs on social media, which tools they use, and how they present themselves online. We also interviewed the recruiters to discover how companies operate on social media, which tools they use, and what they look for in their recruiting process.
The study looks at a global, regional and local level on the areas of
- The use of social media
- The effectiveness of social media in matching job seekers with open positions
- The importance of web reputation
- The social capital of individual candidates
- How recruiters explore the web when looking for a candidate
You can download all reports and infographics on www.adecco.com/socialrecruiting
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3. About the Adecco Global Social Recruiting Study
The study was developed by Adecco in partnership with the University of Milan,
Italy.
It mainly covers:
– the use of social media for professional purposes,
– the effectiveness of social media in the matching of job seekers with open
positions in the job market,
– the relevance of web reputation and its impact on recruiting.
Basic Information 3
4. About the Adecco Global Social Recruiting Study
> 1,500 recruiters > 17,000 job seekers
The Adecco Global Social Recruiting
Study is the most comprehensive
research study of its kind.
24 countries
Basic Information 4
6. Do you use social
media for
professional uses?
5 out of 10 job seekers
use social media for job
search purposes and 7
out of 10 recruiters for
their daily HR
professional activities.
Main Findings 6
7. Age & Activity by gender
The element that most
affects the attitudes towards
the use of social media for
job search is educational
qualification, with graduates
significantly more active than
non-graduates.
Gender also emerges as a
marker of difference, with
women reported to be more
active.
Main Findings 7
8. What do you use
social media for?
Job seekers appear the
most “traditional“ when
job hunting online: they
mostly search through
job ads or for potential
hirers.
The recruiters act very
similar: they mostly use
social media to
advertise jobs, source
for passive candidates
and check the accuracy
of CV’s.
8
Main Findings
9. Company
Attractiveness
Social media profiles
operated by companies
are largely perceived to
be informational
“dashboards” more than
relationship forming
channels.
Main Findings 9
10. What Facebook really
is for:
Job seekers claim they
use Facebook more as
a personal channel
dedicated to friends
than as a channel
aimed at creating and
maintaining
professional
relationships.
Main Findings 10
11. Jobseekers are
unaware of their
social media profile’s
impact.
On the other side, the
research shows that the
vast majority of job
seekers is not aware of
the professional
relevance of their
personal social
networks, and assume
that their profiles are
only viewed and
accessed by their
friends.
Main Findings 11
12. How do others see
me?
Job Seekers largely
state that they do not
post sensitive
comments or pictures
(i.e. selfies), showing
that they are often
unaware of the impact
of their communication
choices on the Web.
Not even being
conscious of what they
publish, it’s hard to say
that they really manage
their reputation online.
Main Findings 12
13. But recruiters do check
you out!
Recruiters largely use
social media to assess a
candidate’s reputation.
The use of LinkedIn
remains predominant
(68%), but Facebook is
also relevant (52%),
although this is generally
regarded as a more
personal social
networking site.
Main Findings 13
14. Number of contacts are just
‘noise’
The seeming lack of interest in the
number of contacts shown by
recruiters and the preference
towards “tangible skills”, may be
interpreted as a tendency to
assess more favorably those skills
that are more difficult to fabricate
(public display of previous work
experiences), whilst contact
requests are often accepted by
users without knowing the other
person.
Thus, the number of contacts has
no implications on the professional
assessment.
Main Findings 14
15. Would these affect an
application?
Among the different
elements which
negatively influence the
assessment of the web
reputation of a
candidate, recruiters
pay particular attention
to the comments
posted, especially in
relation to the
participation of activities
which may violate
University or workplace
policies.
Main Findings 15
16. There are
consequences
Approximately one
third of recruiters
admit that they have
rejected a potential
candidate as a
consequence of the
information, the
pictures, and/or the
content posted on the
candidate’s profile.
Main Findings 16
17. Matching process
Recruiters do find candidates
via social networks and
match them to opportunities.
But – what we didn’t expect:
most of these positions are
non-managerial positions.
We need to get used to the
idea that social networks are
not just great to find high
level managers.
Main Findings 17
18. How effective can
social recruiting be?
29% of job seekers
were contacted through
social media by a
recruiter at least once,
and 9% received a job
offer.
Main Findings 18
19. Rich networks work,
especially online
Having a rich network
seems to have direct
implications on the
effectiveness of the job
search.
