“Social networking technology is absolutely the best thing to happen to recruiting — ever.” That quote comes from Maureen Crawford-Hentz, a recruiter for Osram Sylvania, in an NPR article by Frank Langfitt (“Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting”) . But do all recruiters share the same sentiment?

LinkedIn certainly holds value for job seekers as an important networking tool, but are organizations able to harness it's power to effectively recruit top talent? Let's look at a few of the ways that LinkedIn can be used as a recruiting tool…

Referrals
Through a network of contacts in LinkedIn, employers and recruiters are able to ask for referrals for job openings or make contacts for harder-to-fill positions. In fact, one of LinkedIn's “Success Stories” features Sasha Strauss, CEO of Innovation Partners, who used LinkedIn to hire everyone in his agency. Rollover to watch his video .

LinkedIn Talent Advantage
LinkedIn has, within the last month, updated it's recruiting platform, Talent Advantage. Included in this platform are several solutions for employers:

• Recruiter allows organizations to find and engage passive candidates through search and communication tools.
• Talent Direct allows users to find and contact thousands of potential candidates in an attempt to quickly fill open positions.
• The Talent Advantage suite also includes a job board and employer advertising that allows users to purchase space on a job board advertising open positions.
• For more information about these services, visit LinkedIn Talent Advantage .

I'm on Linked In…Now What?
LinkedIn might be able to capture and engage candidates comfortable with using a social media platform, but what about those who aren't? An interesting sentiment among many people seems to be “I'm on LinkedIn, now what?” – in fact, there's a blog by that same name dedicated to moving people beyond that disposition. This group of people has simply accepted an invitation from a friend or colleague, perhaps set up a simple profile, and for the most part, let their account remain stagnant.

The problem that arises here is that recruiters may waste significant time searching for candidates whose profiles haven't been updated in months, or whose profiles contain little to no information. Example: A job seeker could use LinkedIn while searching for jobs, but if they neglect to update their profile once they've found a job then they still appear to be available to potential employers.

So is it Worth it?
This question might be best answered by looking at the culture of your workplace and hiring practices. If the candidates you're going after are savvy to social networking or you have a signficant network through which you can garner referrals, it just might work. For most, it seems as if LinkedIn is just part of an effective recruiting strategy. Traditional recruiting methods have certainly not disappeared.

Try using LinkedIn as a good way to make initial contact. Microsoft recruiter Shally Steckerl says using LinkedIn “he can scout a group of job candidates in just half-an-hour… But if he wants to develop a relationship with any of them, he says there is no substitute for a much older social networking tool: the telephone.” (“ Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting “)

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