How Are Job Seekers Using Social Media?

April 14, 2016

 

iCIMS Staff

2 min read

There is a ton of research out there about how and why HR professionals should be using social media to recruit top talent. But to make sure you are getting the most ROI from this tactic, you must understand how job seekers are using social media to find and apply to jobs.

Here are the top two ways job seekers are using social media:

1.  To Apply to Jobs

iCIMS’ Applicant Tracking System offers a Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) system feature that allows candidates to quickly create their profiles from information in their LinkedIn, Google+, and Facebook social media accounts. Their name, contact information, education, and employment history is parsed into the system to save help save time. To gauge the role of social networks such as LinkedIn, Google+, and Facebook in the job application process, we looked at our system data on the number of applications submitted through these social networks in each quarter of 2015. In 2015, about 3.3 million applications were submitted via a social network. About 62 percent of applications submitted via a social network were submitted via profiles from LinkedIn, 22 percent via Google, and 17 percent via Facebook.

Which industries were leading the pack in using social apply technology in 2015?

Candidates applying to these industries most frequently used their social profiles, compared to traditional job application methods:

• Information
•  Construction
• Leisure and hospitality industries

Candidates in these industries showed lower social media adoption in the job application process:

• Education and health services
• Public administration
• Financial activities

By allowing job seekers to apply with their LinkedIn, Google+, or Facebook accounts, companies can offer candidates a quick and easy way to express interest in open jobs – protecting recruitment investments and boosting the candidate experience and talent pipeline.

2.  To Research Employers and Jobs

Social media has become an important tool for today’s job seekers especially when it comes to researching a company and looking for job postings. Job seekers are also using social media to research companies and look for open jobs, not just to apply for jobs they already know about. According to a 2015 iCIMS survey, 57 percent of job seekers said that they used social media at least once a month to learn more about potential employers.

According to a 2015 study by Pew Research, 65 percent of Americans now use social media platforms, and for many users, these sites offer a venue for highlighting professional accomplishments to prospective employers, finding jobs through one’s networks and alerting friends to available employment opportunities.

Younger social media users are especially active when it comes to using social media for job searching activities: about 43 percent of social media users between the ages of 19 and 29 used social media to look for or research a job compared to only 24 percent of social media users aged 50 or older.

To learn more, click here to read the full iCIMS eBook Job Seekers Get Social.