Multiple generations of digital natives are now in the workforce. More and more people are joining social networks and leveraging them for job search. According to Glassdoor, 79% of job seekers use social media when conducting their job search. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter now boast over 3.5 combined users globally. As a result, social media recruiting is becoming more imperative for companies. Smart recruiters are taking advantage of social networks to attract potential job candidates.
The job market is shifting and recruiting has changed drastically in the past decade. Social media recruitment is not a new trend anymore. It is one of the most commonly used talent acquisition tactics. 84% of organizations are already using social media platforms to hire talent.
This blog will look at social media recruitment, its benefits, and some of the best social recruitment practices.
Benefits Of Social Media Recruiting
Social media recruiting, also referred to as social recruiting or social hiring, is the process of advertising jobs, connecting with potential employees, and recruiting candidates through social media platforms. When done correctly, social recruiting can help your organization to identify, reach out to, and hire high-quality job candidates.
Some of the benefits of social recruiting include:
1. Lower recruitment costs
Hiring through social media platforms is much cheaper than using recruitment agencies or paying for ads on job boards. Social recruiting is entirely free unless you use paid campaigns. On the other hand, agencies charge up to 25% commission for permanent positions and up to 20 per cent for quick contacts. Posting job openings on social networks are more likely to deliver results than a single description on a job board.
Leveraging the power of social media when looking for new talent can help you to save a large sum of money you would’ve spent on recruiting agencies and expensive job boards.
2. Build your employment brand
Social media can also help you convey your company culture to potential hires and attract new talent. Photos and videos of staff activities can help give potential recruits an idea of what the work environment is like in your organization. You can also organize online forums to discuss your brand values work environment and address questions candidates might have. You can also get employees to help share your culture on their platforms.
Social media allows potential recruits to get a “feel” of the company before applying. This enables you to get the right fits who want to work for your company because they already know what to expect.
3. Reach passive candidates
Nineteen percent of people never look at job opportunities. Another 15% search for jobs less often than yearly. These are passive candidates who may make an excellent fit for your company. Many people that are not currently looking for a job are still using social networks. They might be motivated to apply on social media if they know you have a vacancy they can fit in.
Additionally, you can begin building relationships even if they currently don’t interest in a job. This will help you significantly expand your talent pool by getting your jobs in front of passive candidates.
4. Supplement your employee referral program
Employee referral programs are a handy recruiting tool. But social media can help you to enhance your referral program. Educate your HR managers and employees on using social networks for professional purposes and encourage them to get involved. They can then share job postings to their social networks and share about the company culture.
5. Learn more about the background of candidates
Lastly, social media can help you perform a background check and learn more about prospective candidates. Social media sites offer a free, easily accessed portrait of what a candidate is like and, theoretically, yield a clearer idea of whether that person will succeed on the job. According to a CareerBuilder survey, 70 per cent of employers use social media to screen their candidates during the hiring process.
For example, on LinkedIn, you can see a candidate’s present and past jobs and the groups they are in and recommendations from peers, colleagues, and managers. You can also see if you have any second- or third-degree connections so that you can get a more personal referral. Other platforms such as Facebook and Twitter enable you to learn about a person’s interests and values. However, Harvard Business Review warns against being overly reliant on social media when screening candidates. Their social media activity may not give an accurate picture of their performance on the job. Most of the information you may dig up may be unethical or illegal to use to deny a candidate an opportunity.
How To Recruit On LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the best social media platform for social recruiting. It is the world’s largest professional network for a reason. Almost everyone with an established career has a profile on the platform. LinkedIn offers you a vast network of valued connections with which you can easily maintain a relationship. You can use the site to attract active candidates and connect with passive ones.
Here are a few tips to get you started on LinkedIn recruiting:
Set up and complete your company profile on LinkedIn. Keep it active by posting regular company updates and job openings.
Use keywords for required qualifications to actively search for candidates on the platform. You can then send an InMail to candidates directly, or if you share a connection, request an introduction.
