HIRING INSIGHTS Job Seekers Get Social - iCIMS 2015... · Google+, and Facebook in the job...

Job Seekers Get Social Social media’s role in the job application process

© 2017 iCIMS, Inc. All rights reserved.

A Research eBook by:

HIRING INSIGHTS

Table of Contents

Like Comment Share

Overall Trends pgs. 4-9

Industry Trends pgs. 10-11

Regional Trends pg. 12

Company Size Trends pgs. 13-14

To gauge the role of social networks such as LinkedIn, Google+, and Facebook in the job application process, this

report presents data on the number of applications submitted through these social networks in each quarter of 2015.

JOB

APPLY

What is Social Apply? iCIMS Recruit offers a Social Apply feature that allows candidates to quickly create their profiles from information in their LinkedIn, Google+, and Facebook social media accounts. Their name, contact information, education, and employment history is parsed into the system to save help save time. Any updates to this professional information on their social profiles is automatically updated in the employer’s system.

Like Comment Share

© 2017 iCIMS, Inc. All rights reserved. 2Job Seekers Get Social: Social media’s role in the job application process®

Key Findings

In Q1 of 2015, LinkedIn saw 82 percent of social

applications for small businesses (less than 100

employees), while it received 56 – 77 percent

of social applications for larger business sizes.

Conversely, popularity for Google+ and Facebook

among job applicants increased as the size of

company increased.

Google+ was the only social network

to see its share of social applications

rise — from 21% in Q3 to 26% in Q4.

Whether this is due to shifts in popularity

among consumers or in the mix of jobs offered

remains to be determined.

The information, construction, and leisure and

hospitality industries had the highest share of applications submitted via social network

profiles in 2015.

MOST APPLICATIONS SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS GOOGLE +

LEAST APPLICATIONS

In contrast, the public administration, education

and health services, and financial services industries

had the lowest share of applications submitted

through a social network profile in 2015.

LinkedIn was more popular among applicants to smaller companies than

larger companies,

while Google+ and Facebook saw their market share rise progressively with

the size of the hiring company.

© 2017 iCIMS, Inc. All rights reserved. 3®

Job Seekers Get Social: Social media’s role in the job application process

APPLYIn 2015, about 3.3

million applications were submitted via

a social profile.

Overall Trends | Social Applications as a Percentage of the Total Applications in 2015

Social media has become an important tool for today’s job seekers.

Which social profiles do job seekers use to apply for jobs?

61%

22%

17%



Overall Trends | Percentage of Applications Submitted via LinkedIn, Google+, and Facebook

The proportion of applications received through LinkedIn, Google+, and Facebook remained consistent between Q1 and Q3 of 2015. LinkedIn was the most popular followed by Google+, and then Facebook.

In Q4, the proportion of applications through LinkedIn dropped by approximately 10 percentage points while the proportion of applications through Google+ and Facebook increased by approximately five percentage points.

Figure 3 examines the relative share of LinkedIn versus Google+ versus Facebook in the total number of social applications in each quarter of 2015.

Figure 3: Proportion of Applications Submitted via LinkedIn, Google+, and Facebook Profiles

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

65% 20% 15%

15%

16%

21%

20%

21%

26%

65%

63%

53%




Like Comment Share

According to a 2015 study by Pew

Research, 65 percent of Americans now use social media platforms,

and for many users, these sites

offer a venue for highlighting

professional accomplishments to

prospective employers, finding

jobs through one’s networks

and alerting friends to available

employment opportunities.




Younger social media users are especially active when it comes to using social media for job searching activities: about 43 percent of social media users between the ages of 18 and 29 used social media to look for or research a job, compared to only 24 percent for social media users aged 50 or older.

18-29 30-49 50+

% of social media users in each age group who have...

Like Comment Share

43Used social media to look for or

research a job

Used social media to let friends

know about a job

Applied for a job you found on social media

36

24

40

38

24

29

23

11

Survey conducted June 10 - July 12, 2015. Sample size - 2,001

PEW RESEARCH CENTER65%Based on the

of Americans who use social media



Overall Trends

Figure 1 presents the proportion of applications

submitted through social networks by quarter.

The proportion of social applications was steady in

2015 until Q4, when it dipped down to 8 percent.

This dip may be related to the observation

that the number of applicants per job filled

also declined over the course of 2015, as

displayed in Figure 2. In Q4, there may have

been a decline in applications from social-media

users, rather than a decline in attractiveness of

social media as an application channel.

