Next month we are publishing an update to the Talent Acquisition Systems industry study. Although many key trends have emerged, the current state of today’s talent acquisition systems market can be summed up in two words…social media. Even those providers that were slow to get their feet wet are now diving in full force. They have no choice. Organizations both large and small are demanding more innovation and expect more integration with LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Here are some of the key findings in this area:

1. Video interviewing is gaining steam. Video has become a popular vehicle for improving any talent acquisition strategy. Both employers and job seekers are experimenting with ways to enhance resumes, employer branding, job ads and onboarding programs. While the role of video is still up for debate in most of these talent acquisition areas, video interviewing has demonstrated its staying power for the obvious benefits in reducing travel costs and time to fill. More and more organizations are demanding integration from their TAS with video interviewing providers such as Hirevue and Greenjobinterview. Rio Tinto, Google, Dish Network are all examples of companies investing in video interviewing technology to effectively save costs and reduced time to fill.

2. The LinkedIn profile will likely replace the resume. With over 75 million users, LinkedIn has become one of the most effective tools for both job seekers and recruiters. It offers a way to strengthen employer branding, engage both active and passive candidates, and build a talent pipeline. Every solution provider included in this report offers some level of integration with LinkedIn. At the most basic level, these providers are broadcasting jobs. At a more sophisticated level, they are targeting messages to individual LinkedIn groups and passive candidates. Some of the leading providers have even responded to requests to upload and parse a LinkedIn profile instead of a resume. Although still in its infancy, most organizations are just starting to test out this concept. The resume has created a myriad of challenges for anyone involved in the applicant process. Similar to the concept of a standard application, a LinkedIn profile offers a common language and some standardization around the process. 

3. Integration with social networking sites needs to engage passive candidates. Social networking has almost become passé at this point. Every organization both at the enterprise and mid-market is looking for some type of integration from their TAS with social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Many organizations do not necessarily understand how to use these sites but do recognize the value they provide to their branding and sourcing efforts. Every provider in this report offers some way to broadcast and “share” jobs on these social networking sites from a candidate career page. True differentiation in this area can be found in those providers that offer ways to engage passive candidates and even to refer candidates. For example, providing a widget for passive candidates to save jobs from corporate career sites onto their own blogs or Google pages to visit when they are ready to apply. Talent acquisition systems need to include bidirectional integration with social networking sites.

Social media is here to stay. For more in-depth information on this topic and for a full list of leading providers and the key trends in the market, stay tuned for the release of this research report.