Nowadays, there is no single approach to finding a new employee. Career speed dating, interactive recruitment, talent matchmaking – there are many effective ways of finding the ideal profile. Nevertheless, one trend is becoming increasingly apparent: the importance of social networks in the job market. This not only applies to professional networks like LinkedIn and Viadéo, but also to Facebook and Twitter.
The main reason for their popularity among recruiters is the high traffic on these sites. Facebook boasts 1.3 billion users; Twitter, 284 million. For a recruiter, this is an impressive talent pool.
In 2013, 66% of companies in the US used Facebook for recruitment, while 54% used Twitter. Moreover, 14.4 million American applicants used social networks to search for a job.
The phenomenon has not taken off to the same extent in Europe. In France, only 24% of companies use Facebook for recruitment purposes, while 20% use Twitter. The situation is more or less the same in Switzerland. Yet, despite the reluctance of some companies to embrace social networks, applicants seem to appreciate them. One in three people in France uses these sites to find a job. Surprisingly, 55.9% favour Facebook over LinkedIn. Meanwhile, 16.4% of survey respondents use Twitter.
The founders of these social networks understand the vast potential of the job market and have decided to invest in it. In February, Twitter launched a European employment day, helping to connect applicants and recruiters through the involvement of many different companies. Facebook now allows you to list professional skills on your profile. Including past schools and universities is also an advantage for those who want to be spotted by recruiters. Finally, earlier this year Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook At Work, the professional version of his social network.
Christelle Genier