The success in gaining
employment seems to be
higher for those who
possess a rich online
social network.
Main Findings 19
20. HR Outlook
In 2013, more than half
of all recruitment
activity involved the
Internet (53%), with the
percentage for 2014
expected to continue to
grow (61%).
Social media is the
digital tool which is
expected to experience
the greatest increase in
usage in 2014 by the
recruitment sector.
Main Findings 20
21. Training sessions are
NOT widely available to
recruiters!
Among those who use
social media for recruitment
purposes, approximately
30% have attended training
courses organized by their
company.
61% of HR respondents
either did not receive
guidelines for the use of
social media or were
unaware that these
guidelines existed.
Main Findings 21
23. 1. Get connected
If you do not have a
LinkedIn profile yet, it is
high time to do so!
Both job seekers and
recruiters prefer
LinkedIn as the main
network to look for jobs
and candidates.
Recruiters also first
assess your web-reputation
on your
LinkedIn profile
(67.7%). 51.6% will also
check your Facebook
profile.
Recommendations for job seekers 23
24. 2. Don’t be shy!
Recruiters are more interested
in awards and achievements –
information candidates seldom
place on their online profile.
Think about it:
• Did you graduate best in
your class?
• Have you written an essay
on a relevant topic?
• Have you participated in
inter-company training?
• Have you been nominated
for “employee of the month”?
Recommendations for job seekers 24
25. 3. Watch yourself!
Approximately 1 out of 3
recruiters have discarded
a potential candidate as a
consequence of the
information, the pictures,
and/or the content posted
on the candidate’s profile.
However, they do find
comments more relevant
than pictures when
assessing web reputation.
Also: The first places they
look to for your web
reputation are Facebook,
LinkedIn, and search
engines.
Recommendations for job seekers 25
26. 4. Be consistent!
After advertising job
opportunities (65%) and
sourcing passive candidates
(59.7%), recruiters use social
media to check the accuracy
of a candidate‘s CV (52.7%).
If your online profile and the
CV in your application are
not consistent, you might
disqualify yourself as a
potential candidate for the
job opportunity you really
want.
So make sure the
information in your
application and your online
profiles are consistent and
up to date!
Recommendations for job seekers 26
27. 5. Apparently age
matters
The older the recruiter, the
stricter they evaluate the
content on a candidate’s
social media profile.
Thus, don’t just assume
that what you are doing is
normal and everybody
else has the same
perception.
You can apply the
Grandma-Test: Would your
Grandma like what you are
publishing about yourself
online? If yes, you are fine
– if not check your privacy
settings and reconsider
some content.
Recommendations for job seekers 27
28. 6. Job-hunting is not
attached to age
Social media job-hunting
is not attached
to age. There are
factors that will make
your online job-hunt
more successful such
as your education, the
richness of your on-and
offline network and
the years of experience
you have in your field of
expertise.
So, do not be afraid and
start networking today.
The next great
opportunity just might
be around the corner.
Recommendations for job seekers 28
29. 7. Are you right for each
other?
Recruiters want to make
sure that you are not only
professionally qualified
but also a right fit for the
company culture.
When they look at your
social media profile they
also want to see your
character. So do not be
afraid to let that shine
through! This goes vice-versa:
you should also be
comfortable with the
company’s way to work.
Do not be afraid to
leverage your social
media profile to find the
perfect fit!
Recommendations for job seekers 29
30. 8. Be careful!
Recruiters do assess
your activities on your
social media profile and
your online behavior can
easily disqualify you as a
candidate.
An example of what a
recruiter is judging to be
one of the worst
disqualifiers is displaying
activities that are in
violation of university or
workplace policy.
Recommendations for job seekers 30
31. 9. Tap into the potential!
We know you like Facebook company
pages as informational dashboards and
that you are most likely interested in
the job postings only.
But do not miss out on the opportunity
to build a relationship with the
company!
You can also learn more about a
potential employer from the information
they publish, how they interact with
others, and how they react to criticism.
Recommendations for job seekers 31
32. 10. It is always you!
Social jobseeking means
that we also become more
dependent on the
connections we have in our
on and offline networks.
It means that others
evaluate our corporate
cultural fit by what we
publish online.
We thus become more and
more dependent on getting
our personality across
through our social media
profiles.
