Law students warn employers to steer clear of social networking
Related images
Would-be lawyers have hit out at law firms that have started using social media as a recruitment tool, branding it unprofessional.
According to research carried out by Scottish law firm Tods Murray 80 per cent of law students had reservations about applying for a job through social networking sites.
And of those currently working for a law firm more than 70 per cent said that they would not consider using social networking sites when applying for a job with the same number saying that such sites should not be used as a recruitment tool at all.
HR manager Ashlie Turner said: “One of the most interesting findings was the fact that both students and those in work believed that a social media approach to recruitment devalued the firm. Good recruitment processes in their minds were linked to effort and a personal touch.”
The research was conducted by a team of eight students taking part in Tods Murray’s summer law school programme in a bid to find out what role social media should play in modern day recruitment drives. In total they interviewed over 100 students and qualified solicitors.
Not surprisingly the research found that one of the main concerns was privacy and how employers could use social networking sites such as Facebook to view pictures and other personal information.
Law student Grace Salmern, who is studying at Queen Mary’s University, agrees with the results. She said: “It’s really off putting when graduate recruiters start dipping their toes into the world of social networking because they usually do it badly. It’s like watching your uncle dancing to a modern pop song at a wedding.”
The news comes after Lawyer 2B talked to graduate recruiters as well as students across the country to find out how social media was starting to be integrated into recruitment drives (read article).
