The Bayt.com ‘Social Recruiting in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll, recently conducted by Bayt.com, the region’s leading career site, has revealed that more than half of respondents (65.6%)in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)are aware of the concept of social recruiting as pioneered regionally by Bayt.com, and eight out of10 believe that social media platforms are a good way for employers and candidates to engage through industry-related discussions.
Social media is also considered to be a great platform for employer branding by79% of respondents, with the majority of job seekers (79.8%) stating that they will check a company’s social media profile before applying for a job. Two thirds of job seekers (65%) have a strong desire to see job postings shared on social platforms, while67.6% will click on a social media-posted job opportunity either ‘very often’ (33.7%) or ‘quite often’ (33.9%). Added to that,21.8% of jobseekers said that they would love to combine their job search activities with company research. Meanwhile, while29.7% of jobseekers believe that a dedicated jobsite will be very useful to them, a majority are starting to see the benefits of enhanced social recruiting, with32.9%saying that a jobsite with both social and career content dimensions would be most beneficial.
SuhailMasri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com, said: “Indeed, having a shiny online presence, whether for companies or professionals, has never been more important. For employers in particular, simply having a static website is no longer enough, with almost80% of jobseekers checking a company’s social media profiles before applying. In line with Bayt.com’s mission of empowering people, Bayt.com’s recently-launched Company Profile platform is the best and easiest way for employers to give a company the most sophisticated and compelling presence on social media. Companies can attract and engage with millions of the most talented jobseekers in the Middle East and beyond, through a page customized for them that links to their news, job vacancies and more!”
In terms of companies jumping on board the social recruiting trend,58.5% of respondents state that their organisation advertises jobs on their corporate social media profiles – though of these,30.5% of respondents state their companies ‘rarely’ do so. Eight out of10 (82.3%) of employers research a candidate online before calling them for an interview –36.9% state they do so ‘all the time’. Moreover, while56.1% of employers claim not to have hired a candidate through social media,18% of those who have, state to have done so through “professional” social media sites rather than casual social media networks.
Social platforms are viewed positively from a jobseeker perspective as well. More than half (55.4%) of respondents polled by Bayt.com believe that they are more likely to be hired if they are active on social media channels. This is in line with the perception of employers, who claim they find better candidates on the social media platforms (according to26.3%). Employers most specifically look for candidates on the social platforms who have professional experience (23.8%), and industry knowledge and expertise (23.6%). They are also looking for candidates who will be a good cultural fit within their company (19.4%), whose profile demonstrates professionalism (16.9%), and who have an appealing tone of voice or method of communication (14%). Colleague testimonials are also considered important by2.2% of respondents.
Masri adds: “Today’s digital world makes online connections more important than ever before, and job seekers in particular must bear this in mind when developing social profiles that can, potentially, attract an employer. At Bayt.com, we’re very proud of being leaders in the social recruiting trend, having given jobseekers the ability to create beautiful and attractive professional social media profiles for years now, by using the innovative Bayt.com People platform. Bayt.com had anticipated the need for employers to discover stories that go beyond a CV through well thought-out, intelligent, original content related to areas of interest and expertise. That’s what Bayt.com Specialties is all about; a unique social platform that helps professionals at all career levels and in all industries and job roles, highlight their unique skills and abilities, carve an outstanding professional niche and truly shine.”
Bayt.com Specialties was launched by Bayt.com primarily to address the need for the region’s professionals to meaningfully connect and engage with each other as well as with employers, while building a sophisticated professional brand for themselves with optimal visibility, credibility and flexibility. Today the highly popular platform attracts professionals from across the region and beyond in every industry, career level and job role. Data for the Bayt.com ‘Social Recruiting in the MENA’ poll was collected online from September16-October232014, with5,869 respondents from UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.