Social networking sites have a ever-increasing influence on the recruitment process, and it has been suggested that this trend could lead to a reduction in agency income in the future. Recruiters have acknowledged this and whilst many embrace it, they do believe social networking won’t replace traditional methods such as using recruitment agencies.
Whilst a number of recruiter agencies have looked favourably on social networking sites and how they can help match a contractor with a client, some are apprehensive and have reported this trend in a fairly down beat manner. Some recruitment agencies are also concerned that this trend may threaten recruitment industry profits.
Stephanie Lee, Sourcing Specialist for European Staffing for Intel Corp UK recently spoke at the Association of Recruitment Consultancies (ARC) conference and explained how her company had become an avid user of social networks to help source new candidates. Intel had a reputation for only employing ‘geeks’ and in order to rectify this image, they had developed a ‘social media vision’.
Although large companies may be focusing on using social media rather than using a recruitment agency, recruitment agencies are to using social media to source the right candidate for their client.
At the UK’s second Social Media In Recruitment conference to be held on 22nd April 2010 in London, both Google and LinkedIn have been confirmed as speakers. Mike Taylor from Web Based Recruitment, organisers of the conference is looking forward to another successful conference to help corporate recruiters, recruitment agencies, recruitment advertising agencies, job boards and recruitment industry suppliers get the most from using Social Media in Recruitment.
This latest update on the recruiting trend only confirms what ICS already thought about recruiters increasingly using social networking sites to source contractors, consultants and freelancers to match their clients brief.
Here at Independent Contractor Services (ICS), we firmly believe all contractors, freelancers and consultants should have a professional presence on social networking sites such as Twitter and LinkedIn thus making it easier for a company or a recruitment agency to find you and match your skills with a potential new contract.
