Communications of the ACM
Seeking Great Candidates Online
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While most companies would prefer to make hires through employee referrals, it can be difficult to elicit employee referrals on a large enough scale, according to Auren Hoffman, CEO of Rapleaf. Hoffman provides some tips for using the Web and social media to find and recruit passive job seekers. Instead of only relying on employee referrals and active job seekers, companies should spend more time identifying, nurturing and recruiting passive candidates. While these candidates might not have the same qualifications as employee referrals, they can be found more easily. In a best case scenario, says Hoffman, organizations will be able to transform their applicant mix to 30 percent active job seekers, 60 percent passive job seekers and 10 percent referrals.
Companies can seek out talented candidates on sites such as LinkedIn, XING, and other professional social networks. These sites house millions of passive candidates and include tools that let would-be employers search for candidates by geography, skills, interests, and a host of other criteria. It may be time-consuming to message each person you consider a good candidate, but it is among the most effective strategies. Instead of posting a job announcement that will only get read by active job seekers, companies can try to find passive candidates while they are surfing the Web through keyword advertisements. By purchasing ads that will appear when people search for keywords associated with a certain technical skill, a company can find qualified candidates.
From Business Week
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