The article describes the benefits of using social media in recruitment as manifold. These include the following:

• Social media allow rapid and free distribution of job postings via what might once have been termed "word of mouth": postings can be distributed to "employees, who then place them on their Facebook status updates, tweet them to friends who re-tweet them, and share them through LinkedIn networks."
• Social media channels allow employers greater flexibility, with the ability to increase recruitment activity rapidly at times of greater need.
• Social media can also prove an extremely cost-effective method of publicising vacancies. The article quotes one satisfied 'customer', who asserts that: "It's brought our recruiting costs down to effectively nil."

However, the article also acknowledges that social media are by no means a panacea for all aspects of recruitment, and that more traditional methods of alerting potential candidates to vacancies will continue to have their place. It says:

Social networking isn't suitable for all jobs, of course. High-end, niche positions will require a different approach, such as the help of corporate head hunters. Jobs in industries where people are less connected, such as trucking and transportation, will need other channels. And a tightening labour market may well cause employers to open their wallets to find good candidates again.

But while recruiting via social media can bring significant benefits, usage remains comparatively limited among UK employers (subscription required), according to 2009 benchmarking research from IRS. The IRS survey found that while more than nine-tenths (93%) of respondents use their corporate website in recruitment and two-thirds (67%) use job boards. social networking media are rarely used.