How Facebook’s new Graph Search could change recruiting

If it seems to you that there’s a new social media phenomenon coming out every day, well, that’s probably because it’s basically the truth. Seriously, at what point are the people creating these cutting-edge ideas going to run out of unique names for each of these platforms? Probably never!!

For many industries, each new creation can often serve some purpose. For the staffing industry, though, we all know that it’s typically been LinkedIn… and then everything else. In recent years, however, Facebook – and even Twitter – have begun to carve out important roles of their own in the recruiting sphere. For Twitter, the value is in the immediacy of the message. For Facebook, it’s the sheer volume of users.

Facebook’s already dipped its feet in the recruiting waters with applications like BranchOut and BeKnown, but when it’s all said and done, the recently unveiled Graph Search may have the biggest impact for recruiting agencies.

Graph Search, which is still in the beta stage, revolutionizes the way you search on Facebook. As a recent Mashable article put it, Graph Search makes it so users are now defined by what they “like” and who they “friend.” Graph Search allows you to search for connections who like a certain television show or product. It can narrow the search results to specific location as well. It opens the door to potential connections based on interests and personality traits, rather than simply skill sets like you’d find on LinkedIn.

What’s this mean for recruiters?
One of the best things about the new Graph Search that recruiting firms can take advantage of is the ability to locate the hard-to-find candidates. More specifically, you can search for that diamond in the rough candidate who not only has the necessary skills for the position you’re looking to fill, but also the personality traits and interests that will make the individual a strong fit for the company’s culture.

At the end of the day, the methods you’re using on the recruiting trail are changing as much as the candidates themselves. If you want to identify the “star” employee who has the right skill set and will fit into your corporate culture, tools like the new Facebook Graph Search will likely become more and more important.

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