attracting top tier talent, social recruiting, digital economy report

Social Business

Attracting Top Tier Talent By Greg Fry & Christina Giliberti

Social Business – Attracting Top Tier Talent www.digitalmarketinginstitute. www.ahaingroup.com

Page | 2

Table of Contents

Executive Summary …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..… 3

The Survey ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………………………… 4

Key Findings ……………………………………………………………………………………..………………………………………… 4

Survey Analysis & Insights ………………………………..……………………………..…………………………………………. 7

CPL Interview ……………………………………..…………………………………………………..………………………………… 8

Saon Group Interview …………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………... 9

Innovative Case Studies ………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………. 13

The Future of Recruitment ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 17

Recommendations ………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 22

Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….… 23

Appendix 1 - Survey Responses ………………………………………………………………..…………………………….…. 26


Page | 3

Executive Summary

The recruitment sector is one that evolves continually. It is the most social role within a company as

it centres solely on people.

Online Social Business has become an important tool within the recruitment sector and recruiters

are utilising Social platforms and concepts to undertake tasks that would traditionally have been

undertaken offline or through indirect marketing tools. Globally, 92%1 of recruiters either use, or

plan to use, Social methods for recruiting. With the advent and rise of Social Media and Digital

platforms, the opportunity to develop communications within the recruitment space is unlimited.

1The recent Jobsvite 2012 Survey discovered that 73% of recruiters had successfully placed

candidates that had been identified via social platforms and over 49% had observed an increase in

the quality of the experience of recruiting candidates via these methods. 71% of recruiters feel they

are moderately proficient at the use of Social Media; 25% consider themselves as novices.1

LinkedIn is seen as the ultimate Social platform for recruitment with 93%2 claiming it to be the most

popular in-house platform employed. This is not surprising, considering that LinkedIn’s 100 million

members is one of the biggest candidate databases and the three largest LinkedIn groups are

focused on jobs, recruitment and HR.

Boolean search techniques can support the recruiting function by allowing recruiters to identify

talent and speed up the qualified identification process - two notable recruitment needs. Boolean

search is a way of, for example, utilising Google and LinkedIn combined, to filter best-fit candidates.

The survey, the results of which are the subject of this Report, set out to analyse the extent of

these changes and to uncover the use of online and offline channels for recruitment in 2012.

While the survey’s lead question was ‘How can you attract top tier talent?’, specific questions

encompassed the whole remit of recruitment as a general topic, with a view to understanding the

techniques, platforms and choice of media that those in a recruitment role would select.

1 http://web.jobvite.com/rs/jobvite/images/Jobvite_2012_Social_Recruiting_Survey.pdf

2 http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/aug/19/rules-social-recruiting-linkedin-twitter-facebook

http://web.jobvite.com/rs/jobvite/images/Jobvite_2012_Social_Recruiting_Survey.pdf

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/aug/19/rules-social-recruiting-linkedin-twitter-facebook


Page | 4

The Survey

Survey Methodology/Overview

50 businesses were surveyed to identify current recruitment trends in the global marketplace,

across a mix of sectors including:

Recruitment (agency)

IT and Software

Engineering and Manufacturing

Retail and production

Public Sector and public service

Digital

Survey participants interviewed were from:

Ireland and UK

Europe

America

All survey respondents hold senior HR/recruitment positions and represent large companies,

including USA multinationals, together with a number of recruitment agencies who provide large,

shared-service recruitment for multinationals.


Page | 5

Key Survey findings

Some of the key findings from the survey include:

When asked what recruitment methods they were using to attract and recruit talent:

66.7% said that they use Online Job Boards

33.3% still used traditional newspaper advertising

100% still used email to correspond with possible hires

80% were advertising their vacancies on their own website

93% were using LinkedIn in some shape or form; however 62% of those respondents did not believe they were using LinkedIn to its full potential

40% were using Social Media applications such as Bullhorn, Reach, Jobvite and BranchOut, to find talent

66% were attending and hosting off line events to connect with potential hires.

