Social Media and Job Searching - A France Overview

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2 Recruiting is increasingly social and Adecco wants to know how it works. An international survey, that involved over 17,272 candidates and 1502 Human Resources managers between March 18 and June 2, 2014, collected responses from French job seekers (1.584 complete responses and partial responses 1 ), with the purpose of understanding how they search for jobs through social media, which instruments they use, and how they present themselves online. The sample presents a substantially balanced distribution for individual characteristics, with a majority of men (51%), born after 1981 (43%), with a degree (43%). Those who are currently employed (37%) are mostly in a non-managerial position (86%). The present report is structured in four areas: the use of social media for job search purposes, the effectiveness of social media in the matching between supply and demand, web reputation and its impact on job search, and the social capital of individual candidates. It is interesting to analyze this data, keeping an eye on the Recruiters results from Southern EU, in order to understand how they explore Web 2.0 when looking for a candidate. The report is concluded with a statistical appendix, which offers further detail on the responses provided by the participants. 1 The total values reported in the tables and figures also include the partial responses, which did not provide information related to their sociodemographic profiles. Therefore, they may present a value that does not fit the sociodemographic profile. 1

3 The data shows that 32% of job seekers utilize social media for job search purposes. Viadeo is largely the most used social networking site (13%) for professional job search activities, making France one of the few countries to utilize LinkedIn less often than other platforms for this particular purpose. LinkedIn however, does follow closely behind Viadeo in terms of job search usage (10%) (fig. 1). Fig. 1 - Social Media Used in General and for Job Search.. Notes: (1) General use also includes job search usage. (2) Total Social Media is the percentage proportion of respondents using at least one of the considered social media platforms. 80,0 70,0 73,056 60,0 50,0 40,0 30,0 20,0 10,0,0 47,288 39,495 5,963 1,522 16,341 13,069 10,189 2,838 5,636 1,241 3,394,336,403 3,327 7,615,403 19,947 12,821 1,985,673 32,429 General Use Use for job search 2

4 In France, women use social networking sites slightly more often than men for both general (80% vs 72%) and professional purposes (39% vs 32%). The use of such instruments is inversely proportional to the age of the candidate, meaning that the younger a candidate is, the more likely they are to utilize social media platforms for general use, however regarding job search purposes, its highest among the elder ( ) and younger (after 1981) generations. Education level is also an important factor, since the use of social media for job search purposes among those with a secondary school education title significantly increases with the attainment of a higher educational level (tab.1). Tab. 1 - Social Media Used in General and for Job Search by Socio-demographic Profile.. Note: The analysis of seekers born before 1946 (over 70 years old) has been omitted because of a limited sample size. General Use Use for job search Gender Female 80,5 38,8 Male 72,5 32,2 Year of birth ,3 35, ,4 31,9 After ,7 38,5 Level of education completed Less than High School 74,6 26,2 High School 70,3 27,3 College 81,1 42,0 Master or Doctoral Degree 86,4 58,0 Total 73,1 32,4 The usage rate of social media for job search is significantly higher among those candidates who are currently looking for their first job (57%). Its use is slightly less frequent among both employed and unemployed job seekers (fig. 2). Fig. 2 - Social Media Use for Job Search by Employment Status ,4 31,7 37,5 Employed Unemployed and looking for work By employment status 56,6 Looking for my 1 job Total 3

5 Among the different activities that can be done to search for jobs online, the ones most frequently utilized by the candidates include searching through job ads (40%), researching potential employers online pages (35%), and the distribution of CVs (32%). Personal branding and professional networking uses are comparatively less frequent, therefore we can conclude that French job seekers use social media in a more employment search manner (tab. 2). Tab. 2 - Use of Social Media for Specific Job Searching Activities.. Note: Multiple choice question. Rank Job searching activities: 1 Searching for jobs 40,0 2 Researching potential employers' pages 35,1 3 Distributing my CV 32,2 4 Professional networking 30,9 5 Submitting applications 30,5 6 Check what other say about potential employers 26,8 7 Personal branding 19,7 The use of social media for job search purposes is also related to the level of IT skills possessed by the candidate. Regarding the self-evaluation of competences, candidates seem to see themselves more skillful in their ability to search for and find interesting information, and connect with others, although the levels reported are relatively low compared to other job countries (0,03) (tab. 3). Tab. 3 - Index of Expertise on Social Media.. Note: Index value from -1 (not at all confident) to 1 (very confident), value 0 if neutral position. Rank Task about expertise on Social Media Index 1 I can find important and interesting information by reading other people's content on social media 0,03 2 I can use social media as an effective way of connecting with others 0,03 3 I can be very effective at using social media 0,02 4 I can communicate very effectively using social media 0,00 5 I can offer other people important and interesting information by posting on social media -0,04 6 I can have a positive impact on the lives of others through social media -0,14 4

