Jobcast Transforms Recruitment in Age of Social

Social is the new major channel for career success and talent recruitment.

Jobcast, a Facebook Recruiting App that makes it possible for employers and recruiters to build fully branded career sections on their company Facebook Page, plans to capitalize on this.

The company has been nominated for the BCTIA Most Promising Startup award at the Technology Impact Awards.

Founders Ryan St. Germaine and Johnny Oshika recognized the demand for social recruiting and created Jobcast in 2011.  Social recruitment is a unique and expanding arena, one that relies on people’s social currency to match candidates with opportunities.

This type of recruiting is more popular that one might immediately think.  According to a Jobvite survey, 73% of recruiters have hired a candidate via social media, and 90% of the companies surveyed were using social media as a recruitment channel to one degree or another.

On the job-seeking side of the market, the numbers are even more compelling.  An Aberdeen Group study found that 73% of millennials, those 18 to 34 years old, found their latest job through a social network.

“People spend more time online these days than they do reading the news, so in that respect social recruiting has a leg up on newspaper job ads.  But really, social media adds value to traditional channels such as job boards, career sites, and phone calls,” said St. Germaine.

He continues, “Social recruiting is an excellent way to get noticed by passive candidates who are not actively looking for a new job, but are open to a career change, to build or promote a company’s employer brand, and to reach candidates where they spend the majority of their time.  And, social networks are also great for really showing candidates what your company culture is all about.”

Both recruiters and employees show an affinity for social due to a reason fundamental to the hiring process:  the reduction of information asymmetry.  Both parties put their best foot forward during the recruiting process, and on very imperfect information, take a calculated risk when committing.  Social media, used deliberately and strategically, can both help to fill out the picture about a candidate and company, and utilize the networks and social proof of a trusted intermediary to bolster visibility and credibility.

Jobcast offers a free Basic plan that includes three job posts, as well as Premium and Enterprise plans which include access to new and upgraded features as well as an increased amounts of job posts.

According to the founders, Jobcast’s strength lay in its user experience.  Jobcast provides detailed metrics, a mobile-optimized experience, and the ability to integrate with Applicant Tracking Systems specifically designed to facilitate hiring.  It is available in eleven languages.

Based on feedback from customers, Jobcast is in the process of launching a new version of their platform that will connect all of a customer’s social networks and enhance the visual appeal of their social shares.

“Their requests make a lot of sense considering that Twitter shares with images get 94% more views and job ads with video get an average of 36% more applications.  The new Jobcast will make it easy for companies to share their jobs across all of their social channels, to include the kind of imagery and videos that attract qualified passive candidates, and to make their social recruitment process collaborative,” said St. Germaine.