47% were seeking to attract new hires through Company Branding and word of mouth

73% had an in house referral scheme to source new staff

When asked how their recruiters are proactively recruiting:

73.3% were using online websites and LinkedIn as their main focus

41% were using the telephone to recruit

86.7% believed their Brand Name was one of the best ways to “sell” a role to a prospective candidate

46% believed that Career Fairs were a good place to find staff. However, many respondents stated they were starting to target smaller and more industry-specific

events rather than large generic job fairs

40% were using some branded video content to showcase their company and staff to potential candidates


Page | 6

When asked how the recruitment process will change over the next five years:

80% believed that all their recruitment would be done online.

66.7% referenced Skype and video calls; virtual career fairs were also mentioned as potential cost effective and efficient ways of communicating with candidates in

the near future

33% believed that informal on and offline networking would become a vital part of their recruitment strategy

20% believed recruitment fairs will remain a big part in their recruitment efforts in 5 years’ time

When asked about Blogging:

25% had an active blog

72% that were blogging believed they lacked consistency and did not blog often enough

20% used blogging to engage with staff internally

85% believed a blog would be a good way to connect and engage with the job-seeking community

45% intended to start a blog within the next 12 months

When asked about how they were measuring the effectiveness of their recruitment campaigns:

53% looked at the number of applications a campaign received

47% looked at how many actual placements the campaign generated

47% looked at the type of interaction and quality of candidate the campaign achieved

45% used analytics to measure the number of clicks, impressions etc. an online job advert achieved


Page | 7

6.7% looked at the viability of their web-based content (e.g. Blog posts and promotional videos) to gauge to the success and reach of their campaigns

What are the best Recruitment Campaigns you have seen?:

Prosperity’s highly successful Blog – “Why I Love Mondays” - http://blog.prosperity.ie/

YouTube Videos targeting multilingual talent across Europe. Use of QR Codes and Augmented Reality - http://www.4mat.com/blog/qr-codes-in-recruitment-

blog-12131119419

Online events – where graduates can chat to hiring managers and gather information regardless of where they are in the world

CERN - http://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/item/24704-irish-cloud-firm-sonru-insp IT Pub Quiz CPL - http://www.cpl.ie/blog/post/98227099/does-your-company-have-the-most-

intelligent-it-crowd

IKEA – Australia (Build your own career)

Jameson - http://www.businessandleadership.com/marketing/item/23568-jameson-stands-out-

with-gra Tesco - http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/business-theory/people/recruitment-and-

selection.html#axzz2DfBkhWKu

Survey Analysis and Insights

Every respondent saw value in Social Media sites such as LinkedIn and believed that a Blog would

help promote their brand, showcase their workplace and attract top talent to their organisation.

However, the reality seems to be that traditional recruitment methods (such as advertising on job

boards and using a staff referral scheme) were still the actual methods of choice to fill many of their

current roles.

http://blog.prosperity.ie/

http://www.4mat.com/blog/qr-codes-in-recruitment-blog-12131119419

http://www.4mat.com/blog/qr-codes-in-recruitment-blog-12131119419

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/item/24704-irish-cloud-firm-sonru-insp

http://www.cpl.ie/blog/post/98227099/does-your-company-have-the-most-intelligent-it-crowd


http://www.businessandleadership.com/marketing/item/23568-jameson-stands-out-with-gra


http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/business-theory/people/recruitment-and-selection.html#axzz2DfBkhWKu

http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/business-theory/people/recruitment-and-selection.html#axzz2DfBkhWKu


Page | 8

85% believed a blog would be a good way to connect and engage with the job seeking community

85% of respondents believe in blogging, yet only 25% actively blog. That is 60% of respondents that

realise the potential in blogging, but don’t partake. Naturally any task takes time, resource and

knowledge to initiate and these are likely reasons for low blogging activity levels.

Additionally, of the 25% that do blog, 72% believed they lacked consistency.

Niall Murray, General Manager of Collins McNicholas, cautions against inconsistent blogging ‘We

started blogging years ago but made the fatal mistake of blogging at the start and then not at all.

…. Our plan is to blog at least weekly on recruitment matters and in particular focus on job

searching tips for job seekers….. I do believe it will help to build our online brand.’

Peter Cosgrove of CPL is an advocate of blogging due to CPL’s success. ‘There has been a significant

increase in the number of blogs and video on the CPL website in that last 12 months. Blogging helps

our branding, attracts new candidates and also helps our SEO.’