6 A reported 32% of job seekers utilize social media to distribute their CV online, with 19% of total job seekers having been contacted by a recruiter through social media at least once, and 5% receiving a job offer. Females are only slightly more active than males on social media (39% vs 31%), but males tend to receive job offers at a slightly higher rate (21% vs 10%). The display of a Master s or Doctorate degree also increases the chances a candidate will be contacted (14%) (tab. 4). Tab. 4 - Steps Taken to Get a Job by Socio-demographic Characteristics.. Nota: The analysis of seekers born before 1946 (over 70 years old) has been omitted because of a limited sample size. Gender Distributing CV Contacted by a recruiter Get the job Female 39,4 19,4 3,9 Male 31,2 19,6 5,7 Year of birth ,7 16,5 4, ,5 20,8 3,9 After ,3 19,5 5,7 Highest level of education completed Less than High School 32,2 12,7 3,4 High School 25,7 12,8 3,4 College 41,3 24,1 5,5 Master or Doctoral Degree 63,8 45,7 13,6 Principal employment status Employed 34,7 22,7 6,1 Unemployed and looking for work 35,6 17,2 4,0 Total 32,2 19,5 4,6 5

7 Job seekers believe that, among the different elements displayed on companies profiles, the most attractive ones are the presence of job ads (attractiveness index 0,41), followed by the presence of general information about the company (0,38) and the personal content posts made by the company (0,25). Social media profiles operated by the firms are therefore, more often perceived by French candidates to be informational dashboards as opposed to relationship building channels (tab. 5). Tab. 5 - Attractiveness Index of the Company s Social Media Page. Note: Index value from -1 (min attractiveness) to 1 (max attractiveness). Rank Elements on company's Social Media profile Index 1 Job Postings (and ability to search for jobs) 0,41 2 General company information (e.g. about, contact...) 0,38 3 Content posted by the company 0,25 4 Recommendation on this company by relatives or contacts 0,14 5 Comments posted by other users 0,12 6 Firm popularity (likes, reviews...) 0,11 7 Company's interaction with users 0,11 8 Pictures 0,04 9 Number of followers (e.g. fans, group members...) -0,01 Among the different social networking sites, none of them are considered to be significantly effective (effectiveness index assumes a value between -1, lowest effectiveness, and 1, greatest effectiveness). The less ineffective ones, however, are Viadeo (-0,15) and LinkedIn (-0,19) (fig. 3). Fig. 3 - Effectiveness Index of Social Media for Recruitment Purposes. Note: Index value from -1 (max ineffectiveness) to 1 (max effectiveness), value 0 if neutral position. 6

8 Maintaining a professional online image using Facebook is not a priority for candidates from France (0,06). This we can attribute to the fact that candidates tend to believe that the information displayed on their profiles is seen mostly by their friends (0,32) due to privacy settings altered by the candidates (0,35). This confirms the notion that Facebook often tends to be seen as a social networking site that is orientated more towards friendships, as opposed to professional relationships. Tab. 6 - Index of Agreement with Specific Statements Regarding a Candidate s Private and Professional Image on Facebook. Note: Index value from -1 (max disagreement) to 1 (max agreement), value 0 if neutral position. Rank Statements about privacy Index Rank Statements about privacy Index 1 My profile can only be accessed by my friends 0,35 2 I assume my profile is only viewed by my friends 0,32 3 It is important to maintain a professional image online 0,06 4 My online image is important to my future 0,03 The element most often presented on the web profiles of the candidates from France is professional experience (0,07), while personal information, the number of contacts, and the references and comments posted by others are significantly less present (tab. 7). It is interesting to note that professional awards and prizes, and personal information, which recruiters give considerable importance to, are very often overlooked by candidates as relevant material to place on their profiles (-0,36) (tab. 7). Tab. 7 - Career Related Information Contained in Social Media Profile: Index of Attendance. Note: Index value from -1 (fully absent element) to 1 (very attendant element). Rank Elements on Social Media profile Index 1 Professional experience 0,07 2 Personal information (e.g. marital status, gender...) -0,10 3 Personality emerging from profile -0,16 4 Number of contacts -0,23 5 Hobbies and personal interests -0,25 6 Content posted -0,26 7 Pictures -0,32 8 Professional prizes and awards -0,36 9 References and comments posted by others -0,36 Finally, we may also highlight the presence of a minor, but still relevant percentage of candidates, who were required to provide their Facebook password, or any other social media access credentials (3%) to their recruiter during a job interview. Among the candidates who declare having had their password requested, roughly one in three have opted to provide the password to the hirer. Tab. 8 - Have you ever been asked for your password for Facebook or another social media platform during a job interview? Did You reveal it?. Note: of "Revealed the password" calculated on cases "Been asked for your password". Been asked for your password 3,0 Revealed the password 30,8 7

