Social Media for HR: How Sulekha.com uses it
Posted on September 4, 2007
Filed Under Tech for HR, Interviews / Leaders, Social Networking / Media |
TechGazing loves to talk to managers, across all functions, on how they get technology to work for them. Satya Prabhakar, Founder & CEO of Sulekha.com, spoke to us on how social media addresses some of their recruitment needs.
Do you use any social networking sites like LinkedIn, Ryze, Facebook etc to spot candidates? If yes, how important is this tool for you?
Such websites and blogs are surely emerging as one of the most commonly used tools by recruiters to conduct background checks and gain a sense of a job seeker’s character .This practice is very prevalent in the west. Business networking websites like Ryze have certainly helped in spotting candidates through referrals since it forms a trusted network of professionals.
In India, social networking websites are primarily used to meet old friends and to find new ones. Sulekha.com, being a community portal itself, has been good identify candidates in the non-IT space like content writers. We do see ourselves graduating to using social media sites in the near future. Right now it’s more in an exploratory stage .
Do you use social media and other sites to look up public profiles of candidates for background checks? If yes, how significant is this for you?
Credibility will always be an issue in collating data solely based on the information from these sites. At Sulekha.com we generally don’t use these sites and depend more on conventional methodologies like cross-referral checks. But there are always exceptions and in certain cases we have utilized these sites for obtaining specific details on candidates.
What kind of positions are these sites more suitable for?
Social Networking sites pre-dominantly attract youngsters from their early-20s to mid-30s. By that yardstick, candidates looking at mid management job roles will be the target audience. As far as job verticals are concerned, we can use these to seek candidates across of wide range covering IT, manufacturing, marketing, communication and more.
What benefits would you derive from using these services: cost and time saving, efficiencies in operations etc.?
Apart from time, cost and efficacy benefits, the user added content in the form of things like tagging, user annotations and recorded user behavior aid the recruiter in mapping out the character of the candidate more thoroughly. Their general interests, hobbies, family background and schools and colleges studied in also give the recruiter an idea about their personality. However, these parameters are highly dependent on the maturity and credibility of the social networking site one is exploring.
How do you potential candidates react when they get approached through such media, especially when they may not be actively looking for a change?
Undoubtedly, the informal and friendlier environment will act as a positive catalyst for a candidate. They would be far more relaxed and stress free during their interactions, and could give them a much needed objectivity and clarity in making employment choices.
What are the concerns when using these sites for recruitment?
This kind of approach to recruitment requires very distinct parameters while mapping out the profile of the candidate. With credibility of the information being a concern, one needs to take very stringent measures to plug in the loopholes. As of now, we use these methods very moderately and need to carry out a more in-depth analysis of its utility before embarking on such a path.
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Hi Ajay,
Social Networking and Blogging has still long way to go in case of India.
It can be good source of recruiting but then poeple still dont have faith in this.
The users itself dont provide thier whole information and we cant be sure that the person who is very good at expressing themselve in virtual world can also be expressive in real sense.
And, many times it has been seen that people who are shy in nature and has difficulty in mixing up with people, have very different image virtually.
So, it needs lot sof efforts and inputs to recruit person by just seeing his blog or virtual profile.