93% were using LinkedIn in some shape or form

When asked about the tools used, LinkedIn was nominated by all participants as the number one

Social Networking tool of choice for attracting talent. Seen as the ‘professional’ Social Networking

platform, LinkedIn allows recruiters to easily search for and contact individuals.

Web-based platforms were predominant. Search engines are also identified as ‘tools’, suggesting

that SEO (search engine optimisation) is an important consideration.

100% still used email to correspond with possible hires

One respondent mentioned ‘ezines’, suggesting that email marketing is still being used, but to a

lesser extent than real-time communication platforms like LinkedIn. Use of email in general,

however, is strong and was cited by 100% of respondents in the Jobsvite 2012 survey1.

86.7% believed Brand Name was one of the best ways to “sell” a role to a prospective candidate


Page | 9

Almost 87% identified ‘brand name’ as an important element, underlining the fact that the power

players in the market place feel that their brand is a key strength and driver behind placements.

To further understand recruitment in 2012, we interviewed two Irish-based recruitment agencies

that recruit locally and globally – CPL Recruitment and Saon Group. These interviews are reported

on the following pages.

CPL Recruitment – Peter Cosgrove

CPL provides a wide range of recruitment solutions to over 1,500 clients throughout Ireland, Spain,

England, Poland, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary. CPL has made a big effort to

develop a strong and positive brand both on and offline. It has become very active online and is

involved in an increasing number of strategic offline events. It had a big presence at this year’s

‘Dublin Web Summit’.

While LinkedIn and Boolean searching are considered to be great ways of finding talent, the CPL

website is still CPL’s best source of finding candidates.

“Boolean searching is now an important part in any recruiters search for talent.” Peter Cosgrove

said. “However, finding talent is not enough, recruiters need to engage and where possible, pick up

the phone and talk to the individual they are targeting.

Blogging has become a very important part of CPL’s branding. It is however, very important to

realise that not every member of staff wants to blog. So encourage those who want to get involved

and encourage them to write about the topics that interest them. Don’t try to force the reluctant

recruiter to do something they do not want to do. CPL is now fully committed to blogging and is

aware that blogging requires time and commitment. It is not something that you can dip in and out


Page | 10

of. The main focus is to create fresh valuable content. There has been a significant increase in the

number of blogs and video on the CPL website in that last 12 months. Blogging helps our branding,

attracts in new candidates and also helps our SEO.”

One emerging trend in recruitment discussed was the rise of Video CVs. In his opinion they are a

fad, as, with the average recruiter screening CVs in 15-30 seconds, it would not be possible to

screen multiple applications if the recruiter had to view a 2-3 minute video of each application.

“One thing companies must realise when recruiting is that the ideal candidate for the position may

not be available at that time. So, companies should be actively looking for talent all the time.

Companies should consider taking on top talent as they find them.”

And Peter’s final note – “Be aware that technology is constantly changing and when recruiting we

must ensure that we are choosing the right technology to recruit at the right time. One thing that

seems likely in the future is that jobs are more likely to find candidates than candidates having to

search for jobs.”

Saon Group – Jane Lorigan

Asked about changes she has observed in recruitment, Jane Lorigan said:

“Ireland currently has a two-speed recruitment market. Indigenous companies servicing the B2C

market are struggling in difficult economic conditions.

Their hiring requirements are limited and, in many cases, there is an over-supply of the type of staff

they are looking to hire. FDI and indigenous companies targeting export markets, particularly those


Page | 11

in the knowledge economy, are struggling to fill vital roles, most notably in the areas of IT and

languages.

For the former group, there is an expectation that they can hire the ‘perfect’ candidate with a 100%

match to the job spec and in some cases with additional skills or increased experience. For the

latter, it may be leading to the restriction of the number of projects being undertaken and delivered,

which has a knock on effect on the recruitment of support staff at a more junior level.”

Asked why job boards are still so important for recruiters, she said:

“Job boards are of huge value to the recruitment industry based on the historical relationship with

not only the companies hiring, but also the job- seeking audience. It’s the ideal way to tap into the

actively searching talent pool that has expressed a specific interest in your company. Large traffic

numbers allow recruiters to speak to a wide audience. In the case of IrishJobs.ie and Jobs.ie, there

are well in excess of 2.2m visits each month.