Like Comment Share

Figure 1: Percentage of Applications via Social Networking Tools in 2015

Figure 2: Average Number of Applicants per Job Filled per Quarter of 2015

15%

10%

5%

0%

24.5

24.0

23.5

23.0

22.5

22.0

21.5

21.0

20.5

20.0

19.5

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

11% 11% 11%

8%

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

24.0

22.8 22.7

21.3



Overall Trends | Percentage of Applications Submitted via LinkedIn, Google+, and Facebook

Job seekers are also using social media to research companies and look for open jobs, not just to apply for jobs they already know about. According to a 2015 iCIMS survey, 57% of job seekers said that they used social media at least once a month to learn more about potential employers.

Like Comment Share

Which social media sites do job seekers use to research jobs

[vs]Which social media sites do

employers use to post company updates and open jobs

Job Seekers Employers

52%

44%

32%

66%

63%

23%

Respondents were asked to check all that apply.



Industry Trends | Social Applications as a Percentage of the Total Applications in 2015

In general, almost all the individual industries followed a similar pattern to the overall trend in job applications via social media. The percentage decreased between Q1 and Q4, with the biggest drop between Q3 and Q4. The one exception to this is the financial activities industry, where Q2 saw the lowest share of applications received through social networks.

Like Comment Share

MOST APPLICATIONS LEAST APPLICATIONS

[vs]

The information (which includes media and telecommunications companies), construction, and

leisure and hospitality industries had the highest share of applications submitted via social networks.

By contrast, education and health services, public administration, and financial activities had the lowest share of applications submitted through social networking tools.



Industry Trends

Like Comment Share

Figure 4: Figure 4: Social Applications as a Percentage of Total Applications

18%

16%

14%

12%

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%

Information ConstructionLeisure and Hospitality

Trade, Transportation and Utilities

ManufacturingProfessional and Business Services

Financial Activities Public AdministrationEducation and Health Services

16% 16%

14% 14%

13% 13% 13%

12% 12%

10% 10% 10%

9%

10%

11% 11% 11% 11%

12% 12%12% 12%

11% 11%

8% 8% 8%8% 8% 8%

7%

6%

9% 9%

11%

6%

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4



Regional Trends | Social Applications as a Percentage of the Total Applications in 2015

All U.S. regions experienced a decline in the share of applications received through social networks over the course of the year. Across the U.S., the biggest drop in applications via social media was between Q3 and Q4.

Like Comment Share

There was little variation in the proportion of social applications across

U.S. regions. The South had a slightly higher share of social applications,

while the West had the lowest share. In each region, Q4 saw a lower

share of social applications than the first three quarters.

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Figure 5: Fraction of Social Applications in Total Number of Applications by Region

South Midwest WestNortheast

14%

12%

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%

12%

11% 11%

9%

12%

11% 11%

9%

11%

10% 10%

8%

11% 11% 11%

6%



Company Size Trends

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Figure 6: Percentage of Social Applies in Total Number of Applications by Size

Small and medium-sized companies received the highest share of applications via social networks, while large and enterprise companies received the lowest share. This data suggests that smaller companies should invest in job advertising on social media. Companies of all sizes also experienced a sharp decrease in the proportion of applications via social networks in Q4.

Like Comment Share

14%

12%

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%

12% 12%

10%

8%

10% 10%

9%

8%

12%

11% 11%

7%

14% 14% 14%

11%

Small Business (less than 100 employees)

Medium Business (100–999 employees)

Large Business (1,000–4,999 employees)

Enterprise Business (more than 5,000 employees)



Company Size Trends

Figure 7: Percentage of Applications Submitted via LinkedIn, Google+, and Facebook Profiles by Company Size

Percentage of Applications Submitted via LinkedIn, Google+, and Facebook Profiles

LinkedIn was popular among companies of all sizes; however, LinkedIn’s popularity had a negative relationship with the size

of the company. The proportion of applications through LinkedIn steadily decreased as the size of company increased. For

instance, in Q1, LinkedIn provided 82 percent of social applications for small businesses, but 77 percent, 70 percent, and 56

percent for medium, large, and enterprise businesses, respectively.On the other hand, the share of social applications for

Google+ and Facebook increased as the size of the company increased.

Like Comment Share

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Small Business

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Medium Business

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Large Business

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Enterprise Business

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

8% 10% 13% 19%10%

13%17%

26%

70%56%

8% 9% 12% 19%11%

12%17%

25%

9%13% 21%

12%

17%

27%

71%56%

8%

12%

69%51%

12% 13% 18%26%

16% 16%21%

32%

71% 71%61%

41%

82% 81% 79% 77% 78% 78%



Methodology

This report was compiled based on data from Q1 through Q4 2015, based on a sample drawn from iCIMS’ U.S. customer base of more than 3,200 organizations. iCIMS worked with Hanover Research, a third-party data analyst firm, to arrive at the data conclusions reflected within. The industry-level analysis is based on the BLS classification system, with some categories aggregated to a higher level of organization or omitted altogether, in order to maximize the representativeness of the dataset.

