How LinkedIn Has Changed the Recruiting Industry—and How it Hasn’t

Once upon a time, if you wanted to buy a house, you had to go to a realtor—in person. How else would you know what houses were on the market, what they looked like on the inside, and whether they were priced fairly? It was the same with booking your vacation; you’d walk into a travel agent’s office. These professionals held all the information necessary to make a decision, and you needed them to access it.

In the know… 

Now, of course, things are different. With everything moving online, information has been opened up. Zillow, Expedia, and the like, have democratized the process of buying a house or planning a trip in the sense that they give away almost every piece of information that was previously privy to industry insiders only. 

In the same way, LinkedIn has given both companies and job candidates access to all—or at least most—of the information they need. LinkedIn offers a ready-made database of all those names and contact information that recruiters used to protect with their lives. Access to the right people used to be our bread and butter—but now, with social media, almost everyone seems accessible. 

Disrupting recruitment 

In this way, LinkedIn has fundamentally changed the recruitment industry, just as travel and real estate have been disrupted, and while the need for industry professionals hasn’t been eliminated in any of these sectors, we certainly have a different role to play in the process. 

What technology does best is take away all the monotonous, time-consuming tasks from an industry and leave room for people to put their skills to good use. If this transformation happens the right way, talented people won’t be made redundant—after all, you can look at all the house listings you want, make your own appointments to view them, and even put in an offer, but there is still knowledge the realtor has that you don’t. This is to say nothing of the fact that doing all the work yourself is hugely time consuming.

Similarly, recruitment has changed in that candidates can now look at all the jobs available. They can spend hours scanning job descriptions and have things conveniently sent to them based on keywords they’ve chosen. Companies, in turn, can post an ad that can be seen by thousands. They can receive applications straight into their mailbox and get a rundown of the candidates’ skills—and even their network and personal brand—in minutes, often entirely using A.I.. How easy is that?!

So, why use a recruiter? Again, it’s for that market intel that isn’t so freely available. For job seekers that includes resume feedback, salary comps, interview prep, and advice on a company’s reputation. For companies, that means the ability to offer much needed context to a volume of candidates who all look pretty similar on paper. It’s also about adding in the human element, providing support, and making the whole journey easier. Despite all the tools at our disposal, there will always be the need to work with a professional who has been in the space a long time and has the expertise. 

Adding value

It’s often said that technology gives us more time at work to concentrate on “value-adding” tasks. That’s just what recruiters need to do in the age of LinkedIn: Add value. 

Yes, a company can search on LinkedIn for candidates and find a few great options. They might even be able to find the same names as the recruiter if they really know what to look for. But this doesn’t mean they are looking at all their options—recruiters will have a vast network built up over several years, which goes far beyond the number of “actively seeking” candidates on LinkedIn. 

Further, a LinkedIn message on its own doesn’t build a real connection, nor does it guarantee that the person will respond. This is especially true if your company isn’t quite as well known, or if the market is active and your top prospect is getting calls left and right. Instead, this relationship building, and the level of understanding that comes with it, can take years—top recruiters will seek to identify the nuances of each candidate’s journey and measure how they might be suited to a role, from experience to cultural fit.

Recruiting often involves skills of persuasion—understanding what a candidate really wants out of their career and encouraging even the most comfortable of candidates to look at a new opportunity.

Beyond this, recruiters can also become a valuable consultant for a company regarding what the right hire looks like, the right time to hire, what a reasonable salary offer is, and what the interview process should look like.

LinkedIn has transformed recruitment—but it’s essential to look at the value a professional can offer. 

If you’re hiring, or looking to get hired, I hope you will recognize the value of a recruiter—and if you’re a recruiter, remember to focus on those ways you add value for your clients.