Online marketing and analytic tools not only allow for the targeting of specifically talented

jobseekers, but also allows for a detailed analysis of where interest and applications are coming

from. Filter tools allow you to pre-assess applications and only review those most relevant.”

When asked how job boards can be used to attract top talent, Jane suggested that:

“Job Boards offer companies an opportunity to not only build their profile describing their day to day

operations, but also their ways of working and what development opportunities they can offer job

seekers. With large traffic numbers, recruiters have the opportunity to use targeting tools, such as

Job Alerts, to ensure their message gets to an audience with the required qualifications and

experience.

It is important to partner with a job board that correctly uses search tools like Google Adwords,

increasing the amount of organic traffic coming directly to the advertised position from a key word

search.

Registered CV databases also provide recruiters with direct access to candidates. Based on key word

searches, they can then search directly for candidates with the applicable qualifications or past work

experience and make initial contact.”


Page | 12

Examples of success stories she offered included the Gowan Group and Yahoo.

“The Gowan Group has advertised with IrishJobs.ie for a number of years and it has become our

main method of recruitment advertising. It is fast, effective and a cost effective method of

recruiting.

Irishjobs.ie is an extremely user-friendly website. Today we source over 70% of our applicants

through IrishJobs.ie and the quality of candidates is very high.” - Anne-Marie Jones, Group HR

Manager, Gowan Group.

“Great response as always, we get most of our direct hires through IrishJobs.ie”. - Barbara Smith,

Talent Acquisition Manger –Ireland, Yahoo!

Commenting on ‘Social Job Sites’ such as LinkedIn, Bullhorn Reach and Jobvite? She suggested that:

“Social media is a definitely a part of the current recruitment mix and various sites are a great

source of background information on candidates. With traffic to job board sites still increasing year

on year, it seems Irish recruiters and job seekers still prefer to cast a wide net, including a number of

different channels.”

And finally, asked how she would see job boards evolving in the coming years, Jane suggested that:

“Because job boards are by nature quite dynamic, we can follow or even pre-empt job seeker and

recruiter needs. For example – change in technology. The growing use of mobile technology has

challenged every website to adapt to offer the same, if not better, experiences on all mobile devices

as on desktop sites.

With the use of these devices offering a more personal and private experience, targeting needs to

become even more refined. Ensuring that the development of the mobile functionality matches this

need for a more personal experience is key to our continued development.”

http://www.irishjobs.ie/Member.aspx?Mid=2053


Page | 13

Innovative Case Studies

Innovation is key to progression and success in the highly-competitive recruitment industry. It is

clear that some of the most successful businesses are innovating online to attract top tier talent.

Examples of some of the best innovative case studies from around the globe are:

Prosperity Blog

The Prosperity blog has been quoted as one of the best innovative campaigns by recruiters and HR

Managers. One of the most notable aspects of Prosperity’s digital activity is that it is CONSISTENT.

Not only that, but each campaign is made up of mixed media to fully promote and share it. Blog

posts for example are features in weekly emails.

Another noteworthy point is that Prosperity uses interesting content and recurring themes like

‘Why X loves Monday’. Themes are highly engaging and provide a level of comfort for readers as

they can link themes – either week-to-week or via other digital marketing streams.

German Craftsmen Advertising Campaign

(http://www.globalrecruitingroundtable.com/2012/07/06/craftsmen-more-attractive-then-you-think-recruitment-

campaign/)

While this example may be contravening a number of advertising policies, it does highlight how

innovation can transform something ‘unattractive’ into something extremely ‘attractive’.

Campaign developers used their knowledge of workmen to create this idea. The campaign involved

having manual workers wear T-shirts with attractive women’s faces (on the back) while working. In

http://www.globalrecruitingroundtable.com/2012/07/06/craftsmen-more-attractive-then-you-think-recruitment-campaign/

http://www.globalrecruitingroundtable.com/2012/07/06/craftsmen-more-attractive-then-you-think-recruitment-campaign/


Page | 14

typical workman fashion (and exactly what the creators hoped for), the workmen exposed their

derrières. The ‘unexpected illusion’ was then revealed.

