The Rise of Social Recruiting: Top Trends to Watch

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Social recruiting has been on the rise over the years and it has become even more valuable than ever. According to the latest statistics, close to half of the world’s population (almost 3.6 billion people all around the world) use social media to connect with each other and with brands. 

Small and large enterprises are increasingly relying on social media platforms to identify, engage and vet individuals the organization may want to hire. In fact, a whopping 91% of employers are using social media to hire talent, with 80% of employers saying social recruiting helps them find passive candidates.

Meanwhile, 79% of job applicants are using social media in their job search, with 73% of young people aged between 18 and 34 reporting that they found their last position through a social media platform.

That shows just how much opportunity social media presents whether you are an employer or job seeker when it comes to talent recruitment and employment. But what is social recruiting exactly, and how can it benefit your business or job search? 

Let's find out.

What Is Social Recruiting?

Social recruiting is simply the process of finding potential employees through social media. This can include using popular social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and others to identify and assess candidates for a job opening. 

Social recruiting has become increasingly popular due to the sheer size of social media networks and the amount of data they provide on potential candidates, as well as the digitization happening all across the board.

Besides that, there are a few more reasons why social recruiting is becoming so popular.

Reasons Social Recruitment Is Getting So Popular

For employers, social media provides a wealth of data about potential candidates. This includes data such as job history, education, interests, and more. This information can be used by recruiters to assess candidates and determine if they’d be a good fit for a specific job opening. 

Social media networks are massive. For example, LinkedIn and Facebook (premier social media recruiting platforms) have over 800 million and 3 billion active users respectively. This provides recruiters with a large pool of potential candidates to assess and hire with just a few click of the button. Social recruiting is thus very cost-effective and convenient for employers.

Moreover, social recruitment works. Using social media to identify and assess candidates is not only much cheaper than using traditional methods like job boards or headhunters, but it is also quite effective. According to a global survey of hiring decision makers, 58% of respondents regarded social professional networks as a source for quality hires.

Another reason is that social recruiting is fast. Recruiters and job seekers can quickly identify and assess candidates and employers through social media, which saves time and money. 

With continued growth of social media networks, it is likely that social recruiting will become even more popular and impactful in the years to come. 

So, whether you are looking for a job or looking to hire the right candidates, it is important that you familiarize yourself with social recruiting methods, keep up with the lates trends in the sector, and use them to your advantage.

Top Social Recruiting Trends in 2022 

As it often happens every year, we are going to see some new trends in the world of social media and social recruitment this year as well.

Here’re some of the top trends in social recruitment to watch out for in 2022.

1. Brands Putting More Focus on TikTok

TikTok is the new social media kid on the block that is very popular with young people. The social media app is a place where users share short videos of themselves performing stunts, singing, or dancing. 

Brands are starting to put more focus on TikTok as a way to reach potential customers. This year, expect to see even more brands using TikTok to market their products and services, and also to find potential candidates for their organization.

2. Recruiters Using Virtual Reality to Assess Candidates

Recruiters will ramp up using virtual reality to assess candidates. This will enable them to see how potential employees would perform in a real work environment. It will also give them a better idea of how candidates would fit into the company culture.4

3. AI Used to Screen Candidates

This one might be too far-fetched for now as there is still a lot of work to be done in this area. But, to some extent, organizations will start incorporating Artificial Intelligence to help them boost their social recruitment efforts. 

AI will allow recruiters to assess candidates quickly and efficiently. The use of AI will also help to reduce bias in the hiring process.

4. Going Live the New Normal

Live streaming is a popular way to share video content in real-time. This year, expect to see more recruiters using live streaming to communicate their message and to carry out training sessions for new recruits. This will allow them to get a better idea of the candidate's personality and how they interact with others.

5. Remote Interviewing Here to Stay

With the pandemic still ongoing, it is likely that remote interviewing will be the norm in 2022. This means that more recruiters will be conducting interviews over video call or by phone. 

This trend emerged in 2021, but we expect it to continue into next year. In fact, this may become a very common practice for all companies (no matter the size) in the years to come.

6. LinkedIn Influencers Becoming More Prominent

In 2022, expect to see more LinkedIn influencers who have a large following on LinkedIn and who use their platform to share content related to careers and job hunting. 

LinkedIn influencers can be an excellent resource for recruiters looking to find new candidates or learn about the latest trends in social recruiting.

Conclusion

With all of these new trends emerging and taking root, there is no doubt that social recruitment is going to be highly useful this and coming years. 

Previously Facebook and LinkedIn were the most popular social media platforms in the world. Now other social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have entered into the fray. 

We may not know what other social media platforms may emerge and become popular for social recruitment, but one thing is for sure: social media and social recruitment is here to stay, and it will become even more popular this and in the coming years.

So, whether you are a job seeker or a recruiter looking for quality candidates for your organization, make sure you leverage social media platforms to help you in your search!