Job Posting
Employer and Social Media Platforms
Social media has become a strategic corporate tool in the job market. The online networks have been used as tools for informal conversations between friends or family. However, the sites have gained popularity with majority of employers opening up corporate and commercial discussions with their customers, hence redefining its identity in today’s society. Many organizations are utilizing the networks as a recruitment tool. Various human resources professionals can interact with a candidate on social media and understand key attributes before scheduling an interview. Although organizations utilize social media during the hiring process, interactions with potential candidates may be informal, hence fail to reflect their skills and capability when deciding on their employability.
Benefits to Organizations
Company Branding
Social media can build or destroy a brand. Company branding is significant for the performance of its products or services. According to Vassallo (2015), companies have successfully branded themselves on social media networks as well as responding to queries and concerns from customers. Such processes have improved ratings and reviews from customers, attracting positive referrals (Duffy & Schwartz, 2018). However, social media platforms have also damaged the reputation of companies and brand ratings through unfair competition from rivals and comments from unsatisfied clients.
Recruiting Process
Social media has emerged as a significant recruitment tool in the job market. Burr (2018) avers that organizations should utilize the information on social media when managing their recruitment processes. For instance, companies communicate with prospective candidates to get their opinion and perspective on various issues to ascertain their employability. Likewise, Caramela (2018) demonstrates that HR professionals have used search optimization engines (SEO) to improve the knowledge and visibility of candidates and to develop conversations. Platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter are known for professional engagement and the majority of users upload resumes and other professional qualifications to connect with fellow experts or comrades in their fields of study (Smith, 2013). Heathfield (2018) avers that HR managers take advantage of social media platforms to interact and hire individuals with better professional qualifications, operative personalities, and experience in the industry. Therefore, social networks advantage employers through a pre-exposure and professional analysis before the process of hiring or physical engagement commences.
Communication with Candidates
Social media provide a fast and reliable opportunity to communicate with potential candidates. Communication skills, interpersonal orientations, and other aspects, such as public opinion on various subjects, team spirit, and anger management are among attributes employers have successfully deduced from social media interactions, postings, and conversations, which build an opinion over a job candidate. Burr (2018) avers that through platforms such as Twitter and Facebook messengers, organizations can manage communication with candidates on various issues while collecting information that influences job hiring. A significant advantage of social media communications is that they can be revisited in future to confirm commitments or challenge various viewpoints, especially when a disagreement occurs.
Mobility
The movement of employees from one department to another to verify information or seek inquiries is a significant concern in business. Social media has considerably reduced inter and intra departmental movements within an organization. Meetings that require mobility can be managed through online interactions and live communications. Simple errands, clarifications, and information are scheduled through Twitter and Facebook, limiting the time wasted during movements.
Cost
The cost of hiring is significantly reduced through the application of social media and digital technology networks. For instance, Caramela (2018) avers that pre-exposure to candidates through social media interaction serves as an elimination process since HR managers can identify potential candidates. Some organizations have employed technology powered by social media such as live chats or video conferencing to manage job interviews, especially for foreign candidates. Such aspects eliminate costs related to traveling and hospitality that would otherwise be paid by the organization. As such, companies can reduce costs through social media recruitment systems.
Algorithms and Data Analysis
Social media platforms have significantly reduced the cost of conducting products survey by providing tools for managing algorithms and data analysis. Notably, employing artificial intelligence can help organizations develop algorithms that will advise on job suitability based on the information posted on social networks (Caramela, 2018). Hence, artificial intelligence relies on data from the social media networks to develop algorithms that ascertain the employability of candidates before appointment is scheduled.
Disadvantages
A considerable percentage of information posted on social media is regarded as private. Therefore, accessing such information can be deemed as a privacy breach. For instance, Burr (2018) asserts that in California, it is illegal for employers to request logins to individual’s social accounts, or use such information for public decision-making, including hiring. Given that employers’ use social media to access information about prospective candidates, majority of users have developed pseudo accounts where they camouflage. Burr (2018) illustrates that users have developed trends to maintain clean records and professional outlooks in the mainstream account. Such patterns disapprove the quality of such decision-making systems and algorithms developed based on the interactions on the social media platforms since they disadvantage employers who use them as hiring tools.
References
Burr, M.W. (2018). The rise of social networks in the employment relationship. Society for Human Resources Management. pp. 1-8.
Caramela, S. (2018). Hiring in the digital age: 3 modern recruitment trends to adopt. Business News Daily. Retrieved from https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6975-future-of-recruiting.html
Duffy, B.E., & Schwartz, B. (2018). Digital “women’s work?” Job recruitment ads and the feminization of social media employment. New Media & Strategy, vol. 20, no. 8, pp. 2972-2989.
Heathfield, S. M. (2018). Use LinkedIn for recruiting employees. The balanced careers. Retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/use-linkedin-for-recruiting-employees-1918950
Smith, J. (2013). How social media can help (or hurt) you in your job search. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/04/16/how-social-media-canhelp-or-hurt-your-job-search/#330885227ae2
Vassallo, J. (2015). Social Media’s impact on the human resources industry. Business 2 community. Retrieved from https://www.business2community.com/human-resources/social-medias-impacton-the-human-resources-industry-01338454