Web 2.0 'could develop key recruitment role'

Social networking websites such as Facebook and Bebo could soon become an integral part of the recruitment process, it has been claimed.

According to Deborah Fernon of the Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD), more employers could soon be using the global, interactive nature of social networking and other Web 2.0 technology such as blogs and wikis to search for the best talent.

It comes after a recent CIPD survey found 56 per cent of its members questioned said they thought social networking have become a useful tool for engaging with potential recruits. A further 52 per cent said they also like using such websites to gain insights into how prospective employees view their brand.

Ms Fernon said although 80 per cent of companies do not use Web 2.0 to recruit workers at present, in they future they could take advantage of such applications to attract the best candidates from around the world.

Through the richness of multimedia and connectivity, Web 2.0 technology provides an opportunity to bring the employer brand to life and create experiences online that allow potential employees to experience what it is like to work within the organisation, she added.

Two issues change dramatically using Web 2.0, explains ClickAJob chief executive Yngve Traberg: employer feel-good about the employee - and employee feel-good about the employer.

Neither is ever really satisfied by the usual CV assessment/interview route,
he says.

As The Apprentice TV show dramatically demonstrates, CVs aren't necessarily accurate. Nor does an interview reassure candidates that the company is the kind of place they want to work.

By interacting with others, social network sites like Facebook, Linked In and MySpace fill in the background, providing wider opinion from first-hand experience that users feel they can trust, he explains. Like getting the inside story.

And it's not just background to employer/employee relationships where Web 2.0 scores, he continues.

It's looking at competitors as well - who your rivals are, how they think, what they've done. Once business realises that potential, the world will never be the same again.