9 A number of researches have demonstrated how the most effective channel for the matching of supply and demand is wordof-mouth. Therefore, it is important not only to study the configuration of the personal social networks of the candidates, but also the role played by social media to enforce or diversify these relationships and to facilitate access to new information. To do so, we have utilized the position generator, one of the tools that is widely advocated throughout their research that consents to estimate the wealth of the social capital of an individual. This is done by first assessing professional figures that belong to their social network. A proportional weight relating to the prestige status of the occupation, as it is commonly classified by professional class structure, is then attributed to each of the professions. This consents to rate social networks based upon their wealth in social capital, namely weak (low social capital), medium, or rich (high social capital). To refine the analysis, we have adopted also a slight variation, asking whether contact was more often based on offline, online, or multiple (both) interactions. From this question, we have been able to reconstruct the wealth created by the offline and online social capital of the individuals involved, and the most frequent relationship based channels they use. Candidates appear to have strongly integrated networks made-up of a combination of offline and online relationships. The online network also tends to be weaker than the offline network in 16% of cases (superior cells in light grey) and richer in only 13% of cases (dark grey cells) (tab. 9). Tab. 9 - Strength of the Candidate's Online and Offline Networks.. Note: the network was calculated by attributing the weight ISEI (International Classification for Professional Prestige) to each professional figure acknowledged by a candidate and then dividing the distribution of the networks into weak, medium, and rich categories using the tertile observed for each of respondents at an international level. Offline network Online network Weak Medium Rich Total Weak 44,5 5,3 4,5 54,3 Medium 7,9 19,7 5,8 33,4 Rich 2,7 2,2 7,3 12,2 Total 55,1 27,3 17,6 100,0 The use of social media for job search purposes is less common among those with a weak network (both online and offline), and increases with the richness of the network. Candidates with the richest networks generally use social media more often for all job-search related activities, are contacted more often by recruiters, and are more likely to receive an offer. This shows that those who integrate and make use of both offline and online networks, and have richer networks are generally more effective in the job search (tab. 10). Tab Indicators Regarding the Use of Social Media by Level of Offline and Online Networks.. Indicators about use of Online network Offline network Social Media Weak Medium Rich Weak Medium Rich Total Use of Social Media for job 24,7 48,6 46,7 29,2 43,0 43,0 32,4 searching Distributing CV 22,2 48,9 54,8 28,1 42,3 46,3 32,2 Contacted by a recruiter 12,0 24,7 38,6 15,1 23,2 27,5 19,5 Get the job 3,1 6,1 8,9 4,0 5,9 5,9 4,6 1 To differentiate between concepts, we speak about social media to refer to social platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter etc..) and social networks to refer to the relationships (online and offline) of the candidates. 8

10 Tab 1.A - Generally speaking, which social networks do you use? Do you use them for job search? No Yes Yes, for job search Total Facebook 52,7 41,3 6,0 100,0 YouTube 60,5 38,0 1,5 100,0 LinkedIn 83,7 6,2 10,2 100,0 Twitter 86,9 10,2 2,8 100,0 Google+ 53,1 29,6 17,3 100,0 Blog 94,4 4,4 1,2 100,0 Tumblr 96,6 3,1 0,3 100,0 Pinterest 96,7 2,9 0,4 100,0 Instagram 92,4 7,2 0,4 100,0 Viadeo 80,1 7,1 12,8 100,0 Xing 98,0 1,3 0,7 100,0 Tab 2.A - How often do you look for jobs on social media? Every day 46,2 Several times per week 29,3 At least once a week 14,0 At least once a month 10,5 Tab 3.A - Use of social networks for job search, activities? No Yes Total Personal branding 80,3 19,7 100,0 Distributing my CV 67,8 32,2 100,0 Professional networking 69,1 30,9 100,0 Searching for jobs 60,0 40,0 100,0 Submitting applications 69,5 30,5 100,0 Researching potential employers' pages 64,9 35,1 100,0 Check what other say about potential employers 73,2 26,8 100,0 9

