Survey Finds Over 90% of Employers Will Use Social Recruiting in 2012

13 Jul Survey Finds Over 90% of Employers Will Use Social Recruiting in 2012

2/3 of Companies Now Recruit via Facebook, Over Half Use Twitter and Almost All Use LinkedIn

Jobvite, the leading recruitment platform for the social Web, today announced the results of its annual Social Recruiting Survey. The data reveals social recruiting has become an essential HR practice, with 92% of U.S. companies using social networks and media to find talent in 2012, up from 78% five years ago. LinkedIn continues to be a dominant recruiting network, while Facebook and Twitter have seen major adoption growth in the past year. 2/3 of companies now recruit through Facebook and more than half (54%) use Twitter to find new talent. Jobvite also found that employers scrutinize social media activity, noting more than half of respondents would have a negative reaction to seeing a spelling or grammar mistake in a social profile. Overall, social recruiting has become an essential resource in the war for talent as competition is fiercer than ever — 89% of companies report plans to increase hiring this year.

Conducted in June, Jobvite’s Social Recruiting Survey 2012 polled more than 1,000 human resources and recruitment professionals on their social recruiting activities and intentions. Now in its fifth year, the survey has revealed social recruiting usage trends since 2008, providing insights into how popular it has become, who is using it effectively and the results social recruiting produces.

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Social recruiting has moved from a trend, to a necessity with 92% of employers using or planning to use social recruiting in 2012. No longer exclusive to LinkedIn, all social networks are now fair recruiting game.

• 2/3 of recruiters use Facebook to find new talent, a growing trend since Facebook saw the biggest gain in usage, jumping 11 points from last year to 66% in 2012.
• For the first time, more than half (54%) of recruiters now use Twitter for their talent search, revealing the importance of watching what you tweet.
• LinkedIn remains the dominant recruiting network, used by 93% of respondents. (87% in 2011 and 78% in 2010).
• 71% of HR and recruiting professionals consider themselves moderate to exceptional social recruiters.

Employers like Professional Organizations but Frown on Drinking and Bad Grammar
Nearly 3 out of 4 hiring managers and recruiters check candidates’ social profiles — 48% always do so, even if they are not provided. New to the 2012 Social Recruiting Survey, Jobvite asked for their reactions to various types of profile content to see what recruiters like and don’t like to see.