Recruiting top talent has always been challenging for organizations, especially in a highly competitive job market. One of the most significant changes in recent years has been the shift towards social media recruitment.

In today’s digital age, social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. It’s no surprise, then, that social media has also become an essential tool for recruiters looking to source and attract top talent. 

Social media platforms have become a powerful tool for recruiters to source and engage with potential candidates. In fact, social media recruitment has become so popular that it’s now considered a standard practice for most organizations.

Social media recruitment stats can show how recruiters attract talents and how candidates can position themselves for opportunities as the market develops.

In this article, we will delve into some of the latest social media recruitment stats and how they shape the future of employers and job seekers.

  • 84% of brands and companies use social media recruitment.
  • 91% of all recruiters use social media as part of their hiring process.
  • 81% of medium-sized companies use LinkedIn as a social media application.
  • 90% of recruiters and employers factor a candidate’s social media accounts into their hiring decisions.
  • 91% of freelancers, 74% of full-time employees, and 70% of contractors search for work on social media.
  • 79% of people looking for jobs have used social media in their job search processes.
  • One out of 10 people uses social media to create posts they think will attract recruiters.
  • Forty million people search for jobs weekly on LinkedIn.

Hiring on social media

While job postings on traditional job boards and company websites still play a vital role in the recruitment process, social media provides employers and candidates with more unique opportunities.

Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter offer information about top talents and hiring organizations. Not only does it connect the employers with the talents, but it helps bring all the necessary details together and presents them to everyone without even searching.

Here are some statistics on social media hiring, looking at the tactics used by companies to find and attract candidates:

  • Social media recruitment is on the rise, with 84% of brands and companies using it currently and 9% putting plans in place for its implementation.
  • LinkedIn, a professional social media platform, has 66.8 million monthly active users in the United States, making it one of the biggest online career platforms worldwide for employees and employers.
US LinkedIn users
  • 95% of Fortune 500 recruiting tweets contain job-seeking terms (95%) or job locations (81%).

This makes it easy for qualified candidates to locate any of these tweets. They only have to use the right hashtags, and the job openings will pop up in no time.

  • 91% of freelancers, 74% of full-time employees, 70% of contractors, 42% of casual workers, and 25% of part-time employees search for work on social media.
  • 86% of people aged 21 – 30 search for jobs on social media.
Social media job searchers by age

Employer social media statistics

Social media has transformed the recruitment process for employers. Companies are now leveraging the power of social media to attract top talent and engage with potential candidates.

Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter offer a wealth of information about candidates, including their skills, experience, and professional interests, which can help employers find the right fit for their organization.

Below are employers’ social media statistics, exploring how companies are using social media to enhance their recruitment efforts:

  • 91% of all recruiters use social media in their hiring process.
  • 81% of medium-sized companies use LinkedIn as a social media application.
  • Large organizations also stated they use an average of over three social media applications within their human resources (HR) processes for recruitment.
  • 43% of HR professionals use Google search to research job applicants.
  • 80% of HR professionals use personal websites when evaluating a job candidate.
  • LinkedIn is the most effective lead source for recruitment and staffing firms.

In research among professionals in the recruitment industry in the United States, the popular professional social media platform turns out to be the most effective lead source for hiring firms. This social, professional network has become the most popular online platform for job seekers and recruiters.

Why employers use social media

While the social media recruitment stats above have shown that employers actively use social media for hiring, it is necessary to determine how they use the platform.

It is crucial to note that organizations use social media differently depending on their needs and urgency. Below are some of the most common social media uses for recruitment:

  • 87% of non-management salaried employees are recruited on social media. The number is 82% for management jobs, 55% for non-management hourly employees, and 45% for upper management.
Jobs recruited with social media
  • 98% of employers do background checks and research about candidates online before employment. Candidates should have a carefully tailored professional online presence to boost their recruitment.
  • 90% of recruiters and employers factor a candidate’s social media accounts into their hiring decisions, and over 79% of employers reject a candidate based on the content on their social media.
  • 82% of employers believe that recruiting passive job candidates is the top reason that most companies use social media for recruitment.
  • 45% of employers post engaging content on social media to engage with their prospective candidates.
  • 33% of employers who researched candidates on social media reached out to the candidate after finding the candidate’s social media profile has a professional image.
  • Over one-third of the companies have taken steps to leverage mobile and social media recruiting with the main aim of targeting smartphone users.

Job seeker social media statistics

As technology continues to develop, social media continue to increase in importance for each person. With the rise of professional networking sites like LinkedIn, job seekers can now use social media to showcase their skills and experience to potential employers.

Here are some job seeker social media statistics examining how social media platforms are utilized for finding job opportunities:

  • 79% of people looking for jobs have used social media in their job search processes.
  • One out of 10 people uses social media to create posts they think will attract recruiters.
  • 73% of millennials found their current jobs through social media.

What platforms do job seekers use?

Most social media platforms help users position themselves before employers, but social media recruitment stats show some are preferred to others.

  • 40 million people search for jobs weekly on LinkedIn.
  • According to Statista, 84% of people agreed they had used LinkedIn to strengthen their professional network.
  • Twitter is another social media platform that is at the forefront of recruitment for job seekers, with 61% using the platform in their search.
  • 74% of those who use Twitter for job searches do so to check company profiles. 58% follow recruiters on Twitter, while 41% apply for job postings within tweets.
Twitter for job search
  • 59% of job seekers believe posting job openings on Twitter is effective.
  • The most common way college guys look for jobs is tied between Google and social media/job board hybrids (such as LinkedIn and other professional social media platforms).

Conclusion

Based on the social media recruitment statistics provided, it is evident that social media platforms are no longer solely used for keeping in touch with family and friends or catching up with past relationships.

Social media platforms, with leaders like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, have become indispensable for job seekers and recruiters. Every day, millions of companies advertise job openings and engage candidates.

Just as job seekers strive to position themselves for job opportunities through their social media profiles, companies can also maintain a strong social media presence and showcase their company values to make them more attractive to potential candidates.

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