Targeting, locating, and keeping track of certain kinds of people is simply easier than it has been with new social network technology. You just cannot hide anymore! However, people looking for jobs may not want to hide. They are going to want to be located, and targeted by recruiters. Facebook, MySpace, and other social networks have shown that they can bring together mass amounts of people from all different areas, as approximately 54% of the younger population is using some social network. That 54% amounts to tens of millions of people, a huge pool for recruiters to tap into. Here is how think Social Networks can impact recruiting:

Networking and Referrals

The best candidates are those that fall in the "passive talent pool", and locating this pool is very difficult for recruiters. And today with the unemployment rate at less than 4%, the passive talent pool is getting larger, making it more difficult for recruiters to attract and hire qualified candidates away from their current employment. With this new recruiting problem, their needs to be a support system. Social networks can be a support system for recruiting in that their is a connection between someone that knows about an open position, and someone who fits that position. The social network allows for that interaction to occur, thus making locating, and targeting passive talent easier.

People using Social Networks

As I mentioned before, 54% of the upcoming workforce is tapped into on some social network, creating an online talent pool in the millions. In a study conducted by an independent research company, there is information to show that highly paid professionals, highly educated people, and new entrants into the workforce are the most active in using social technology. Obviously there is room for interactions amongst those who know about open positions and those who fit the open position. This information can bolster recruiting tremendously.

Putting it all Together- Using Them To Recruit

Given the vast interactions that go on within a social network, and the millions of people that utilize them, it only seems logical for organizations to integrate recruting efforts with social networks to help find the talent they are looking for. Social Networks provide the following tools that allow for advancement in recruting:

• allow candidates to provide a searchable professional profile that can either be public or private
• provides connection among candidates b linking those with similar educational qualifications, interests, professional experiences, etc.- promotes referrals
• 2- way interaction is created between employers and candidates- 3-way interaction between referrer, candidate, and employer

I believe that social networking is going to be the new face of recruiting in the years to come, and social network recruiting pages going to start prospering. At Yellojobs.com, I feel the same way. Yellojobs.com is a job referral recruitment network that has its own network of users, and encourages referrals by friends. They allow their employers to post their jobs for free on their site with a referral reward. Anyone in their network can then view the job, and either refer a friend within the network and become eligible for the reward, or someone can apply for the job on their own. Yellojobs.com uses the tools social networks contain to bolster recruiting for the future.