J Patrick + Associates Blog

The Value of a Recruiter in the Age of LinkedIn

Posted by Daniel Sullivan on Fri, Oct 25, 2013 @ 10:00 AM

The Value of a Recruiter in the Age of LinkedIn

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Chances are, if you work in the business world and are not using LinkedIn, somehow you didn’t get the memo.  LinkedIn is a massive social media platform for businesses, job seekers, and online influencers. LinkedIn is a great way to connect to other people and substantially grow your network.  Considering the fact that over 280 million people have a LinkedIn account, recruiters see LinkedIn as the greatest tool ever invented. In fact, 93% of all recruiters maintain a presence on LinkedIn.

Not surprisingly, LinkedIn has a specialized platform for use by HR Managers and recruiters.  It’s called LinkedIn Recruiter. Put simply, LinkedIn Recruiter is a giant database of all the profiles on LinkedIn.  While one might think that all you have to do is purchase LinkedIn Recruiter and then simply select and hire the best candidates for your open positions, the process is much more sophisticated than that.  Frequently, when businesses and their in-house HR staff purchase LinkedIn Recruiter, they think can instantly replace their recruiter. However, these companies quickly realize the amount of time required to locate, attract, and hire the perfect candidate. 

 

How has the recruiter’s value increased in the age of LinkedIn?

LinkedIN Recruiter takes time to learn

In-house HR Departments are wrought with the challenge of optimizing the search and selection process while managing deep databases of candidates.  

This is why many turn to a firm like J. Patrick & Associates.  We have worked in the recruiting business for almost 30 years and we understand that it takes a lot more than just querying a database to land your firm’s ideal candidate.

 

Recruiters are personable

Recruiters are increasingly valuable in the age of LinkedIn because they offer the human connections that most LinkedIn Recruiter rookies just can’t provide.  Recruiters like J. Patrick & Associates perform a critical human role in the hiring process and we have developed sector-specific IT hiring expertise for over two decades in the business.  Because we are dedicated to understanding both the specific needs of the recruiting firm and the needs of job seekers in the IT business environment, JP&A is uniquely positioned to add even more value during the hiring process. Why?  The phone call. The phone call still remains the ‘killer app’ in the recruiting business. Sending a message via LinkedIn just doesn’t cut it.

 

Recruiters have Expertise

Many articles bemoan the death of the recruiter and LinkedIn Recruiter certainly has put some ineffective and uncompetitive recruiting firms out of business.  However, LinkedIn Recruiter is only as good as the person using it. Many HR professionals have a lot on their plate. Overseeing all aspects of compensation planning, training and employee relations leaves limited time they can dedicate to recruiting.  Filling critical positions requires time, resources and first-class expertise to deliver unparalleled results.


Contact J. Patrick & Associates and connect with a certified recruiting consultant to structure a plan, staff your LIR platform, and achieve optimal results for your firm.