Employers log on to social networks for background check of new hires

LinkedIn's annual survey finds quality is of prime concern for recruiters

Here is some good news for future employees at India Inc. In spite of macroeconomic challenges, hiring volume in Indian companies is going up. Hiring budgets, though, continue to be the same as last year, said the annual recruitment survey conducted by  Linkedin.

About 57 per cent of respondents of the survey said their hiring volumes would be going up for the year, much higher that the 44 per cent on a global basis. Fifty per cent of the respondents said their hiring budgets would be similar to last year’s.

However, 13 per cent said they would cut their hiring budgets, compared to last year’s 21 per cent respondents who said budgets would be trimmed. (Recruiting landscape at a glance)

“The trend we have seen is that Indian companies give priority to the quality of hire. Rather, the percentage and preference of employee referral is higher among the Indian companies vis-a-vis the global numbers. The other trend we have seen is though companies may not be doing well the demand for high quality talent remains high,” said Irfan Abdulla, director talent solutions, LinkedIn India.

About 94 per cent of the surveyed companies are hiring more internally compared to 2012.

Indian employers are increasingly sourcing talent by using online social professional networks, said the survey. Sourcing talent from social professional networks has shown a jump of 20 per cent, compared to 2012. Almost 41 per cent said they prefer to use social professional networks to source top talent, up from 25 per cent in 2012 and 21 per cent in 2011.

The survey also points out that 64 per cent of respondents believe online professional networks are the most effective way to have the employer brand seen and heard. Almost 84 per cent feel the employer brand has a significant impact on the ability to hire great talent. No wonder, there is a rise in the preference of online platform among employers to promote their brand.

Abdulla also pointed out that Indian employers are increasingly using data points when it comes to hiring and branding. Almost 55 per cent of respondents said they regularly survey new hires to understand their brand position.

“In a booming economy like India, businesses are under pressure to be nimble and perform better than their peers by hiring the best talent. In order to do that, corporations are investing heavily in creating a strong employer brand that will impress the prospective hires. Then, these investments are measured and tracked to ensure that companies are getting good returns,” said Abdulla.