Reed ‘Love Mondays’

Reed Recruitment’s ‘I love Mondays’ is a themed sequence of marketing messages under one

succinct heading. The idea is based on the notion that those who dislike their jobs hate Mondays,

being the first day of the working week.

The Reed campaigns are smart, witty and informal. The radical approach is less professional and

much more human. The core message is one that is easily understood and the adverts and pages

use the distinct post-it note and ‘hand-drawn’ heart Mondays.

The power behind Reed’s campaign is a consistent message through all media forms and the

employment of a ‘fun’ side of recruitment, bucking the general consensus that recruitment should

be overly formal.


Page | 15

CPL Pub Quiz (http://www.cpl.ie/blog/post/98227099/does-your-company-have-the-most-intelligent-it-crowd)

Top marks for ‘out of the box’ thinking were given to CPL for its pub quiz event in June 2012.

Combining a charity donation, generous monetary prize and a direct invite to competitive IT

industry players, CPL used online marketing to promote an offline event.

A ‘quiz’ isn’t a new idea, but the way it was used here to target IT professionals, was.

Jameson – The Vital Ingredient Campaign (http://www.thevitalingredient.ie/)

(http://www.businessandleadership.com/marketing/item/23568-jameson-stands-out-with-gra)

When recruiting graduate staff members, Jameson sought to devise a campaign that was

challenging and engaging. The company designed a micro site called ‘The Vital Ingredient’ and

asked graduates to use a Google maps application to ‘map’ out their education, experience and

skills. Stage two required creation of a two-minute video in which applicants had to present

themselves with a view to securing a graduate role.




Page | 16

IKEA

The IKEA brand has established itself as fresh, engaging and lifestyle-orientated. The company’s

recruitment drives reflect this ethos.

This ‘Give Us Your Face’ campaign has a strong visual feel and invites potential candidates to

consider if their ‘face’ matches the Ikea brand. The text is concise and quite light-hearted.


Page | 17

The Future of Recruitment

As recruitment tools and techniques evolve what can we expect in the future?

Antonio Giliberti of Elster Metering (Water Division) UK speaks of how targeted recruitment is

becoming when using online methods “We see more online/web methods and online search and

software that will give us only the candidates that have most of the skill we need.”

Peter Cosgrove of CPL Recruitment predicts that “The candidate will search less and less, they will

be so well networked that the job will find them. A bigger shift on-line and through social media

with a change in the permanent of job opportunity. Career choice will be about flexibility rather

than permanence.”

“There is going to be an increase in people accessing job info via mobile devices and all campaigns

are going to have to take this into account” says Niall Murray of Collins McNicholas Recruitment &

HR Services Group.

“More Skype/Google+ interviews, also more video and interactive applications” - suggesting in

general, greater use and deployment of online tools and virtual recruitment techniques.


Page | 18

Considering the survey responses it certainly appears that recruitment will, in future, focus on:

Web-based platforms and tools

Job boards that inspire social engagement

Mini eco-system networking sites and blogs

Online job fairs

Social recruiting tools will become more vital when marketing a company vacancy. Tools like

Bullhorn Reach will continue to evolve, however the recruiter will need to become more Social

aware when recruiting. Blasting (or as some people would consider, ‘spamming’) prospective

candidates with ‘I’m Hiring’ updates on their LinkedIn newsfeed is not likely to gain much positive

attention.

Job Boards will continue to become more Social, encouraging sharing via Social Media and selling

the company as well as the job, plus linking to company branding videos.

Industry-specific blogs and other online platforms where a relevant “Business Community” hangs

out, will become a vital networking arena in which to be seen for recruiters.

When recruiting internationally online, job fairs will become more cost effective and relevant to

reach as many qualified candidates as possible.

More and more services will emerge, helping the less IT-aware recruiter to run specific and target

candidate searches online, e.g. http://recruitin.net/, though Boolean searching will continue to be a

vital part of a recruiter’s day in the attempt to that top candidate first.

It appears that there is likely to be a big shift in how companies, and even countries, proactively try

to attract top talent. Great jobs will continue to find people rather than people finding great jobs.

