How to Use Social Media as a Recruitment Tool
Social media recruiting, also known as “social recruiting,” is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds year over year. Social recruiting refers to the process of recruiting candidates through social media platforms, like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and other websites, including online forums, job boards, and blogs.
The statistics speak for themselves. A survey conducted by Monster found that 65 percent of respondents would be open to hearing about a new job opportunity–if they were informed about it by a personal connection in their social network. In fact so much so, Facebook has become one of the most effective tools for large-scale recruiting – even in the light industrial and onsite staffing sectors where high volume and real-time staffing is common.
The number of job seekers who are using social media to find a new job has been steadily increasing for over a decade. In fact, Glassdoor states that 79 percent of job seekers use social media when conducting their job search. According to SHRM, over 84 percent of organizations are recruiting via social media.
Social recruiting as a way to source talent is most definitely here to stay, so it’s in the best interest of employers and recruiters to embrace this trend.
So, how can you use social recruiting to your benefit?
In this blog, we’ll discuss how to use social media as a recruitment tool, and provide tips on how to ensure that your social recruitment strategy is as effective as possible.
How does social recruiting work?
Many employers believe that social recruiting offers a more efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional online recruiting, such as posting a job opening on a site like Indeed.com.
Although there are a number of social media platforms to choose from, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are considered to be among the most useful tools for social recruitment.
Examples of social recruiting may include the following:
- Identifying and reaching out to potential candidates on LinkedIn via a post tag or private message
- Sending a potential applicant a direct message on Facebook
- Tweeting links to open positions and utilizing branded and relevant hashtags for consistency
- Posting job openings on Instagram and directing candidates to an application link in your profile bio
- Creating videos that highlight your organization’s culture and sharing them on all of your social networks including YouTube
Creating an effective social recruitment strategy
When creating your social recruitment strategy, you’ll want to tailor it to your individual employment needs. This will of course vary, depending on the number of jobs you want to promote and your budget. For example, you may get the results you need from posting organically on social media, and in other cases, you may want to consider a paid campaign. The following are some key tips that you’ll want to incorporate into your strategy.
Engage with your audience
If a potential candidate comments on one of your posts and expresses an interest in your organization, be sure to provide a personal response. Use their name, encourage them to visit your website to check out available positions, and provide them with a link in order to do so.
Highlight your company culture
When posting on social media, be sure to share a detailed overview of your organization’s values, mission, and culture. Potential candidates will be interested in learning about what your organization has to offer, and this is a great way for you to reach a broader audience.
Encourage employee participation
Involving your current employees in social recruitment efforts can help you expand your reach. You may even want to consider offering an incentive or referral program. This can be very beneficial because who better than your staff to share information about your company culture? Your employees can be great advocates!
Stay current with the latest trends
Be consistent and know what the latest industry trends are when it comes to social recruiting. When posting jobs or reaching out to potential candidates, consider what makes your organization unique from your competitors. Be sure to post regularly and with a personalized and friendly tone.
The benefits of social recruitment
The reason social recruiting works so well is that most people spend a considerable amount of their time each day on social media. Even if someone isn’t actively seeking a new job, seeing your post on their social feed could spark interest. This way you’ll capture even more potential candidates outside of just those who have seen or applied via a job search engine.
Social recruitment is many times a less expensive recruitment strategy, especially when posting organically. Social media sites are a great place for reaching passive candidates and showcasing your corporate culture. They are also prime real estate for employee referral programs and allows you to make less formal and more personal connections with potential candidates.
Recruiting via social media can most certainly be beneficial if you use the right channels for your brand, and ensure that your content matches your audiences’ interests.
Ready to take your social recruitment efforts to the next level? Check out these free tools that can help you amp up your social sourcing game, and start recruiting top talent today! You can also use Surestaff’s direct hire and executive recruiting services.
“Social media allows you to make your jobs more human. Tell talent about the people behind your products. Trust your recruiters to be your digital warriors. Don’t second guess it.” – Celinda Appleby, Director of Global Talent Attraction at Visa
About the Author
Kim is a seasoned content marketing professional with over twelve years of corporate communications experience. Her sweetspot is with creative writing both short and long-form. She has a proven track record working with IBM, Jackson Healthcare, and Walt Disney World, among many others. Kim is a singer and actress and has been performing on stage and screen her entire life and has a great passion for TV and film production. Connect with Kim on LinkedIn.