USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN RECRUITMENT

Abstract

Social HR refers to the use of social media and social networking sites to perform human resource management functions like recruitment, employee engagement, internal discussions, performance management and employee learning. Social HR is extensively being used for recruitment these days owing to the widespread popularity and use of social media by the prospective employees. Personal as well as professional communication has been revolutionized by social media tools and social networking sites. Communication through social media makes use of an online platform or a social networking website that also allows employees and employers to connect for business purposes. Human resource is one of the most vital assets of an organization and the recruitment of candidates has a major bearing on lending competitive advantages to an organization. This study assumes relevance because it attempts to study the use of social media in recruitment in an Indian context. India is a nation where a majority of population, labour force and prospective labour force falls under Generation Y which is characterized by its frequent exposure to technology. There is an everyday increase in the number of people engaging with social media in India. The human resource landscape is also changing in India with the advent of technology and the HR managers in India have also started using social media in order to recruit suitable candidates and keep them engaged, committed and loyal to the firm. Therefore this study will discuss the various facets of using social media in recruitment and the future prospects of using social media for recruitment purposes in an Indian context. This report has been prepared by doing secondary research on the data available on social media and recruitment practices. A few HR managers of Indian firms were also contacted and their opinions on social media usage for recruitment were captured in the form of a questionnaire to arrive at conclusions for this research.