• 63% of UK HR managers do not believe social networking sites will replace traditional CVs

London, 20 March 2012 – While over eight million people in the UK are currently using LinkedIn, seven in 10 (70%) HR directors believe that social media platforms are ineffective as a recruitment tool or are unsure over its effectiveness, according to a new survey by Robert Half, a leading specialised recruitment consultancy.

Furthermore, more than six in 10 (63%) executives think it is unlikely that profiles on networking sites will replace CVs in the future.

The survey of 200 UK human resources directors found that only three in 10 (32%) executives are using social networking sites to communicate with candidates and only 30% for sourcing them. While the temptation exists to check profiles on more social sites, like Facebook, only one in five (22%) HR directors report checking online profiles for behaviour and/or suitability.

UK HR Directors were asked, ‘How are you using social media in the recruitment process?’ Their responses:

Communicating with candidates	32%
Sourcing candidates	30%
Checking online profiles for behaviour and/or suitability	22%
Sourcing references for potential hires	21%
Other	8%
Don’t know	19%

*Multiple responses allowed

Phil Sheridan, Managing Director, Robert Half UK  said: “Social media’s popularity has grown dramatically in recent years and while many organisations have leveraged it as a successful commercial or employer branding tool, its effectiveness in recruitment has not been realised amongst the majority of organisations. While professional networking sites, like LinkedIn, will continue to connect business professionals, our research shows that hiring managers still prefer more traditional recruitment methods, such as using of online job boards, employee referrals and recruitment consultancies. It seems most employers still believe this to be the most effective approach for screening candidates and assessing competencies.

“However, it is important that candidates use LinkedIn to keep their professional network informed throughout their career, even if not used for recruitment purposes. Candidates should manage their online reputation by ensuring their profiles remain current and professional. Posting newsworthy articles, participating in relevant discussion groups and conducting periodic online audits will help raise both personal and corporate brand images.”