11 Tab 4.A - From 1 to 5, how effective are these social networks for job search? 1 (very ineffective) (very effective) I don't know Facebook 26,0 10,0 19,5 7,1 3,2 34,1 100,0 YouTube 31,8 8,2 15,3 2,7 1,5 40,5 100,0 LinkedIn 19,3 4,8 15,9 9,6 6,3 44,2 100,0 Twitter 23,0 6,9 15,7 4,5 2,4 47,6 100,0 Google+ 17,6 6,0 18,2 10,8 11,1 36,3 100,0 Blog 21,7 5,7 15,3 3,2 1,0 53,0 100,0 Tumblr 23,9 4,8 13,3 0,8 0,5 56,7 100,0 Pinterest 24,8 4,6 13,0 0,8 0,3 56,5 100,0 Instagram 26,7 5,2 12,9 1,1 0,5 53,6 100,0 Viadeo 18,9 4,8 14,6 9,8 8,1 43,7 100,0 Xing 22,8 3,9 12,9 0,9 0,8 58,7 100,0 Total Tab 5.A - From 1 to 5, what career-related information does your social media profile contain? 1 (not at all) 2 3 (neutral) 4 5 (a lot) Personal information (e.g. marital status, gender...) 28,3 7,4 32,5 19,7 12,1 100,0 Personality emerging from profile 29,3 8,8 36,2 16,9 8,9 100,0 Pictures 38,4 11,2 32,8 10,8 6,9 100,0 Professional experience 25,6 4,5 23,7 21,7 24,4 100,0 Number of contacts 32,2 10,1 36,9 12,9 8,0 100,0 Hobbies and personal interests 31,8 12,1 35,6 14,8 5,7 100,0 Professional prizes and awards 40,8 10,4 33,7 9,2 5,8 100,0 References and comments posted by others 41,2 10,3 33,1 9,6 5,9 100,0 Content posted 35,6 10,1 33,5 12,0 8,8 100,0 Total Tab 6.A - From 1 to 5, how likely are you to post the following items on your Facebook profile? (ABSENT QUESTION) Tab 7.A - From 1 to 5, indicate to which extent you agree with the following statements in regards to your Facebook profile. My profile can I assume my It is important to I work hard to My online image only be profile is only maintain a maintain a is important to accessed by my viewed by my professional professional image my future friends friends image online on my profile 1 (I strongly disagree) 16,8 15,9 23,3 29,6 25,0 2 5,0 5,7 7,3 9,3 6,8 3 (neutral) 18,6 21,7 30,3 36,1 29,5 4 11,0 11,5 12,5 10,5 14,0 5 (I strongly agree) 48,5 45,2 26,6 14,5 24,8 100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0 10

12 Tab 8.A - Have you ever been contacted by a recruiter through your profile on a social media platform? No 80,5 Yes 19,5 Tab 9.A - Did you get the job? Note: Statistic calculated only for "Yes" answers of Tab. 8.A. No 76,3 Yes 23,7 Tab 10.A - Have you ever been asked for your password for Facebook, or another social media platform, during a job interview? No 97,0 Yes 3,0 Tab 11.A - Did you reveal it? Note: Statistic calculated only for "Yes" answers of Tab. 10.A. No 69,2 Yes 30,8 Tab 12.A - Do you think companies use social media to recruit? No 24,0 Yes 32,9 I don't know 43,0 11

