As I couldn't make it to the recent TruStockholm event the lovely Martin Couzins very kindly offered (well, was persuaded) to write a little summary for us….
It was put to me at last week's TruStockholm recruiting unconference that the current rise in traditional recruiting channels – print is up 40%, according to Monster's Stefan Rizvi – is due to the fact that employers are refusing to deal with the fact social recruiting channels are changing the way recruiters recruit.
Far from burying their heads in the sand, employers are reverting to tried and tested methods because they simply do not know what to do when it comes to new recruiting channels. The issue is not being ignored – it is not being recognised. Traditional values for traditional channels seems to be the approach.
Well, the good news for Swedish employers is that TruStockholm was well attended by recruitment consultants and that delegates are both open to new ways of recruiting with some already succeeding at using blogs, Twitter and Linkedin.
However, those that attend Tru recruiting unconferences – wherever they are in the world – tend to be at the forefront of innovation, or at least engaging with it. So there is still a long way to go for Swedish recruitment with current estimates suggesting Sweden is around 18 months behind the UK on social recruiting.
But as Monster's Rizvi points out, the pace of change will be speeding up. The tools are there and the growing Swedish economy has vacancies that need filling.
Rob van Elberg of Rave-cruitment made the point that Monster. se currently has 400 Java vacancies. Another delegate pointed out that graduates in gaming programming languages are being inundated with job offers. Technology is powering growth in the Swedish economy and there will be huge skills shortages in ICT which will require Swedish employers to recruit from outside Sweden.
Sweden is online, make no mistake about that – Swedes are on Linkedin, Facebook, blogs – less so Twitter and, according to van Elberg, even 20% of three year olds in Sweden are online.
It is how they are online that is important for the adoption of social recruiting – Swedes are private people and the tend not to mix business and personal life on social media networks.
TruStockholm showed that Swedish recruiters have an appetite for getting the most out of social recruiting – see Andy Headworth's review of day one and day two. Match this with Sweden's economic imperative to fill jobs and you can see that social recruiting could really take off.
For it to do so, employers, recruiters and jobseekers are going to have to realise the benefits of using new social media platforms. As Torgil Lenning, partner at market research company Potential Park, said;
'We all have a lot to do to help HR, recruiters and candidates to connect using new media. That is one of the most important things coming out of TruStockholm.'
Find all the links to TruStockholm blog posts, pictures, audio and video
The next Tru event is TruAmsterdam on the 28th & 29th April
Martin Couzins is a freelance journalist, blogger and trainer.
Thanks to Sara Headworth for the photo from the event (you can view the rest on her Flickr stream)
