HR managers go for web2.0 to attract talent

At a seminar on “Innovative Hiring Strategies” organized by CII, recruiters said they are junking traditional talent tapping methods, and increasingly targeting social networking websites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Jobster to identify and attract quality human assets. They said while the bulk of senior and middle level hiring may still be through employee and headhunter referrals, the situation is fast changing.

According to P. Rajendran, director and COO, NIIT, employee referrals account for 30% of their recruitments. He says with web2.0 gaining popularity, this number could go up 60% in future.

According to a survey by Kelly Services, 40% of the respondents found their most recent jobs online. So, companies are actively looking at social networking websites, in addition to web portals.

With recruiters increasingly relying on social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook, to get the right man for the right job, what will happen to the traditional headhunter?