USING RECRUITERS & SOCIAL MEDIA TO GROW YOUR CAREER

Demand for talent is high across all sectors and all companies seem to be facing the same challenge: finding the right people.

The tide has turned, in the past, companies were often drowned with applicants for open positions, however today, candidates seemingly have the power and are receiving more and more approaches regarding roles. Finding suitable professionals is increasingly like finding a needle in a haystack, the market is becoming increasingly more passive and finding quality talent, actually looking for a new role is becoming more and more difficult.

The developments in technology may be to blame for this shift in the market, but it also offers a solution. Individuals with a convincing online presence allow recruiters to approach candidates regarding roles that will be of genuine interest. This will result in candidates not receiving a load or irrelevant messages or calls about job opportunities, but what they will receive, is tailored messages which should be of real interest.

According to the monster study “Recruiting Trends 2017“, half of the 1,000 largest companies have problems filling vacancies. “In the meantime, well-trained candidates are considering whether they are still actively applying or simply waiting until they are found and receive an offer,” says Otto staffer Malte Balmer. Therefore, new game rules apply. Instead of “Post and Pray”, i.e. to place ads and pray for a suitable candidate to respond, recruiters need to be more active. We at Foundation Recruitment work hard mapping the market, talking to relevant professionals and finding candidates that are quality, open to new opportunities and match them to our client’s roles. The cost of a bad hire can be detrimental to business so it is crucial recruitment is done right.

We use a range of sources including social media and job boards, in addition to networking events, advertisements, campaigns and content. As said above, time and resource need to be invested in, in order to find the right candidate that not only fits the requirements but also fits the culture, has the needed experience and the right attitude to succeed in the role and be a success for the client. “The last 15 years have seen a reverse of the power balance in the job market, now it says: The candidate is king,” said Professor Tim Weitzel from the Chair of Business Information Systems at the University of Bamberg and head of the Monster Study. Using a recruitment business is a great way to benefit from costly resources, time and get access to a quality pool of individuals which in today’s market, with the new ‘passive candidate market’, is hard to do, quickly especially when the need for a recruit is urgent.

If you are interested in hearing about new opportunities, use business networks to assist recruiters, like us, find you and keep you appraised with relevant opportunities.

XING

Focus: Business network for German-speaking countries

Members: Around 10 million users in Germany

This is how you become visible: Go to the profile page by clicking on the small profile photo in the left navigation. On the right-hand side, move the mouse over the name and click on the appearing pencil symbol. It opens the “professional plug-in”. Under “Occupational status” select that you are “looking for work” and save this change. It is also worth selecting “My profile can be found in search engines”. The “Pro Jobs” payment option (surcharge on the membership fee of 10 euros per year) makes it possible to visualize career wishes on your profile for a selected group of users.

LinkedIn

Focus: business network with international orientation

Members: More than 460 million users worldwide (around ten million users in Germany)

This is how you get visible: On your personal page under “Public profile settings” on the right-hand there is the title “Edit public profile” and a subheading of “Customize public profile”. Here you can choose what parts of your profile are visible and who can see (either just your connections, your network, Linked members or public). If you select public, the profile is then found through search engines.

Stack Overflow

Focus: Online community on which IT specialists can profile themselves

Users: Around 11,000 users in Germany, 8 million worldwide

This is how you become visible: Users deposit their profile with their abilities and state in the job status whether they are looking for a role and whether they want to be contacted regarding relevant roles.

“Anyone who leaves their digital footprint on the internet automatically becomes a potential candidate,” explains Leila Summa, Xing’s Digital Expert. It is therefore important that the information in the profiles is complete and up-to-date. First of all, this requires a professional image, as Barbara Wittmann, Director of Recruitment Solutions and Member of the Management Board Germany, Austria and Switzerland at LinkedIn, has found profiles with a photo are clicked 21 times more often as profiles without a picture.

The five career killers in online business profiles

Leisure Photos

Holiday photos or party pictures are out of place. The profile should leave the same impression as one would like to be perceived at work or in an interview. Search yourself on Google and see what you find – it is important to make sure all ‘friend/family’ focused social media accounts such as Facebook and Instagram are private.

Incomplete CV

The curriculum vitae should be complete and up-to-date and match your online presence – profiles in multiple networks should be the same, so do not use different interests or job titles.

Spelling and grammatical errors

This leaves an unprofessional impression and demonstrates sloppiness and a lack of attention to detail.

Unclear objectives

General statements like “I’m looking for a new career challenge” don’t work. It is better to name an exact goal with a specific area of responsibility – and to stand out and show your true interest in a role, this should be connected with the employer or role at hand.

Inappropriate comments

Anyone who talks about extravagant parties, expresses extreme views on political or religious topics or even talks about other people, leaves an unprofessional impression.

Candidates should keep their profiles authentic and up-to-date, stating exactly what they have done so far and briefly introduce their own projects. You should also describe future goals because employers are not only looking for people who have an impressive history, but those who make clear where they want to develop professionally and personally.

Self-marketing and a strong online presence are very important, and if you do this strategically, you allow recruiters like us to find you and assist in helping you land your next career move.