Social Sign On Makes Applying Online Easier for Job Seekers

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By Jessica Miller-Merrell

If I have to remember one more password for yet another website or social network, I think I’m going to implode. Passwords and pin codes were created for our protection against theft but they prove to be an annoyance. Most people, once they are on Facebook or LinkedIn, don’t generally log out including myself which is why the social sign on as part of the hiring and job application process is so convenient.

The Social Sign On Improves Candidate Experience  

Job seekers who are registered on social networks have their details all ready to go, and now, recruiters are making it easy to find those people by allowing them to apply for jobs using their social log-in information. It’s a super-simple way to create accounts using your network by tying into their network. In fact, just yesterday, I used my Facebook account to access a client blog on Typepad, where I write.  No need to create or try to remember new complex passwords. This makes my life – and job seekers’ lives – a lot easier.

Job seekers already spend an average of 45 minutes completing an online application and employers who add the social sign on to their ATS can shave off 10-20 minutes.  When it comes to the candidate experience, I believe that is money well spent. 

Gigya, the makers of SaaS technology, did a study recently that showed that sites that incorporate Facebook Connect, LinkedIn and Twitter sign saw users spending 50 percent more time on that site when they logged in through a social network. Except for the candidate experience, this works in reverse. We want job seekers to apply online quickly and seamlessly especially since an application is a candidate buying decision.

We want job seekers to spend time not on the application but researching and learning about their prospective place of work. That means we encourage the casual Internet surfing of videos, joining our talent network, blogs, and our company culture page instead of spending copious amounts of time completing an application online. 

Is the social sign on mainstream just yet? Not quite, but it’s a trend I seen differentiating employers as job seekers weigh their employment options. Here’s the breakdown based on all websites that offer social sign on not just employers and their online applications.

• ·      Facebook is the most popular origin of social logins with 61 percent

• ·      Yahoo is 15 percent

• ·      Google is 12 percent

• ·      Twitter is 10 percent

• ·      LinkedIn is 2 percent

While I see LinkedIn being higher for employment applications because it is a professional social network, employers will also offer several options when it comes to the social sign on as not everyone has a profile on every social network or uses them the same way. 

Mobile Job Search Lends to the Social Sign On

Imagine spending 45 minutes applying for a job posting on a company's ATS or applicant tracking system. Yikes. Now, imagine doing the same thing from your mobile device. As screens get smaller, the social sign on becomes more important not just from a time stand point for the candidate but in the job seeker's user experience.  We are relying on our mobile devices, tablets and smartphones more than ever before including the hiring and employment process. In January 2013, 6 million people searched for jobs using their mobile device, a figure that more than doubled from a year ago according to recent report from ComScore. I find that recruitment and workplace trends normally follow suit of how consumers are using tools and technology in their personal lives. 

The downside is that social media privacy issues involving employent may pop up. Giving a social network access to data and information like social security numbers and your job history is enough to give anyone the willies. Employers will have to work hard to communicate to their candidates, that the social sign in process is used to make the hiring and login process easier.  Given the recent media attention and legislation making it illegal for employers to request social network access and password, companies will have to make sure and communicate and educate how the social sign on process works.  And that using the sign on does not give employers access to candidate social network passwords and information.

Did you know that Talent Circles incorporates the social sign on into their talent network?  This features makes it easy for candidates to join instantly.  Click here to learn more. 

Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR is a workplace and technology strategist specializing in social media. She’s an author who writes at Blogging4Jobs. You can follow her on Twitter @blogging4jobs.