Staffing and recruitment company, Randstad MENA, has placed 73 percent of senior hires across the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region in the last 16 months using solutions from LinkedIn. The number is interesting especially because it throws more light on the friend or foe equation between head hunting firms and LinkedIn.
“LinkedIn has been a great asset in attracting senior members of staff as we can target our adverts and ensure they are reaching the desired caliber of candidates. For every deal and transaction and every candidate we have placed, somewhere LinkedIn has been involved. Most our follower demographics come from people holding senior positions. When we recruit for senior roles, we can tap into our quality database and in turn, many of these applicants become clients for Randstad MENA,” said Richard Whale, Managing Director, Randstad Middle East and North Africa.
Randstad used LinkedIn to establish digital presence for the company, focusing on building awareness for both business development purposes and candidate attraction. This was essential for the company as it was managing 17 countries, and logistically, the consultants couldn’t meet candidates or clients face-to-face. The objective also was to target the region’s best talent, both passive and active candidates. “This is where LinkedIn came on board as our consultant; to market the brand, using advanced tools such as sponsored campaigns, building a career page and ultimately creating a digital shopfront where candidates and clients can interact,” added Mr Whale.
With a well-defined plan, Randstad MENA increased its followers from around 20,000 followers to over 100,000. Mr Whale said, “Rather than bombarding a huge group with mass content, we provide tailored information that our followers actually want to see.”
Arda Atalay, Head of LinkedIn Talent Solutions for Gulf countries said, “One of the strongest testaments to LinkedIn’s impact on talent acquisition is that organizations such as Randstad are clearly seeing value of investing in online branding. This is important in today’s digital-first world where recruitment is constantly getting revolutionized, making the industry more competitive, forcing companies to invest more in marketing and branding and to think outside the box.”