To gauge the role of social networking tools such as LinkedIn, Google, and Facebook in the job application and hiring process, Hanover analyzes data on the number of applications submitted via these tools in 2015 in the U.S. We calculate the following metrics across industries, regions, and company sizes:

Fraction of applications submitted via social networking tools in the total number of applications;

Relative shares of applications submitted by a given social networking tool (LinkedIn, Google, Facebook) in the number of all social applications with the quarter and group (industry, region, or company size).

We also provide total number of applications broken down by social networking tools in the Excel supplement. The data supplement includes the fraction of applications submitted by social networking tools to the number of social applications in that quarter.

We have also carried out the analysis in two ways, by including and excluding outliers. Differences in the findings when outliers are included or excluded are marginal. For this reason, Hanover uses numbers calculated when outliers are included (full dataset) in our discussions for simplicity sake. Tables and graphs for the segments that exclude outliers can be found in the data supplement.

Disclaimer

Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, this report is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. Neither iCIMS nor Hanover make any representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy, quality, reliability, or completeness of the contents of this report, and expressly disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including all implied warranties of fitness for a particular purpose, merchantability, accuracy, and/or non-infringement. The accuracy and completeness of the information provided herein and the opinions stated herein are not guaranteed or warranted to produce any particular results, and the advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every client. Any use of this report is entirely at your own risk. In no event will iCIMS or Hanover be liable for any incidental, indirect, special, punitive, consequential, or other damages (including lost profits), arising out of or in connection with this report. Neither iCIMS or Hanover are engaged in the rendering of legal or accounting advice, and nothing herein should be construed or interpreted as either party providing any legal advice in regards to compliance with any employment or other applicable state, federal, or international laws.



Learn more at icims.com/hiring-insights

About iCIMS

iCIMS is the leading provider of talent acquisition solutions that help businesses win the war for top talent. iCIMS empowers companies to manage their entire hiring process within the industry’s most robust Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). Built on the foundation of a best-to-market talent acquisition software suite, iCIMS’ PaaS framework, UNIFi, allows employers to expand the capabilities of their core talent acquisition technology by integrating with the largest partner ecosystem in talent acquisition to help them attract, find, screen, and manage candidates. Offering scalable, easy-to-use solutions that are backed by award-winning customer service, iCIMS supports more than 3,500 contracted customers and is one of the largest and fastest-growing talent acquisition solution providers.

Chief Economist: Josh Wright

Josh Wright is Chief Economist at iCIMS and oversees the organization’s proprietary research. Prior to joining iCIMS, Josh served as a U.S. economist with Bloomberg L.P., where he analyzed current macroeconomic trends and was a frequent guest contributor on Bloomberg Radio and Bloomberg TV.

As Chief Economist at iCIMS, Josh is responsible for analyzing proprietary data in order to produce fresh insights on emerging trends in the U.S. labor market. He contributes to the publishing of quarterly trends reports, as well as semi-annual reports and blog posts on ad hoc labor topics. In addition, Josh supports in the development of software that allows clients to analyze their own performance relative to industry benchmarks by collaborating with data scientists, software developers, and marketing executives.

A former Federal Reserve staffer, Josh helped build the Fed’s mortgage-backed securities (MBS) portfolio of more than $1 trillion, among other responses to the global financial crisis.

As a researcher, he has published on labor and housing markets, as well as U.S. monetary policy, and advised policymakers across the legislative and executive branches of government.

About iCIMS Hiring Insights

iCIMS Hiring Insights is an online resource for labor market insights and hiring trends. Our team of researchers and writers uses iCIMS’ exclusive data, as well as proprietary and secondary research, to create reports and articles that cover the most recent developments in the workforce. Featuring iCIMS’ Chief Economist, Josh Wright, iCIMS Hiring Insights helps its readers stay well-informed about the latest in recruiting, technology, and the labor market. To learn more visit: www.icims.com/hiring-insights.

HIRING INSIGHTS



http://icims.com/hiring-insights

www.icims.com/hiring-insights.

HIRING INSIGHTS Job Seekers Get Social - iCIMS 2015... · Google+, and Facebook in the job...

Documents

Transcript of HIRING INSIGHTS Job Seekers Get Social - iCIMS 2015... · Google+, and Facebook in the job...