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Attending a breakfast seminar today in London, hosted by Totaljobs , featuring Totaljobs marketing research and International Labour market research by the Intelligence Group for The Network

Paul Smith, Group Marketing Director of Totaljobs Group , led off the presentations, after the introductions by John Salt. We will write about the Intelligence Group presentation (which is very impressive) later.

General economic challenges have impacted the job market

• Decline in jobs
• Increase in jobseeker activity
• Google - recruitment query searches up 55% year on year

Advertising spend drops from £1.2 billion to £600 million

• Offline decline 50%
• Online decrease 30%

Paul projects a modest increase end 2011, early 2012 and online recruitment ad spend will pass offline in 2012

What is impact of Social Media on Recruitment
"Wave 4" research for Totaljobs

What are users doing online?

• 60% have social network profile
• 70% read blogs
• 64% use social media daily
• Project that there is unlikely to much further growth, the 1/3 not using Social networks now won't join later.

Use of Social Networks has changed
More about self expression and behaviours with users clustering based on their behaviours - which is great for marketers

• create
• inform
• entertain
• consume

Focus Group on impact of Social and Professional Networks on recruitment
Asked two focus groups
Jobseekers (12)
Direct Recruiters (6 agency and 6 in-house)

Finding a job using social media, e.g. Facebook
1 of 12 been contacted via Facebook
5 of 12 might consider it

Jobseeker thoughts

• too personal
• passive
• possible specialist or senior management only
• not primary resource for finding a job
• they think Social Networks are a tool for recruiters

Recruiters thoughts

• agencies critical of this trend
• perception on number of people using social media to find work is that it is a low number
• they think it is a tool for candidates
• wrong type of candidate
• can't access from work

Finding a job using Professional Networks, e.g. LinkedIn
Jobseekers thoughts

• not sure how to use
• passive, sitting and waiting for something to happen
• privacy concern
• aimed at senior mgmt

Recruiters thoughts

• generic, not job specific
• not a real recruitment tool
• not easy to report on actions

What is potential impact of Social Media on job boards?

• Jobseekers will continue to use a wide variety of online sources such as search engines and recruitment sites
• 50 million recruitment related searches in the UK per WEEK on Google
• Remain aware of Social Networks for recruitment, but not the professional tools that might be available
• Recruiters will use Social Media, but won't replace job sites as their primary source of candidates