As reported in NelsonHall’s 2014 RPO market analysis, with a global shortage of talent predicted for the foreseeable future, RPO buyers will continue to seek specialists to attract candidates through the use of social networks and to create a pipeline of passive candidates (i.e. talent communities) to improve speed, quality of hire and retention of talent.

Nine out of 10 companies in the U.S. already utilize some form of social media in their recruiting while two-thirds of job seekers are using social media to search for jobs. According to JobVite in 2013, 92% of recruiters made a hire through LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the top platform used, followed by Facebook, then closely followed by Twitter, which is growing in usage at the fastest rate. 

An example of an RPO vendor using social recruiting is Seven Step RPO. A well-known American motorcycle manufacturer came to Seven Step RPO for help filling 500 open positions, of which ~85% were hard to fill. There weren’t many qualified local candidates and the company had no established talent community, nor a formal social recruiting program. Seven Step RPO needed to develop a sourcing approach that protected and leveraged the client’s strong employment brand. The result was Seven Step RPO growing the company’s new talent community to ~80,000 engaged candidates. Over half became repeat visitors and applied for multiple jobs. Overall, ~10% of all hires came from the talent community, more than any sourced by the major job boards, search engines, or industry networks/affiliations.

Other examples of vendors using social media include:

• In 2011, SourceRight Solutions launched Talent Communities to help organizations create a talent pipeline via a web-based social network. In 2013, Randstad Sourceright created innovation centers to develop employment branding, mobile and social media assessment processes and tools. One of the services is social media 360-degree assessment, which evaluates clients’ presence across social media outlets, and identifies and prioritizes opportunities to expand and strengthen branding reach
• In 2013, ADP launched the ADP Recruiting Management platform, which includes mobile and social media capabilities to enhance the talent acquisition process. The platform includes:
  • Social and mobile tools to enable targeted communication and talent community creation, helping to build an employer’s brand, expand candidate reach and boost interaction and engagement
  • Sourcing capabilities that provide access to active and passive candidates through integrated résumé databases, social networking sites, and automated deep-web searches

Use of social media is also being specifically stated in RPO contracts, for example:

• Accenture was awarded an RPO contract by NXP Semiconductors N.V. to include managing all aspects of NXP’s recruitment in Asia Pacific and Europe, including sourcing, attracting and hiring. Services provided include analytics, gamification and social media techniques
• Aon Hewitt was awarded an RPO contract by a North American packaging and recycling company that included building talent communities utilizing social media to support sourcing

Due to its low cost and wide candidate reach, I believe we will soon see social recruiting used by all clients. However, depending on type of company and job – and this is one of ManpowerGroup Solutions’ top branding tips – it is important to understand the candidate to know what technology and social media networks they use. Then deliver on it!