Following Microsoft’s decision to add the professional networking site LinkedIn to its already bulging portfolio, LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner had some comments to make about the merger.
Far from spelling the end for niche recruitment, Weiner said there will be many benefits for individuals looking for work and for specialist recruiters in the marketplace. He suggested that the merger between the two giants would bring together complementary technologies that could remove some of the lengthy processes often faced by recruiters.
LinkedIn allows recruiters to seek out potential candidates; now, through Microsoft’s technology hub, which includes Outlook and Skype, there is also the opportunity to build relationships, communicate with people more easily and even interview at the touch of a button.
How will this help?
This sort of timesaving streamlined technology for HR professionals is a pipe dream at present; however, being able to contact potential candidates via a click through LinkedIn without having to source their contact details, such as their email addresses and mobile numbers, could bring almost instant results. This would make the process much easier for a specialist recruitment agency in Cheltenham or elsewhere, such as buzzrecruit.com, when attempting to source the right candidate for a niche sector.
Not everyone sees the acquisition in the same way, however. Leela Srinivasan, chief marketing officer at Lever, says that recruitment is a very complex entity and it would be very difficult for a single company to corner the market. She suggests that despite a rise in recruitment platforms, each addresses a particular niche or need. The ability to create something all-singing and all-dancing is still a long way off.
With a price tag of $26.2bn (£19.2bn), LinkedIn is already huge; however, the buyout will enable some new life blood to be injected into the company.
The future
Clearly the buyout is big news, leaving some bemused and others excited, and the more cautious among us might simply say it is yet another opportunity for Microsoft to sell even more of its products through another medium. There could also be another hidden agenda – to compete with other technology giants such as Google. With the date for the completion of the merger mooted to be around December 2016, it will be interesting to watch events unfold.
