Job Posting
Employer and Social Media Platforms
Social media has become a strategic corporate tool in the job market. The online applications have been previously used as tools for social chit-chat and conversation between friends or family. However, the twist witnessed on the sites with a majority of employers opening up corporate and commercial conversations with their customers on the platform redefines its identity in today’s society. Many organizations are utilizing the platform as a recruitment tool. Various human resources professionals can interacting with a candidate on social media and understandvarious key attributes before scheduling an interview Although organizations utilize social media during the hiring process, interactions with potential candidates maybe informal, and hence, may not 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 the social media networks as well as responding to queries and r concerns from customers. Such processes have improved companys’ rating within the industry and managed them better reviews from customers through positive referrals (Duffy &Schwartz, 2018). However, social media users have also destroyed the reputation of companies and brands rating through unethical competitions from rival companies or by comments from unsatisfied clients.
Recruiting Process: Social media has emerged as a significant recruitment tool in the job market. Burr (2018) avers that organizations utilize the information on social media to manage their recruitment processes. For instance, companies chats with prospective candidates and sought 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 on 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 the resumes and other professional qualification to connect with fellow experts or comrades in their fields of study (Smith, 2013). Heathfield (2018) agrees that with this in mind, 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 advantages 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, whichbuild an opinion over a job candidate. Burr, (2018) avers that through such platforms as twitter and Facebook messengers , organizations can manage effective communication with candidates on various issues. A significant advantage of social media communications is that they can be revisited in future to confirm commitments or challenge various viewpoints, especially when variations occur.
Mobility: Mobility is a major consumer of quality operational time in business. Social media has considerably reduced inter and intra departmental movement within an organization. Meeting that require mobility can be managed through online interactions and live chats. Simple errands, clarifications, and information are scheduled through Twitter and Facebook, limiting the time wastages on mobility for customer or departments.
Cost. The cost of hiring is significantly reduced through the application of the social media and digital technology networks. For instance, Caramela (2018) avers that pre-exposure with the candidates through SEO or social media interaction chats serves as an elimination process. HR managers are able to remain with potentialcandidates. Some organizations have employed technology powered by the social media such as live chats or video conferencing to manage job interviews, especially for foreign candidates . Such aspects eliminate costs of traveling and hospitality that would otherwise be paid by the organization. As such, companies gain from reduced 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 of the social networks (Caramela, 2018). Thus, the artificial intelligence also supported algorithm development has help ascertain the employability of candidates before actual hiring is scheduled.
Disadvantages
A considerable percentage of information posted on social media is regarded as private. As such, accessing such information can be deemed as a breach of an individual privacy. For instance, Burr (2018) asserts that in California, it is illegal for employers to request for passwords or logins to individual’s social accounts, or use such information for public decision-making, including during hiring. Given that employers’ use social media to access information about prospective candidates, majority of users have developed pseud accounts where they camouflage. Burr (2018) illustrates that users have developed trends to maintain clean records and professional outlooks on the mainstream account. The situations puts to doubt the quality of the decision-making systems and algorithms developed based on the interactions on the social media platforms and thus disadvantages employers.
References
Burr, M.W. (2018). The rise of social networks in the employment relationship. Society for human resources management.
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