Social media. I guess I’m not the only person who thought ‘that will never work’!
It’s estimated that a quarter of the world’s population now uses social media; it’s a good job I’m not a betting person! So how many of us use social media when recruiting?
Research made by the CIPD suggests that “6% of employers ‘always’ look at job applicants’ online activity or profiles to inform recruitment decisions”.
The use of social media in recruitment
Do you fit into that 6%? Ex-colleagues of mine have done so when recruiting and used Facebook, maybe that’s why they are ex-colleagues. Whist the use of social media in recruitment is increasing, and not necessarily, unlawful the more professional sites, e.g. LinkedIn, will give a better perspective of who you could be employing. In general, people use Facebook for personal, and therefore essentially private, purposes. I would be interested to see how many of the 6% would admit to searching using Facebook.
Here are a few things to consider when recruiting using social media:
- Ensure the information you find is accurate.
- Collect only such information as is relevant to the vacancy for which you are recruiting.
- Keep it professional, use LinkedIn, perhaps Google. Stay well away from Facebook.
- Inform candidates that the use of social media may be used to collect information about them from the offset.
- Adopt AB07 – Computer, Email and Internet Usage Policy and Procedure from the QCS Policy Centre.
- If you are processing personal information, ensure that you comply with the Data Protection Act.
I’m yet to speak to a manager that uses social media in the care sector, but I will be very interested to hear about the pros and cons of using this method.
Whilst not being a fan of recruitment using social media, I expect that this will be the way forward for many employers, and ultimately I will be converted too.
Anita Manfredi of Employer Solutions – QCS HR Expert Contributor
