I recently saw a recruiting ad for jobs available through a website, and encouraging the reader to get more information by scanning a QR code.

The ad was in the Toronto subway system which, for those not familiar with it, has no cell phone service for the majority of its route, making it nearly impossible to use that QR code.

It’s great to try and engage with technology when recruiting. Technology, like QR codes, web ads, Twitter feeds and other such tools can help expand your recruiting pool. Depending on your industry something like Twitter or LinkedIn may be the best place to find your targeted audience, compared to a simple job posting. But it’s important to think carefully about the tools you’re using and where they’ll be used, in particular.

QR codes in particular can be problematic, for example. An ad that will end up in a subway or on a billboard will make it look like poor placement on your part. Not everyone also has an app to read QR codes these days, and downloading one to do so is one extra hurdle to a potential candidate. Better to have something easy to remember, or something they can photograph quickly to look at later.

Twitter and LinkedIn are often better for recruitment, but aren’t always the best. You need to ensure that something like Twitter, often used with some sort of automatic posting feature, doesn’t shorten a job posting, advertising an “Ass Manager” where “Assistant Manager” might be the actual position. 140 characters is not much to make your case in (especially if you’re including a link) so it’s important to be concise while ensuring you maintain consistency with your employer brand.

But, generally speaking, I’d avoid QR codes.

About the author

Tom is a young, digitally oriented Certified HR Professional, with a background in global mobility. He’s been blogging for many years, and has been an active Twitter user since the beginning.

Tom Haldley-Keefe
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