How LinkedIn do you need to be?
FROM MARCH 2016's RECRUITER MAGAZINE
It’s important not to stick to one social media channelFor companies and candidates alike, LinkedIn has long since been the place to be for all things recruitment related. Candidates can upload their CVs; companies can advertise jobs. For a long time it appeared to be the perfect professional networking ecosystem. But as we move through 2016, there are rumblings that the business-specific social network could be running past its sell-by date.
A fascinating article by Matt Churchward (‘The Last Word: Can’t see the blog for the trees’) appeared in December’s issue of Recruiter. In it, he argued that LinkedIn was in danger of falling victim to ‘information overload’ and asked the question: when does information become too much information? And he’s not alone. Throughout 2015 analysts began to ask questions about LinkedIn, sparked by a low share price and rumours of a ‘Facebook at Work’ spin-off on the horizon. So in 2016, just how LinkedIn do you need to be to find online success in the recruitment market?
You absolutely, 100% need to be on LinkedIn
With over 400m global users, LinkedIn is now over 12 years old. It pre-dates Facebook, and in the words of TechRepublic has ‘become the de facto tool for professional networking’. It can also be a great tool for candidates seeking to cast themselves in the spotlight. Even if they are still working with traditional CVs (and we recommend they do) it is beneficial to be able to view a LinkedIn profile alongside it, if only to see how the public stacks up against the personal.
But, like all things, do it in moderation
Where candidates and companies go wrong on LinkedIn is that they expect too much from it, or they place too much emphasis on the platform. Because LinkedIn’s range of products and services has grown dramatically in recent years (blogging, news, timeline) there is a temptation to use it in a way more akin to Facebook, and this is problematic. Endless blog posts, inspirational quotes, individual and company level self-promotion and constant ‘connecting’ could actually be deemed over-exposure and do your brand more harm than good.
Candidates are now also catching onto the fact other routes to market are available to them, such as going direct to online jobs boards or recruitment company sites. Since the invention of LinkedIn, other social media sites have developed to make online networking much more informal and organic, and increasingly platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram can be useful in the search for fresh candidates.
From content to conversation
Over the years LinkedIn has itself set new standards in online networking, forcing many other sites and indeed recruitment professionals themselves to improve their service. Its aesthetically pleasing layout and front-end content management system make it a dream to use. The concept has revolutionised the way business people network, and it remains a particularly useful — and important — tool for the recruitment sector.
But with social networking developing and the pool of online platforms growing, recruiters and candidates alike are finding new ways to connect. As content turns into conversation online, the business-specific platform is in danger of getting stuck in an age of broadcast media, noise and self-promotion. Yes, it’s important to be linked in during 2016. But be linked in across the entire web, not only on this single channel.
Nanci Stanger is managing director of Stanger Kirkwood, a recruitment firm specialising in the welfare-to-work and skills training arenas.