So recruiters will need to be proactive all the time.

http://recruitin.net/


Page | 19

Hitherto companies focused on recruiting for an individual job; now, however, companies have

realised that good candidates can find similar posts in many different companies and just

advertising the job itself is no longer good enough. Companies are therefore now promoting the

benefits of working in their organisation, as well as the job itself.

This is taken a step further, where initiatives like IT’s Happening Here are not only showcasing the

job vacancies and the initiative companies, but also the advantages and lifestyle their country or

area can offer a new employee. After all an IT wizard with a wife and children living in Southeast

Asia has more to consider when thinking of moving to another country, than just the job offer and

the pay. It may be schools, food, community groups and a multicultural environment that lead him

to make his final decision to take the job offered, or not.

Companies are very aware that not only do they need a location that offers them good value and a

good talent bank of staff, but that it is a location to which they can entice new talent. There are

many examples of Government organisations and companies coming together to market the social

offerings and advantages of a particular country or region.

IT’s happening Here as mentioned above, is an initiative of the Irish indigenous software sector,

supported by Enterprise Ireland, and that promotes career opportunities in Irish-owned software

companies. With over 600 companies, this dynamic sector offers exciting positions from graduate

to director level, and a unique working experience of world class knowledge, creativity, diversity,

and responsibility.

Connect Ireland – is another interesting idea which looks at power networking to attract companies

to invest and set up in Ireland.

http://www.itshappeninghere.ie/

http://www.connectireland.com/


Page | 20

It works by inviting people, who know, or learn of, a connection within a company that is planning

to expand internationally, to notify Connect Ireland. It will then work with that company to help it

locate to Ireland and, if the company does locate here and jobs are created, the originator of the

contact will receive a financial reward. This idea encourages everyone to be an ambassador for

Ireland and to promote Ireland as the perfect venue for any company contemplating setting up a

European location. View the video here - http://bit.ly/connectireland.

Connect Ireland is currently talking to over 100 companies about a potential move to Ireland.

American company, Intergeo Services was Connect Ireland’s first success story. It is establishing a

European headquarters in Carlow, creating 30 jobs. The company was persuaded to choose Ireland

over Scotland, by Mayo native Eddie Horkan who contacted a friend working at Intergeo. Read

more: http://bit.ly/carlowjobs.

Just as with IT’s happening Here, Connect Ireland could benefit significantly from improved Social

promotion to reach out to, for example, ex-pats in Singapore, Boston Sao Paulo or even Kerry who

have never heard about Connect Ireland’.

Start-Up Chile

This is a program established by the Chilean Government to attract world-class early-stage

entrepreneurs to start their businesses in Chile. The Chilean government has showcased their

country as the best venue in Latin and South America in which to set up a Technology business, due

to its advanced infrastructure and rich “human capital”. Their promotional video can be seen here -

http://bit.ly/chilestartup.

http://bit.ly/connectireland

http://bit.ly/carlowjobs

http://www.itshappeninghere.ie/

http://startupchile.org/

http://bit.ly/chilestartup


Page | 21

Over the past two years they have successfully enticed some of brightest talent from around the

world to Santiago. It has proved to be a great way to up-skill the Chilean workforce by gaining

invaluable experience working with new technologies. And when/if a business takes off, it takes off

in Chile. Could Santiago become the Digital or IT Capital of South America?

Start-Up Chile has gained impressive international recognition, having been published in Forbes,

The Economist, BusinessWeek, and TechCrunch (among many others) and has inspired spinoffs

around the world such as Startup America, Britain, Greece, and Italy. [http://startupchile.org/]

Australian Government

The Australian Government has run many good campaigns to attract talent, blending online activity

with offline trade missions and international recruitment expos.

Western Australia, for example, is pitched as a “Great Place to live, work and play”.

They not only promote their jobs, but also, for example, inexpensive housing, quality of life, natural

beauty and an excellent school and transport system. The site shows Irish and English expats talking

about the benefits of living and working in Australia. This is much more appealing than an

Australian business man trying to sell a location to a potential applicant. [http://bit.ly/WAustralia]

Another positive trend in the recruitment industry is much more social collaboration between

recruiters in house and within agencies.

Bill Boorman’s #Tru Events which are offline events that take place in cities around the

world. He hosts the event as an ‘un-conference’. The events are a gathering of minds, a

place to share experiences and opinions where the attendees lead the conversation.

