Recruiters are always looking for new ways to attract top talent, whether they are looking for permanent or contract workers. In this digital age, Internet-based strategies are very popular. Job boards, specialist websites and even social media all hold the promise of finding the perfect candidate. Social media recruitment efforts in particular are growing.
Facebook's recent announcement that it would begin to use clickable hashtags has been hailed with joy by recruiters. This new functionality allows them to target recruiting efforts at candidates who are already interested in the field in question.
"The potential is exciting," said Peter Linas, the international managing director of recruitment software firm Bullhorn, to Recruiter. "Imagine if a marketing recruiter was dealing with a series of job orders; they could use the momentum generated by a popular related television show to push their vacancies in front of an already engaged audience."
Hashtags also allow recruiters to see what people are saying on a particular topic. This can be useful in measuring opinions on a certain career or field of employment in real time, and targeting those whose views are favorable. For recruiters who use Facebook to post vacancies, hashtags will help them to separate opportunities for permanent and temporary workers, and for full- and part-time work.