New research from Reed Employment has found that eight out of ten graduates only search for jobs online.
An incredible 57% of graduates admitted to spending under an hour researching jobs with a lazy 9% saying they simply turn up at interviews having done absolutely no research on the company at all.
Candidates, however, are blaming the recruiter saying they were not given enough information before the interviews. The kind of information graduates request includes:
- Training and development opportunities – 40%
- Office location and surrounding amenities – 17%
- The office culture – 15%
- Salary – 12%
And it’s not just job hunting that’s getting graduates online - unsurprisingly it’s the social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo that are pulling in big numbers. In fact, PA Consulting has started using social networking site Second Life to recruit graduates, even going as far as to host virtual interviews with potential candidates on the site.
Of course, recruiting on social networking sites can be risky. Candidates can become irritated with companies invading what they see as their personal space. And the campaign needs to be professional and well thought out, otherwise companies run the risk of looking like they’ve just jumped on the bandwagon. As PA can testify though, when it’s done well, using social networking sites to recruit or just build brand awareness can be an incredibly effective tool.
