Why is it worth setting up a profile in business social media?

Social media play an increasingly important role in the area of recruitment. They are used not only by employers and recruiters to attract candidates, but also by the candidates themselves, who use them to look for a job or wait for professional offers. Why is it worth having a profile in business social media? Explains the expert of LeasingTeam Professional.

The advent of the Internet in Poland has revolutionized the recruitment process. Searching for a job on recruitment portals, sending CVs by e-mail in response to advertisements, applying for job offers via advanced systems supporting recruitment processes or taking online competency tests are just some of the methods and tools that candidates use on a daily basis. The Internet has automated and simplified the recruitment process not only on the part of candidates, but also companies. Currently, it has become common for recruiters to use business social media in the process of acquiring candidates best suited to the expectations of companies. In Poland, LinkedIn is one of the most popular portals. They are of a business nature, which is why people at least an assistant or specialist, as well as managers, directors, board members or presidents, most often set up their professional profiles. The number of users using business social networking sites in Poland is growing year by year. This is due to the fact that more and more people are realizing the benefits of having a LinkedIn profile and the high activity of recruitment companies. A LeasingTeam Professional expert explains how a presence in business social media can help you find a job.

A meeting place for candidates with recruiters

Currently, the main tool for recruiters who conduct recruitment projects using the direct search method are business social networking sites such as LinkedIn. The recruitment process using the direct search method consists in directly reaching people who have unique competences and experience important from the employer’s point of view. Direct search is primarily beneficial for personnel consulting companies in recruitment for specialist and managerial positions. Thanks to it, recruiters reach passive candidates. They are not actively looking for a job, so they cannot be recruited using traditional methods such as advertisements on recruitment portals.

Companies specializing in recruitment most often have extended profiles on social networks dedicated to recruiters, which allow them to reach candidates outside their own network. If the person’s profile and the experience and competencies described in it match the job description, the recruiter sends an invitation to participate in the recruitment process and asks the person to send their CV. If the candidate sends their application documents, it is very likely that they will be invited to a recruitment meeting.

People we contact via business social media very often decide to participate in the recruitment process. Even if they have not thought about changing jobs at the moment, they are curious about what another company can offer them. In addition, many candidates believe that participation in the recruitment process is a kind of training that, if not now, then in the future can help them get their dream job – comments Anita Obidowska, team leader at LeasingTeam Professional.

Pass to participate in recruitment processes

Being present on selected social media sites gives candidates a chance to be noticed by recruiters and employers who are looking for talent. Therefore, it is worth taking the time to prepare an attractive profile. Usually, its layout is very similar to a traditional CV. Candidates include information on their career and education, always in reverse chronology. In addition, they inform about the courses they have completed, training, and won awards. A great advantage of virtual profiles is the ability to post links to expert articles by the candidate, videos with statements, e.g. in the media or lectures during a conference. In the marketing and creative industry, it is very popular to post a link to a portfolio of works, e.g. graphic design. The more extensive the candidate’s profile, the greater the chance that it will interest the recruiter, who will approach them with an attractive job offer. Websites such as Linkedin give users the opportunity to build a professional network of business contacts, i.e. invite and accept other people as our friends. It is also important to be active on a given business portal and share interesting research results, interesting articles, and share knowledge in the area that interests a given candidate. It may happen that the recruiter pays attention to the profile of a given candidate, m.in. because of the content they share.

There are many additional tools that can enrich the candidate’s profile and make it even more attractive to the recruiter. LinkedIn users can make recommendations to each other and confirm their skills or knowledge in a given area. They can also recommend a particular profile, as well as comment and share posts – informs Anita Obidowska from LeasingTeam Professional.

Access to hidden job offers

Until recently, job offers were presented primarily on recruitment portals such as Pracuj.pl or Infopraca.pl or in the career tabs on employers’ websites. Currently, job offers also appear on official company profiles, e.g. on Facebook or LinkedIn. However, there are situations in which companies cannot afford to make a given job offer public. This is due to various reasons. Sometimes a search is carried out for a person for a position still filled in the organization, most often at a higher level, hence crucial for the proper functioning of the company. Therefore, information about recruitment for a given position, if it appears on the recruitment portal, is only without information about the employer in the advertisement.

Hidden recruitment processes are very often outsourced to HR consulting companies. By outsourcing the process, the employer gains anonymity and certainty that the recruitment will be carried out with full discretion – thinks Anita Obidowska.

In the case of hidden recruitment processes, the search is very often conducted on LinkedIn using the direct search method. People who do not have accounts on these portals, who also do not regularly follow job advertisements on recruitment portals, have no chance to participate in the process.

Place of recommendation

Users of business social networking sites more and more often directly communicate on their profiles that they are looking for new professional challenges. LinkedIn is a good example. Its users, very often in the space intended for the job title, enter information about looking for new professional challenges. In addition, job seekers are willing to include in their profiles data that makes it easier for recruiters to contact them directly, i.e. an e-mail address and a phone number.

More and more often, experienced candidates publish posts on their wall in which they inform that they are currently looking for a job, list their successes and recommend themselves to the attention of recruiters. It also happens that friends are publicly recommended. Many representatives of recruitment companies are eager to use this type of recommendation, which makes it easier for them to reach interesting candidates outside their network of contacts – comments the expert of LeasingTeam Professional.

A mine of knowledge for job seekers

Following the profiles of selected employers on business social networks gives candidates access to useful advice and tips on how to participate in the recruitment process. Employment agencies and personnel consulting companies in particular create professional guides for candidates, covering issues such as CV preparation, the course of a job interview or methods of competence assessment. Exploring them can help the candidate to successfully go through the recruitment process.

Presence in business social media for people from the level of specialists and managers who are interested in developing their professional careers is now a must. This is due to the growing activity of companies specializing in professional recruitment on business portals. It is worth preparing for it today.