According to the latest Kelly Global Workforce Index, whilst people are increasingly turning to online recruitment, many are not making the best use of social networks when it comes to job hunting.
The annual index, which gives a ‘generational viewpoint’ of recruitment and the workplace, found that just one in five British people are hunting for jobs on social networks and just one per cent have landed a job as a result.
This low level puts the UK close to the bottom of the global rankings in terms of workers utilising social networks during the recruitment process. In other countries, as much as 49 per cent of the workforce is using social media sites to job hunt. Twenty-two per cent of Americans are said to be doing so.
The reasons behind Brits’ reluctance to use such mediums stems from the belief that the wrong sort of material could damage their recruitment potential. Twenty-six per cent of British respondents to the survey reported that they felt their social networking pages could have a negative impact on their future careers.
Human Resources Director at Kelly Services UK, Katie Ivie, said, “Now is the time candidates should be developing a strong online presence on professional social networks to take advantage of the opportunities they offer and stand out from the crowd.
“The use of social media in the recruitment industry is only going to become more commonplace with time,” she added.
But Geoff Newman from online recruitment agency Recruitment Genius believes the adoption of social media in recruitment is not just limited by jobseekers using it.
“Whilst candidates’ online reputation can negatively effect their chances of securing employment, I believe the other problem is more obvious – that most companies aren’t using social media. Many companies still block employees from using Facebook and Twitter, considering it a waste of time rather than potential opportunity. If companies don’t embrace it, don’t expect candidates to either.
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