The role of social media in employee staffing

The role of social media in employee staffing

The development of technology has brought about numerous benefits to not only individuals but also businesses. It has made it easy for businesses to connect with customers and market their products. The human resource department that entirely focuses on staffing and training of personnel has harnessed the power of social media to connect with potential employees.

Employers create accounts on social media where they post available job vacancies. Interested candidates send their credentials to the company. Facebook and LinkedIn are some of the best platforms businesses use in employee staffing. The platforms allow businesses to post vacancies. Millions of people both young and old come across these advertisements.

Apart from a human resource manager getting access to the curriculum vitae and cover letter of the applicant. They are also able to get to know more about the individual. Social media profiles, posts and comments speak volume about the person. Apart from posts, the pages they like and what other people write about them on social media shows what kind of a person they are.

Social media has lowered the cost of recruitment. Unlike the past whereby the individual had to physically attend interviews; nowadays an interview is done online using video calls. This cuts the cost of traveling long distances to attend an interview and the cost of managing a recruitment office. There is also no pressure of failing to attend appointments at the allocated time.

Social media platforms give candidates seeking jobs an opportunity to research various organizations before choosing an organization to work for. They also enable companies to disclose more information about their businesses. Businesses should establish strong online brands. They should avoid negative publicity as no one who would love to work for a company with a bad reputation.

Facebook enables employers to post content depending on people’s profiles and interests. LinkedIn allows human resource managers to review a person’s work and experience. So far, 84% of businesses have embraced social media as a staffing tool. This shows that companies have benefitted from the development of technology and the emergence of social media platforms. Social media has not only exposed brand awareness but it has also enabled a connection between employers and potential employees. Employers use it to reach out to potential employees and interview them.  They also use it to get to know more about the person through their posts and comments on social media.

References

Calvasina, Gerald E., Richard V. Calvasina, and Eugene J. Calvasina. “Social media and human resource staffing: Legal, policy and practice issues for employers.” Journal of legal, ethical and regulatory issues 17.2 (2014): 51.

Tufts, Shannon Howle, Willow S. Jacobson, and Mattie Sue Stevens. “Status update: social media and local government human resource practices.” Review of Public Personnel Administration 35.2 (2015): 193-207.

Fisher, Ron, et al. “Using social media to recruit global supply chain managers.” International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 44.8/9 (2014): 635-645.