Did you know that many recruiters use social media sites directly or indirectly during the hiring process? In other words, they either put job postings on social media or use social media to carry out background checks on candidates.
Social media has become a very useful tool in our everyday lives. Business-wise, it is a good place for recruiters to source for high-quality candidates. In this article, we will explore tips and strategies for effective social media recruiting.
What Is Social Media Recruiting?
Social media recruiting is simply using social media platforms to identify, attract, connect with and hire suitable candidates to fill an open position in your organization.
As more people join social media platforms, the use of these platforms has gone through several evolutions. From being initially just a platform to connect with friends, families, schoolmates, and colleagues, social media has become a huge marketing and outreach platform for many small-, medium- and large-scale companies. Furthermore, it has also become reputable for social media recruitment and talent acquisition.
4 Social Media Platforms to Use for Recruiting and Hiring
Recruiting online is simply about finding suitable candidates and building a relationship with them. And since people literally live on social media these days, there is no better place to find and connect with quality candidates for your small business than the social platforms.
The first step usually is to choose your channel(s). Today, there are several social media platforms, but we will highlight a few top social media channels employers use for recruitment.
LinkedIn ranks the highest on the list of social media platforms for recruitment. As a dedicated corporate social media platform, it is regarded as the "World's Largest Professional Network."
Most career professionals — if not all — use LinkedIn to showcase their experience, qualification, and career achievements in a bid to attract suitable employers. In addition, you can use LinkedIn to discover and connect with suitable candidates whenever you have a vacancy to fill in your organization.
Here are a few tips to get the best out of Linkedin for recruitment:
- Ensure you have an active brand page.
- Use the filter function to narrow the search of your preferred candidate.
While Facebook is not a dedicated professional networking site, it has the highest number of users globally, and as a result, it holds a lot of potential for small businesses. According to Statista, there are currently 225.61 billion Facebook users in America. As a result, the opportunities are limitless.
To recruit on Facebook, you can follow potential candidates or add them as friends. You can also join or create groups relevant to the position you intend to fill. Finally, you can promote recruiting events and use the recent job listing feature on Facebook.
As of 2020, there were 112 million monthly active users of Instagram in America. And beyond just sharing pictures and videos with friends, Instagram has also grown to become a good tool for marketing, advertising, and recruiting employees.
Referral works perfectly on Instagram. It is possible to get a recommendation for an employee on Instagram from within your social network. You can simply put out a simple flyer on your Instagram handle with "hiring" boldly written on it. In your caption, which is the body text of your post, you also highlight the vacancy and the job description. Then, just sit back and watch your followers flood your DM with applications or mention people in their network that they consider suitable for the position.
Although Twitter allows posts with very limited characters, it has become a go-to source for news and trends worldwide. In addition, celebrities and big brands use Twitter to reach and connect with their respective audiences daily.
Its hashtag feature is also very useful for searching for discussions and joining conversations. Hence, it can be a good platform to connect with suitable candidates.
6 Social Media Recruiting Strategies
Choose the Right Social Media Platform
First and foremost, understand that you don't have to be on all social media platforms or copy what other companies do. Your industry and the kind of talent you seek are crucial in deciding which platform to focus on.
Participate in Conversations
One way to cut through the noise on social media and narrow down your search for a suitable candidate is to participate in conversations about what you are looking for. Platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn make this possible through the use of hashtags. To target a specific set of people, for example, graphics designers, you can post your job opening and add the #graphicdesigners hashtag at the end. You can even go as far as narrowing it down to a geographical location by using a hashtag that is a combination of the city and the desired occupation. For instance, use a #LAgraphicdesigner hashtag if your business is located in Los Angeles.
Invest in Social Media Reputation Management
Generally, it is advisable to have a social media strategy for your business — beyond posting job opportunities. Social media can serve as a means to provide customer support, create awareness about your brand, and recruit employees. So you do well to invest in building and managing your company's reputation online. One of the steps you might want to take is to hire a professional social media manager to execute your social media strategy.
Research Candidates and Competitors
In using social media as part of your recruitment strategy, you will need to conduct some research to be able to narrow down on the right candidate. Likewise, conducting competitor research will help you understand the players in your industry; you will learn how they use social media for recruitment and some of the strategies they use to edge competition to top talents.
Create Detailed Job Descriptions and Qualifications
Replicate the same due diligence it takes to hire on job boards while recruiting via social media. Ensure to create detailed job descriptions for the vacancy you are listing on social media.
Involve Your Current Employees
You may have employees who have a stronger social media presence and network than your company has. If that is the case, leverage your employees' social media presence to promote your brand and share news about an opening in your organization. Employee referral can also be a way to get a new hire.
5 Benefits of Social Media Recruiting
Low Recruitment Cost
One major benefit of using social media to recruit is that it is not just simple to use; it is also affordable — in some cases free. Unlike regular job boards where you sometimes need to pay a fee or go through rigorous registration processes, you do not need any long processes with social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram.
Establish Credibility
Employees will likely check out your company's social media handle to see what they can learn about your working environment. You should showcase your company culture and credibility on social media by sharing testimonial videos from your employees and clients. Furthermore, routinely share behind-the-scenes photos or videos of how interesting and lovely your work environment is — supposing that's truly the case. Ensure you share content that is true because one lie can easily spread and do irreparable damage to your company's credibility.
Connect With Potential Job Candidates
Of course, you can connect with active job seekers on social media. However, you can also connect with high-talents, who may be seen as passive candidates, i.e., they might take on a new job if a better offer comes their way although they're currently employed.
Increase Your Reach
Oftentimes, the more applications you receive during a hiring process, the more likely you get a high-quality hire from the pool of applicants. In addition, social media can provide you with a sizable reach within your geographical location and globally — in case you are open to international candidates or remote work.
Learn More About the Potential Employee's Background
On a platform like LinkedIn, job seekers often share their resumes and interests with the public. LinkedIn also has a recommendation feature where you get to see what people have said about your potential candidate. As a recruiter, you have free access to their record of professional qualifications, past employers, and their interests from their social media profiles. Also, you can get a hint on your candidates' values and philosophy of life from the posts they share.
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Notice to the Reader
The content within this article is meant to be used as general guidelines and may not apply to your specific situation. Always consult with a professional human resource manager to ensure you're meeting recruiting standards.