Notice to recruiters: In Canada, LinkedIn is the social network that offers you the highest chance of finding a qualified candidate. Blogs, for their part, are the best way of getting young graduates’ attention. These were some of the findings detailed in a recent presentation* on the strengths of Web 2.0 by e-marketing specialist Michelle Blanc.
“It is clear that a strong presence on social media improves recruiting. I think that companies who consider the web a priority function within the company become more efficient,” she affirms.
Creating your brand
Companies wanting to attract young talents should be very visible online. In addition to their website, they should have a blog to communicate less formal information than on their main page. “Online, young people don’t want the corporate rhetoric—they want more concrete content,” explains Michelle Blanc.
For instance, digital advertising agency Provokat has its own website and blog. The first page is very spare, with only the company’s contact information, while the second includes interactive content in addition to giving a positive image of the company. “With a blog like that, you give theimpression that employees like working there, and that they love to create,” notes Ms. Blanc.
Ideally, all the messages on a blog are also posted on at least two social networks such as Twitter or Facebook. In this way, a company leaves more than one online trace and increases its chances of getting visitors’ attention, “especially passive candidates,” specifies Martin Lessard, Web 2.0 specialist.
Browsing LinkedIn
Long considered the prerogative of head hunters, use of LinkedIn has filtered down. Companies are increasingly jumping on the bandwagon as regards its use. “It’s become the best site for executive recruiting in Canada,” says Michelle Blanc. Its main advantage is that recruiters can question a candidate’s employer or contacts right on the site in order to get to know him or her better.
Recruiting from social networking sites is far from being an easy job, however. While such platforms are free (or almost), this sourcing is time consuming, with often poor results, although they are a good complement to job boards and résumé banks.
Whether for recruiting or promoting your employer brand, you first need to position yourself where candidates are to be found. And for the younger crowd, that’s “definitely on social networking sites,” sums up Michelle Blanc.
* « Les grandes tendances du WEB 2.0 » (major Web 2.0 trends) webinar, organized by Les Affaires