Convincing a Recruiter to Use Web 2.0: Guest Post by Heather Johnson

Convincing a Recruiter to Use Web 2.0

Guest Post by Heather Johnson on Recruiters and Use of Web 2.0. My thanks to Heather for this interesting contribution!


Despite the recent explosion of both Facebook and LinkedIn among professionals worldwide, it seems that most recruiters are still reluctant to get on board with new media. A recent report from Cranfield School of Management shows that only 10% of the 582 recruiters polled actually use social networking sites and even less use other forms of Web 2.0, such as blogs or videos.

According to Emma Parry, a researcher behind this study:

One of the reasons why social networks have been slow to take off as a recruitment tool might be because recruiters do not consider them a credible way to communicate, despite the fact that large numbers of their target labor market use them regularly.

Recruiters may be missing a trick by not adopting Web 2.0 technology. They need to engage with job seekers to encourage them to apply for jobs. Text-heavy recruitment pages with no interactivity will not win the hearts and minds of the Web 2.0 generation.


Indeed, the Internet seems to hold the key to finding great personnel. So, how does one convince a reluctant recruiter to harness its power? Below are five reasons for using Web 2.0 tools to find suitable candidates for a position.

1. New graduates use Web 2.0 every day for both social and professional networking. It is the best way to find young upstarts.

2. Finding candidates from the comfort of your chair beats hanging out in a boring job fair any day.

3. There is no faster way to gain access to thousands of resumes at once.

4. Using the Internet to find candidates costs little to money at all.

5. Millions of people search for jobs on the Internet, which is far more than you can reach through more traditional means of recruiting.

If the reasons above don't convince a recruiter to give Web 2.0 a shot, I don't know what will. Modern online tools can actually make a recruiter's job easier, more efficient and it saves a lot of money. Like any new technology, it will take a while for the old guard to catch on. However, recruiters could improve their work overnight by doing something as simple as starting a LinkedIn account.

This article is contributed by Heather Johnson, who regularly writes on the topic of job descriptions. She invites your questions and writing job opportunities at her personal email address: heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com.