LinkedIn has become an integral component of any recruitment professional’s toolbox. It gives us unprecedented access to millions of professionals across the world. With LinkedIn, you can find a laundry list of candidates for virtually any job description in a matter of seconds.

But that’s just one side of the coin. Despite it’s value, LinkedIn is a large part of why our industry is so broken.

Social Media and Search Engine are Only the beginning 

Of course, it’s not LinkedIn’s fault – they’ve provided a great social media platform for professionals to network with one another.

The problem is how recruiters use the platform. It allows us to access tons of names, phone numbers, and biographical information in a matter of seconds. That’s a blessing, but it’s also a curse.

The amount of information available on Google, LinkedIn, and other social media, fools recruiters into thinking that no more research is necessary. They get tricked into thinking that’s the complete picture.

Big mistake.

Only 35% of LinkedIn users are active on a monthly basis. Even worse, only 65% of the talent population can even be found online! In short, social media and search engines only go so far.

Used by themselves, social media and search engines will leave with you a horribly incomplete and hugely outdated look at the talent pool. If you rely on these two tools alone, you’re liable to have outdated candidate bios, incorrect contact information, and falsified data, among other issues.

THE COST OF OUTDATED, INCOMPLETE DATA

If you’re anything like the average recruiter, you’re used to working long hours, performing under pressure, and making do with bad or partial information. Or worse, you can’t find anything at all if it is a very niche role. Most people in the industry simply accept this as the norm – but why? There’s a better way forward.

By utilizing structured, verified, recruitment intelligence – as opposed to the unstructured nature of data on social media – recruiters can save time and effort with every step in the process. Verified contact information prevents dead-ends or wrong number calls, while up-to-date candidate information such as the REAL title, function, current employer, and reporting structure helps you reach out to more candidates with the required experience and skills. Lastly, having a more accurate and complete picture will also assist you in building genuine relationships with candidates, which is especially important for recruiting millennials.

Qualigence International provides world-class recruitment intelligence your team can use as a tool for building a complete talent picture and expanding your existing talent pool. Contact us today to learn about how our advanced recruitment research empowers recruiters and organizations with highly accurate, complete, and current candidate information.