New Zealand – Hiring managers don’t care about social media

By memberservices@staffingindustry.com (Danny Romero)

Hiring managers in New Zealand do not care about a candidate’s social media profile, according to research from international recruitment firm Robert Half.

Robert Half’s research revealed the key factors which influence the success of a job search process. None of the hiring managers surveyed say a candidate’s social media profile has any impact on their hiring decisions for both staff-level and management-level positions. Meanwhile, fundamental elements of the job search, such as CVs and interviews, still predominantly determine if a candidate gets the job (or not).

Almost half, or 45%, of New Zealand HR mangers identify the candidate’s CV as the most important factor when recruiting for management-level roles. The figure falls to 38% for staff-level positions. A candidate’s performance during the interview is seen as almost just as important, as almost four in 10 (38%) HR managers say it has the most impact for management-level roles, and by one in three (30%) for staff-level positions.

“The employment market for jobseekers is looking promising in 2017, but at the same time competitive,” Megan Alexander, General Manager at Robert Half New Zealand said. “Candidates who are faced with tough competition for job vacancies should know as much as possible what influences the final decisions of hiring managers. Doing so can mean the difference between being offered the role and being passed over.”

“While social media have secured a fixed place in the recruitment world, the research confirms that the traditional elements in the hiring process, being the CV and the job interview, are still considered to be the most important elements. For jobseekers to succeed, they need to have a stellar CV, and excel during their interview(s),” Alexander said.

The research shows social media profiles as unimportant, however, Alexander cautioned that jobseekers should still be careful.

“Hiring managers do generally check LinkedIn, Facebook or even Twitter profiles before extending an offer. Kiwi jobseekers should therefore polish their online profiles before commencing their job search. Jobseekers can still display some personality online, but they need to make sure to maintain good conduct online at all times, even for private social media channels and especially in the digital age where online profiles are increasingly accessible to almost everyone,” Alexander said.

Source:: New Zealand – Hiring managers don’t care about social media