The concept of using electronic social media such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other internet networking sites for recruitment is a growing worldwide trend, says Nritika Singh, MD of Isilumko Staffing, South Africa.

She adds that the extraordinary popularity of Facebook, for example, has created a revolution in social networking, and its use is quickly expanding to supplement business functions such as brand building and recruitment.

Singh says, “We have seen a swing away from traditional print media advertising because it is more costly and has a slower response time than electronic media, which now expands to electronic social media.

“The ability of this new generation networking tool means that users can share quality content and information more rapidly and effectively than any other medium.”

When one is looking at recruitment methods today, you have to use the latest technology to supplement existing tried and tested models.

For example make the most of the interactive nature of social media, where their sites are rich, interactive, have the potential to discover new talent, can be short or long term, have a focus on the company showcased and career destination, a closer match between candidate and prospective employer and saves the recruitment company and their clients time and money.

One can also use social networks as a sourcing tool to reach passive candidates and for hard to fill positions. This does not mean that the current or traditional model does not work and should be discarded. Recruiters should use the methods that suit their business best, incorporating all the advantages of available media.

One of the advantages of the new social recruiting model is the way in which it flips the communication from a push to a pull system.

In the traditional model advertisers tend to force people to take notice of their communication message by paying for media space, often reaching a large audience, some of whom have little or no interest in the content.

The pull method, which is evident in the social media model, connects with people to share the communication message, while you could reach a more targeted or niche audience, meaning the message has more relevance for the receiver.

The success of Facebook has been phenomenal. With more than 200 million active users globally, this social utility helps connect people with friends, colleagues and others who may work, study or live in their environment.

Blogs can be another useful recruitment tool by building relationships with potential new candidates and clients. It can provide a source of valuable information both industry and company specific, promote working through a recruitment company, featuring various divisions and highlight key vacancies.

But most importantly, it allows readers to offer opinions and give feedback. This is essential to create that two way conversation to build customer loyalty and have an accountable and strong brand.

Steve Katz, HR and Legal Director of Isilumko Staffing, says, “The use of the social media has grown rapidly, and recruiters need to be mindful of this and use it where appropriate.

“Isilumko Staffing is effectively using this recruitment medium and we have experienced first-hand its success in recruiting for certain industries, however, we must add a caution that this is not a one-size-fits all medium. We plan to have our own news blog up and running within the next quarter.”

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