Social media is such a ubiquitous aspect of modern life that no successful business can afford to ignore it. Here in the states well over 80% of the population has a social media profile of some sort or another. As a result, U.S. companies are increasingly active on social media, too, with almost 90% of such businesses expressly using social media for marketing purposes. These statistics demonstrate just how invaluable social media is to both employers and jobseekers, but they also underscore why it is so important in the modern age to work with a contract recruiting firm for the engineering industry.
A survey of jobseekers found that most of them checked out the social media accounts and websites of any potential employers prior to applying for a position. This sort of preemptive online research goes both ways, too, with some employers going so far as to be less likely to hire a prospective employee if he or she does not have a social media account. Considering that the vast majority of prospective employees are using social media—and considering that companies are leveraging the same sorts of social media to market their businesses—some employers may assume it is sufficient to merely have a web presence in order to attract the top talent in the field. It might also be assumed that participating in social media could be a shortcut to solving staffing problems. After all, in a world where everyone is already connected, it should be easy to connect with the right people.
Unfortunately, these assumptions are slightly off base, as studies have shown that social media presence is not in and of itself sufficient for jobseekers to land great positions or for employers to secure the best candidates. That’s because social media is really just another means for businesses to access a large pool of potential applicants. This certainly helps advertise any given job opening in your engineering department, for example, but at its heart, marketing on social media in 2017 is fundamentally the same as taking out a classified ad in a newspaper in 1987: you will be inundated with hundreds if not thousands of applicants that you will then have to wade through. The only difference is that nowadays, they will be cluttering up your direct message box on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.
The situation isn’t much better for qualified job seekers. They may spy a position that lines up perfectly with their skillset and experience, but submitting a resume via social media feels no different than sending an unsolicited email to a human resources account. It is inevitable that many deserving candidates simply get lost in the shuffle.
That’s why social media hasn’t actually altered how businesses connect with jobseekers, and why a dependable recruiting firm in Kansas City remains essential for both potential employers and potential employees. For job seekers, a reputable recruiting firm has solid contacts with top employers in the Kansas City area. For employers, such a recruiting firm does all of the work for you, vetting and screening candidates, and even making sure they fit the culture of your company.
Austin Nichols Technical Search is the foremost professional direct hire and contract recruiting firm in Kansas City. Since 1988 we have specialized in the engineering, manufacturing, and technical fields, and our expert recruiters have the top talent in the industry waiting to go to work for you today.
