Problem: IT at Work

Recruiters Use Professional Networking Sites

Susan Heathfield, a Human Resources (HR) expert at About.com, maintains that it is no longer sufficient to post job openings on monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, and Craigslist.com. Job postings on these large sites often generate hundreds of applications from unqualified candidates. This can be overwhelming for recruiters and very inefficient. Instead, many have turned to professional networking sites like LinkedIn. In a blog post, Heathfield identified a number of specific ways that businesses can use on LinkedIn to increase the effectiveness of their recruiting:

• Identify potential candidates among your existing network of professionals.

• Ask your network to identify or recommend candidates for a position.

• Evaluate potential employees based on references and referrals from your existing network.

• Actively search for candidates among LinkedIn users using key words or qualifications from their profiles.

• Ask current employees to search among their LinkedIn Networks for potential candidates. Recruiters Use Professional Networking Sites

• For a fee, you can post job openings on LinkedIn.

• Request introductions to potential candidates through your existing network of professionals.

• Use Inmail (the internal LinkedIn e-mail system) to contact potentially qualified individuals. It is clear that recruiters have come to embrace LinkedIn as an effective and cost-efficient way of generating qualified candidates. As LinkedIn's global presence grows, this will provide an important benefit to companies who need to fill positions internationally.

Discussion Questions: 1. Why have monster.com, Careerbuilder.com and Craigslist.com lost their effectiveness?

2 .Why have HR departments turned to professional networking sites like LinkedIn?

3. Why is it so essential for career-minded workers to build a professional social network? What can this network do for you?