But most importantly, it
means that whatever we do,
we should never hide our
potential, both on- and
offline!
Recommendations for job seekers 32
34. 1. Size defines scale
According to our
findings, the scale of
social recruiting
depends on the size of
the company.
Companies with less
than 10 employees
have a lower tendency
to use digital resources
for a personnel search
in comparison to
companies with more
employees.
But anyone can do
social recruiting – so
start building your
competitive edge now!
Recommendations for recruiters 34
35. 2. Effectiveness
The more practice you
have in actively
sourcing via LinkedIn,
the more effective you
will be.
If you don’t know how
to do it, start with
LinkedIn training and
learn from peers in your
industry.
Recommendations for recruiters 35
36. 3. Never stop learning
Only 5.7% of companies
make it mandatory for HR
Managers to use social
networks. But those that did
receive training found it
highly effective and those
that would like to receive it
believe they would benefit
highly from it.
In a world constantly
changing itself, it becomes
more and more important
that the usage of crucial
tools is explained in the
corporate environment.
If your company is not there
yet, follow bloggers in your
industry or talk to your HR /
Marketing Team to initiate
training programs.
Recommendations for recruiters 36
37. 4. Increase your
attractiveness as an
employer
The younger generation
(born after 1981) is highly
interested in what others
have to say about you as a
potential employer (53%).
Therefore: check comments
and evaluations of your
company on pages such as
Blogs, Forums, Glassdoor.
By taking responsibility with
a company profile and
engaging with users on
those platforms you can
gain credibility and
authenticity.
It will positively affect your
brand reputation!
Recommendations for recruiters 37
38. 5. More tips on your
attractiveness as an
employer
And you can also increase your
attractiveness by taking care of
the following:
• Make your job postings easy
to find. Job seekers are highly
interested in seeing your
latest vacancies on your
social media profiles
(attractiveness of 0,5 on the
index).
• Make it easy to contact you
and have that information on
your social media profiles.
• Regularly post on your social
media profiles.
• Interact with your social
media audience.
Recommendations for recruiters 38
39. 6. Stay professional
Job seekers perceive
Facebook as a network that
is dedicated to friendships
and relationships.
Use your Facebook
company page to interact
with your audience and try
to get more information on a
candidate through his or her
public information on their
social media profile.
Refrain however, from
engaging directly. It will not
be well liked in most cases.
Or, if you do want to connect
on Facebook with a
candidate, make sure they
are as positive as you are.
Recommendations for recruiters 39
40. 7. Added value
When social recruiting
entered the HR scene,
there were implications
for both Marketing and
HR. The two disciplines
have first moved closer
together and are now
more and more often
overlapping, because
employer branding
equals communication.
What does that mean?
HR becomes
Marketing, Marketing
becomes HR.
Recommendations for recruiters 40
41. 8. Engage your
colleagues
Becoming a digital company
takes time and effort and
involves your colleagues!
It is not only about having
public company profiles on
social networks but training
and engaging your
colleagues. Show them,
what it means to do social
recruiting and to become an
active social networker. If
you do, you will gain many
new ambassadors for your
company!
HR leaders need to make
the shift happen!
Recommendations for recruiters 41
42. 9. Redefining the way
you connect
Social media has changed
the way humans interact
with each other. Today, we
are communicating much
faster. We engage almost
without barriers across
borders and are easily
connected through mutual
interests.
As a recruiter you will need
to redefine your concept of
interaction. Most importantly
you need to find your own
style when getting in touch
with people. What connects
us is human touch and it will
be a challenge you need to
master to get that across an
email or a friend request.
Recommendations for recruiters 42
44. Don‘t break the rules
Summary 44
Get connected Don‘t be shy
Watch yourself
Be consistent
Apply the Grandma-test
Are you right for each other?
Learn more about a company
The All- Line approach
Anyone can do social media
45. Summary 45
Size defines scale
Effectiveness
Keep learning
Take care of your
online reputation
Be easy to talk to
Stay professional
Work on your
communication skills
Redefine the way you
connect
Let shift happen
47. Thank you!
If you like the Adecco
Global Social Recruiting
Study, tweet about it!
#socialrecruiting
@AdeccoGroup
Download our reports
and infographics
www.adecco.com/
socialrecruiting
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