13 Tab 13.A - From 1 to 5, how much do the following attract your attention on a company s social media page? 1 (not at all) 2 3 (neutral) 4 5 (a lot) General company information (e.g. about, contact...) 11,4 3,6 21,7 23,9 39,3 100,0 Pictures 16,9 8,1 39,8 20,5 14,7 100,0 Number of followers (e.g. fans, group members...) 17,7 8,4 43,7 19,0 11,2 100,0 Firm popularity (likes, reviews...) 15,3 6,6 36,6 23,0 18,5 100,0 Company's interaction with users 15,1 6,0 36,7 25,2 16,9 100,0 Content posted by the company 12,6 4,5 29,1 28,6 25,1 100,0 Comments posted by other users 15,1 6,6 35,4 25,4 17,4 100,0 Job Postings (and ability to search for jobs) 11,2 3,4 21,0 20,5 44,0 100,0 Recommendation on this company by relatives or contacts 14,9 5,7 36,0 22,9 20,5 100,0 Total Tab 14.A - From 1 to 7, please indicate how certain you are that you can perform each of the following tasks. I can be very effective at using social media I can have a positive impact on the lives of others through social media I can offer other people important and interesting information by posting on social media I can find important and interesting information by reading other people's content on social media I can use social media as an effective way of connecting with others I can communicate very effectively using social media 1 (not at all confident) 18,4 22,3 20,6 17,8 18,5 18,8 2 5,5 7,0 5,2 5,1 5,3 5,5 3 5,8 6,5 6,5 5,4 5,0 5,8 4 (neutral) 31,2 38,7 32,1 29,0 30,3 32,6 5 14,9 12,7 15,4 17,5 15,2 14,7 6 11,3 7,0 9,8 13,2 12,9 10,4 7 (very confident) 13,0 5,8 10,5 11,9 12,9 12,2 100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0 100,0 12

14 Tab 15.A - Does your online or offline network include the following professions? Online Offline Both online and offline No Don't know or don't remember Insurance agent 6,9 12,5 10,4 55,0 15,2 100,0 Nurse 6,6 14,1 13,3 52,6 13,3 100,0 Lawyer 4,8 10,8 7,8 62,0 14,6 100,0 Book-keeper or accountant 7,6 9,6 13,6 54,7 14,5 100,0 Construction worker 10,6 12,7 21,8 40,4 14,4 100,0 Policy maker 5,2 7,1 5,5 65,9 16,3 100,0 Police officer 4,2 9,8 8,6 61,5 15,9 100,0 Unskilled laborer 10,1 10,8 22,4 41,4 15,3 100,0 Director of a company 8,9 10,7 15,1 50,0 15,3 100,0 Engineer 9,4 8,6 18,4 48,3 15,3 100,0 Cleaner 6,1 10,2 12,2 55,2 16,3 100,0 Estate or Real-estate agent 6,8 9,5 12,1 55,9 15,8 100,0 Total Tab 16.A - Gender. Female 48,7 Male 51,3 Tab 17.A - Year of birth. Before , , ,7 After ,4 Tab 18.A - What is the highest level of education you have completed? Less than High School 7,9 High School 40,8 Some College 8,2 2 or 3 year College Degree 30,1 4 or 5 year College Degree 7,9 Master or Doctoral Degree 5,1 13

15 Tab 19.A - Field of study. Education 4,8 Art and humanities 2,7 Social sciences, journalism and information 3,2 Business, administration and law 35,4 Natural sciences, mathematics and statistic 3,0 Information and Communication Technologies 5,9 Engineering, manufacturing and construction 21,8 Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary 2,3 Health and welfare 2,8 Services 18,1 Tab 20.A - How many years of work experience do you have? 1 year or less 15,8 2 years 8,9 3-5 years 16, years 15, years 22,7 More than 20 years 21,6 Tab 21.A - Employment status. Employed 36,9 Unemployed and looking for work 52,2 Unemployed but not seeking work 4,8 Temporarily redundant 1,4 Looking for my first job 3,3 I have never worked and I'm not looking for a job 1,3 Tab 22.A - Business area. (ABSENT QUESTION) 14

16 Tab 23.A - What is your position? Note: Statistic calculated only for "employed" answers of Tab. 21.A. Non manager 85,8 Middle manager 3,9 Manager 8,4 Senior manager and above 1,9 Tab 24.A - Which department do you work in? Note: Statistic calculated only for "employed" answers of Tab. 21.A. Controlling, Accounting & Finance 5,6 Purchasing 1,5 Manufacturing 23,3 Research & Development 4,1 Information Technology 2,2 Logistics 13,3 Sales 6,9 Marketing 1,7 Corporate Communication & PR 3,0 Human Resources 33,7 Quality Management 4,8 15