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Why you should create your own social network

to attract talent
People Matters
Neeraj Sanan || 02 November 2016

Social media based recruitment has been popular strategy for talent acquisition professionals for
some time now. 84 percent of the companies now use social media for recruiting, according to a
Study by SHRM. This number is up from 56 percent in 2011, an increase of 28 percent. The idea
behind this strategy had been to leverage on the time that individuals spend on social media,
whether or not they are active or passive job seekers. This opportunity led to a number of
applications tracking systems and human capital management softwares integrating social media
platforms and social data to their interface.

But the limits of social recruiting lie in assessing who is suitable for an open job, assessing whether
they fit the job or even in assessing whether a candidate is willing to join a company. Each of
these social media platforms come with their own limitations. For example, you might not always
be able to capture a candidates attention in 140 characters. Privacy settings of a prospective
candidate may limit your interaction with him or her. Or a security firewall might avoid you from
contacting a desired candidate. One solution to tackle these challenges is to build your own social
network. Not only does it enable a real-time engagement with an ecosystem of social talent, it
also helps prospective job seekers and professionals discuss and exchange ideas. Here are some
advantages of having your own social network:

Build a qualified talent pipeline


79 percent of the job seekers leverage social media to conduct their job search. This percentage
is as high as 86 percent for young job seekers who are in their first 10 years of their career,
according to employer review site Glassdoor. Platforms that help create company based social
networks feature search, sort and validation capabilities. Over time, a bank of rich resumes in the
pool can be leveraged for immediate hiring situations. It also saves recruiter effort and reduces
the time to hire significantly.

Get rich insights with analytics


Social platforms that use contextual technology help build rich profiles of prospective candidates.
They also help analyze social footprint data and information about a candidates disposition and
manners. All of these data points are not easily available unless a candidate joins the network.

Enhance employer branding


According to a Study by Glassdoor, 84 percent of the survey participants said that they would
consider leaving their company if their current company with an excellent reputation offered
them a job. Using your own social platform means that a recruiter is no longer limited by the
rules of a third party media site that may have regular revisions or updates to its platform. It also
enables personal engagement, knowledge-sharing and career mentoring opportunities.
Prospective candidates could also get invited to the companys events.

Anytime, anywhere access


Contextual platforms that are built on agile technology interfaces and are hosted on the cloud
such as Spire contextual platform can be accessed anytime and anywhere. They also empower
professionals to make decisions on the run by giving them access to evidence-based data
analytics for accurate and fast decision making.

Positively engage all stakeholders


83 percent of the professionals say that a negative interview experience can change their mind
about a role, according to a Study by LinkedIn. A company based social network works creates an
opportunity for a job seeker and a recruiter to build a congenial relationship. Recruiters also get
an opportunity to convert passive job seekers into active applicants.
The use of a company social network invariably simplifies social recruitment because the
candidates as prospective applicants get to learn about the company. It provides a great
opportunity to connect with the target audience and leads to the creation of an interactive talent
marketplace.

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