Recruitingblogs.com (a social network for recruiters and HR professionals with over 32,000

members)

These are two great examples of ways recruiters are starting to collaborate and work together.

http://startupchile.org/%5d

http://bit.ly/WAustralia

http://www.recruitingblogs.com/


Page | 22

Recommendations

To address the gap between perception and reality, some recommendations arising out of the

findings of the survey, would include:

Internal

Make changes from the bottom-up. Researchers and consultants should take the initiative.

Being on the front-line gives them a chance to assess, first-hand, the impact of Social

platforms and digital media. Their findings and feedback can support management in

arriving at decisions on investing time and money in digital activities.

Watch what the leading online recruiters are doing and compare against their methods and

processes.

Use platforms such as Skype and WebEx to make regular calls. Not only are these platforms

popular, but they drive down internal call costs for the business.

Educate staff – particularly the marketing group - on Digital and Social disciplines; Boolean

searches, SEO and Social Media management all require a level of competency to exploit

successfully.

Digital and Social

Use multimedia strengths to support campaign objectives and educate those involved in

proper management of these channels.

Allow the company’s web presence to expand in an organic and viral sense, an approach

which will have the dual impact of lowering advertising costs and increasing scope.

Innovate

Think beyond the job role and consider the role in terms of ‘lifestyle’. When relocating to a

new country (or even a new location of the same country), the candidate’s process of

consideration is about more than just the job itself – it’s about the culture, the climate, the

activities on offer, the cost of living, etc.


Page | 23

Creativity is evident at every turn; take note of indirect competition and approaches in

other sectors. Use ideas observed as catalysts for creating new approaches internally.

Conclusion

The Digital Age has been with us for some time. The Social Business Model (SBM) has been

developing over the past few years and the rate of change in all sectors of business, is startling. The

recruitment sector is an example of one in which online activity is dictating the speed of that

change.

On the evidence of this survey, it appears that whilst change is being recognised, the new tools are

not yet leveraged by recruiters; for example - 85% said that blogging is important and yet only 25%

actually blog, and, of the 25% who did blog, 72% said they did not do so frequently enough.

Equally, while it is accepted fact that the Social Business Model improves innovation and efficiency,

a commitment to change is still not evident.

The biggest challenge faced by recruiters is that of filling their quotas - particularly in the Top Tier

Talent sector.

And where are such Top Tier (‘Digital Natives’) people most likely to be found?

Online, of course.

So one wonders why the apparent lack of eagerness to embrace the online space?

The jobs boards are major players in the recruitment market, but they should be supplemented

with a well-thought-out and researched strategy, based around unique/dynamic content creation

and delivery value.

More and more recruitment innovations will emerge in the online space. The CPL Pub Quiz is an

example of thinking outside the box, a traditional idea which works really well in the online space.


Page | 24

The growth in mobile devices will mean that people will have access to information 24/7; the

recruitment industry and in-house recruiters will have to accept and embrace this change or be left

behind.


Page | 25

Contact The Ahain Group:

[email protected]

Unit B1 | Fota Point Enterprise Park | Carrigtwohill | Cork

http://www.facebook.com/AhainGroup https://twitter.com/AhainGroup http://www.linkedin.com/company/Ahain-Group

Contact the Digital Marketing Institute

www.digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/contact-us

93 Upper Georges St | Dun Laoghaire| Dublin

http://www.facebook.com/DigitalMarketingInstitute https://twitter.com/dmigroup http://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-marketing-institute

If you would like to talk further about this report or if you would like The Ahain Group to help you along this path please feel free to contact us.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.facebook.com/AhainGroup

https://twitter.com/AhainGroup

http://www.linkedin.com/company/Ahain-Group

http://www.digitalmarketinginstitute.ie/contact-us

http://www.facebook.com/DigitalMarketingInstitute

https://twitter.com/dmigroup

http://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-marketing-institute


Page | 26

Survey Response Charts – Key Items Appendix 1


Page | 27


Page | 28


Page | 29


Page | 30


Page | 31

attracting top tier talent, social recruiting, digital economy report

Technology

innovative case studies

cpl pub quiz

attract top talent

love mondays

social media

top tier

australian government

online marketing