Facebook is the future for recruitment

Published on Thursday 12 June 2008 21:39

SCOTTISH financial services companies will today be urged to use Facebook and other social networking websites to attract top talent.

Albert Ellis, chief executive of Harvey Nash, the global recruitment company, will tell a Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE) business briefing that American firms – and some UK companies – are already using Facebook to reach "Generation Y", people born between 1982 and 1997.

Ellis told The Scotsman: "Generation Y is looking to social networking sites for the information we would traditionally have trusted corporate communications departments to supply.

"Companies meanwhile are looking at Facebook as a way of spreading messages but they have to do it in a credible way."

He added: "Young people don't want the traditional marketing or advertising approach. It's got to be softer. It can't be seen to be written by your PR department.

"If your company has a Facebook site set up by disgruntled former employees then you have to be able to cope with that.

"You have to treat social networking with respect and be a little tolerant of free speech while trying to get your softer message across. Try not to overdo 'hipness' and 'coolness'."

A recent US student survey showed that 97 per cent of Generation Y owned a computer, 94 per cent owned a mobile, 75 per cent had a Facebook account and 44 per cent read online blogs.

Since it was founded in 2004, Facebook has attracted more than 40 million active members and has become the world's sixth most visited website.

Harvey Nash last year helped T-Mobile to run its graduate recruitment programme through Facebook.

Ellis maintained that Generation Y is using social networking sites to find out what companies are really like to work for, by talking to their employees.

He said young people were also seeking advice about careers from online friends, rather than pursuing the traditional route of asking parents.

Owen Kelly, SFE's chief executive, said: "This is yet another example of how the internet is changing the way we do even the most basic things.

"Use of social networking sites is becoming the norm for many, and they can directly influence users' attitudes to almost everything, including careers.

"In our industry – where the potential for recruiting from around the globe is high – making more use of the internet is a great way to get messages out about the advantages of working in Scotland."

Ellis will also tell the SFE audience about "Generation A", the growing, aspirational middle classes in emerging markets in Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Ellis said: "Generation A is the 400 million economical active Asians who are pushing up world energy and good costs."

Dipping her toe in the network water

REBECCA Davies is already getting to grips with the new technologies such as social networking websites.

Davies, who founded Cuthbert Recruitment back in 1999, has "dipped her toe in the water", using Facebook and other social networking websites to expand her business through franchising.

Cuthbert Recruitment is growing from its traditional base within the legal sector to include other professionals, such as those working in the property and charity sectors.

"I've been using Facebook to attract franchisees," Davies explained. "I put a business profile on the site and also used it to advertise specific jobs to generate inquiries.

"I've had a few but it's not been a massive success.

"I also posted news about an event we were holding – that didn't work, probably because Facebook isn't being used that much in Scotland for business."

Davies said she expected Facebook to become more useful as more people signed-up to it.

Davies added that she had enjoyed more success with dedicated business networking websites – such as LinkedIn and Ecademy – through which she was "getting quite a few inquiries".