HR Professionals Required to Have Strong Social Media Skills

Scott E. Schaffer, Esq. • May 6, 2012

According to a recent survey conducted by WANTED Technologies and published in SHRM’s HR Trendbook 2012, more than 1000 new ads for HR positions listed in 2011 included requirements for advanced social media skills. This represented a 160% increase from the same period in 2010. More specifically, hiring firms wanted HR staff to be able to develop recruiting strategies that effectively use the Internet and social media sites. Companies expect HR to stay abreast of new and innovative sourcing techniques, best practices, and know how to use web searches, apps, and job boards to generate leads. Simply knowing how to tweet job openings, or scour LinkedIn or Facebook to find talent, is no longer enough.

Wanted are HR candidates who can direct traffic to corporate career sites through social media channels; develop robust LinkedIn and Facebook profiles; create Boolean search strings; use advanced search techniques; and place ads in appropriate online sources. According to WANTED’s CEO, “companies are now expecting their recruiters to have mastered this core competency. Social recruiting has moved beyond ‘buzz’ and is definitely mainstream.”