LinkedIn took the recruiting world by storm not too long ago. This user-friendly, massive network of talent has become an indispensable tool for hiring professionals, but some of us have gotten a little LinkedIn-happy, and it has lead to a sort of too big for their britches scenario in hiring. What I mean is many employers are buying into the idea that LinkedIn, or other web-based products and services like job boards are enough to take over the job of recruiting experts, and that simply is not the case. Business Insider author and former recruiter, Vivian Giang said:
“The internet has changed the way a lot of markets work, because everyone can now be their own “gatekeeper” in a sense. Everyone is an expert because they have all the information available at their fingertips, hence there’s no need to pay someone else a handsome fee to do the research for you. In other words, the middlemen — headhunters — have been cut out.”
Recruitment: A Dying Profession?!
So let’s talk about this notion that recruitment as a profession is dying.
If anything, recruiters are now in greater demand. With 52% of companies listing hiring and retaining talent as their top business challenge, the role of recruiters is becoming even more vital. The question still remains though: Can LinkedIn actually replace recruiters? Nope, and here’s why…
LinkedIn Has Not Yet Become Self Aware
What I mean is that web-based services can’t offer the level of personality and care that a recruiter can bring to the hiring experience. The hiring experience can make or break a relationship, regardless of whether or not the candidate becomes a hire. In fact, 90% of candidates who were treated with courtesy and a personal touch would encourage others to join the company in the future.
The role of a recruiter is not what it used to be. Job seekers are expecting a lot more now, and recruiters have become experts in delivering. Recruiters understand the importance of constantly having a finger on the pulse of job seeker needs. For instance a recruiter would know well-informed candidates have a 35% lower dissatisfaction rate, or that 34% of job candidates strongly agreed that their experience during the hiring process –whether positive or negative –affected their decision to accept a position.
Consider The Following:
If you truly believe that matching skill sets with job requirements is enough to successfully hire, then by all means give it a whirl, but first please consider the following:
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89% of hiring failures are a result of poor cultural fit and the average cost of replacing an employee in a mid-range position can be about 20% of the annual salary. For example, the cost to replace a $40,000 per year manager would be $8,000. So how solid are your cultural assessment tools, background and experience?
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Human capital is commonly known as any organization’s most valuable asset. Additionally, payroll will almost always be the highest expense in any given organization, but sure, LinkedIn will do…
Ultimately, the ‘I can just recruit’ attitude will result in a biting off more than you can chew outcome. Recruiters have experience, industry knowledge and connections that are very specific to their professional success. You could also learn to code or how to analyze data, but odds are a professional would do a much better job. In conclusion, recruiters are on the way up, not out.
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