Survey: Hiring Managers Turning to Online Networking Sites

By Reinhardt, Eric

Resume. Cover letter. LinkedIn.

The first two are the traditional methods by which candidates present themselves to employers. The third, a business-oriented social networking site, is another, newer way that job seekers and employers are connecting.

That’s according to a new survey from Robert Half International (RIB), a New York City-based professional staffing and consulting firm with seven professional staffing divisions.

The divisions include Accountemps, which specializes in placing accounting and financial professionals with temporary opportunities, and OfficeTeam, which seeks temporary placement for highly skilled, administrative support.

ICR, a Media, Pa.-based independent market research office, conducted the survey.

The poll is based on interviews with 150 senior executives from the nation’s 1,000 largest companies. Executives were asked which technology tools they believed will be most useful in their firms’ recruiting efforts in the next three years. More than one response was permitted.

The responses indicate 62 percent would turn to professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, and 35 percent would refer to social networking sites, like Facebook or MySpace.

Nearly nine of every 10 people in the United States are using social networking sites, and data collected for a consumer online study indicates that number appears to be growing, says Colleen Accetta, branch manager for Robert Half Finance & Accounting in Albany, a division of Robert Half International that specializes in placing finance and accounting professionals with full-time opportunities.

“So, it really starts to make sense that more professionals are going to participate in that social networking,” says Accetta.

She says as of March 2008, LinkedIn posted more than 20 million users, and that kind of online traffic makes it an attractive site.

Joy Rinaldi, manager of Robert Half International’s Syracuse branch office – located at 500 Plum St. – which includes Accountemps and OfficeTeam, wasn’t really surprised by the numbers because she says, in recruitment, it’s all about networking.

“I think in this business everybody’s a potential candidate or a client because I think everybody kind of wants to hear what the next opportunity could be for them, so I guess everybody’s kind of a passive candidate or client in my mind,” says Rinaldi.

Rinaldi believes people should always listen to what friends, family, or business contacts say about potential opportunities for employment, because even if they aren’t interested, they might have a friend or family member who is.

Accetta says employers need to maximize everything they’re doing to look for qualified employees, but she also believes online networking should be just one piece in a hiring manager’s toolbox.

“It can’t replace the personal touch, obviously. It can’t replace the traditional hiring process but it certainly opens the field for you to include employee referrals, working with specialized recruiting firms, just casting a wider net I believe,” says Accetta.

Rinaldi agrees, saying online networks can be a valuable tool, but shouldn’t be relied upon for someone’s recruitment effort.

“The one thing that I think people can miss out on is that personal interaction and anybody who’s in a hiring, decision-making capacity really knows that. Meeting somebody can sometimes make or break it,” says Rinaldi.

Besides the online networking sites, 20 percent would be using video resumes, 15 percent wouldn’t use any of the aforementioned methods, 10 percent didn’t know what they’d use, and 7 percent would use Web site Second Life – a 3D virtual world where users can socialize, connect, and create using voice and text chat.

Accetta says she’s worked in the staffing industry for six years and has noticed a trend in the last two years.

“We’ve been in a candidate-driven market, which means that there has been a slight shortage on candidates seeking positions, so it just increased our job to find the best talent,” says Accetta.

As for online etiquette, Rinaldi believes candidates should be careful when using a site like LinkedIn and should use it the same way they would as if they were handing an actual resume.

“I think candidates need to realize that employers, hiring managers actually do use that as a profile, so they should actually make sure that their right image is being displayed,” says Rinaldi.

Accetta says companies should research a network thoroughly before joining it, including all the ways it can be used, the privacy policy, and the way the company will look in a profile. For candidates, Accetta recommends crafting their profile carefully and not posting anything they wouldn’t want an employer to see. She also says candidates need to build their contact list and continue networking even when they’ve landed a job.

Founded in 1948, RHI has approximately 12,000 employees worldwide with more than 360 staffing locations in North America, South America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. The company wouldn’t reveal the number of employees at its branches in Syracuse and Albany or the 2007 annual revenue figures for those branches.

Its Web site says AM’s annual revenue for 2007 was $4.65 billion, with $296.2 million in net income for 2007.

Copyright Central New York Business Journal May 16, 2008

(c) 2008 Business Journal – Central New York, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.