More than just a platform for interaction, social media is increasingly being used by headhunters in search of potential candidates. For it to be truly effective, hiring managers cannot persist in a one-size-fits-all mentality.
David Crammond, CEO and founder of two-year-old online recruitment company Maachu, is a strong advocate of knowing one’s target audience. The 58-year-old, who has been in senior management in finance for more than 30 years, explains: “By pitching to a focused group, you’re getting the right audience who will click on the ad, only if they are keen on the job description.” This increases chances of a positive match.
Headquartered in Singapore, Maachu specialises in job openings in the finance and information-technology industries in Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, India and Malaysia, to name a few territories. Based on information from databases of online channels such as Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter, ads are placed on the social-media pages of suitable individuals. In this way, Maachu appears only on the newsfeed of people in the finance industry. Clicking on the ad will lead the interested party to job details on its website.
It also helps to know the preferred platform used in different countries. “In India and Malaysia, it’s all about Facebook. In Singapore, people use Linkedin.”
Whereas CVs are usually tweaked to suit a job description, job hunters are not allowed to do so on Maachu’s website. Available positions are closed for viewing. Instead, users create a profile detailing skills and experience. Maachu then employs an algorithm system to match profiles to an employer’s requirements. The result, Crammond believes, is a truer match.
Looking towards the future of recruitment, he predicts human-resource executives will be able to breathe easier. “Faced with high turnover rates, they will always be looking for talent. Systems that perform matches for you will help to fill jobs faster.