You can also advertise your job openings in industry or skill set LinkedIn groups. Engage members in discussions and reach out to potential candidates or encourage them to contact you directly.
Use LinkedIn ads to target a specific audience by job title, functions, seniority, industry, and LinkedIn groups.
LinkedIn offers companies and recruiters six different options for reaching out to potential employees. These include Basic Posting Option, LinkedIn Recruiter, LinkedIn Recruiter Lite, LinkedIn Pipeline Builder, LinkedIn Career Pages, and LinkedIn Work with Us Ads. Only the primary posting option is free.
How To Recruit On Facebook
Over the years, Facebook has grown from a platform people use to connect with their loved ones to leverage to get their next job. It has also transcended how job seekers interact with the brands they find interesting. With such high user retention, it’s the perfect platform to engage with potential recruits, post your vacancies, and offer industry insights.
Additionally, Facebook offers companies a ‘Job Openings’ tab right from their profile. This enables candidates to readily available positions in your organization. If you’re looking to hire new talent through Facebook, here’s how you can go about it:
Add Facebook job postings directly on your company’s Facebook page and then route candidates to the Careers page on your website.
Use Facebook marketing to promote your company’s image and improve your employer brand.
Network with potential candidates and build relationships with future hires.
Leverage Facebook Graph Search to identify passive candidates using specific criteria such as profession, location, or the university they attended. Encourage your employees to share job ads and attract candidates.
How To Recruit On Twitter
The difference between Twitter and the other social recruiting platforms is that you have a 280-character limit for each post. This is a lot harder than it may seem because you have to minimize the words you use without detracting from your message.
However, you can use infographics to express your message beyond the word limit. You can also use Twitter threads (up to 25 tweets) to give more details about your job opening and requirements.
These quick tips can help you with recruiting on Twitter:
Set up a professional company profile, complete with a brief bio and photo. If you can get Twitter verification, the better.
Build your employer brand to attract passive jobseekers
Post your job openings with clear instructions on applying or a shortened link redirecting applicants to the application page. You can also use relevant hashtags for better visibility and reach. For example, “looking for a digital marketer based in Dublin. Apply at https://bitly.com/”
Host a Twitter Space where you can discuss the company culture’s available opportunities and ask interested candidates.
Leverage Twitter ads to put out job openings targeting specific audiences.
You can also use other platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to get potential candidates interested in working for your company. Create easy-to-share videos that you can circulate on these platforms.
Social Recruiting Best Practices
Before you develop a social recruiting strategy, here are a few best practices you should keep in mind:
1. Network and engage with your audience Jobseekers, especially the passive ones, want to work for companies they can trust. So you will need to earn their trust and respect if you’re going to get a high-quality candidate. Start engaging conversations with potential candidates and always be personable when responding to individual job seekers.
It’s also essential to never exaggerate your company culture and values. There’s no point in using extra information to get new hires than repeating the hiring process in a few months when they quit because you painted a false picture about the company.
2. Highlight your company culture
Branding content, key milestones, charitable activities, and celebratory events can help to showcase your company culture and brand the organization as the perfect destination for jobseekers. The goal is to give candidates an idea of what it would be like to work for you.
3. Share the right mix of posts
The catch is that talking about your company culture all the time becomes boring at some point. In the long run, it becomes counterproductive. Mix things up by sharing industry trends, local news within your niche, humorous posts, and other topics your audience may be interested in.
4. Participate in the right conversations
The secret to social recruiting is to cut through the noise and reach the right candidates. You want to get your job openings before the right people whether you’re using organic posts or social ads. Hashtags and groups (on LinkedIn) can be effective for this. For example, #devjobs can help you to reach candidates in the software development field.
5. Use the appropriate social media platforms
Most importantly, you have to understand your candidate persona (the recruitment version of buyer persona). This will determine the best way to post job openings on different platforms. For example, a text post may be more appropriate for a LinkedIn job ad, while infographics may work better on platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.
6. Put in place channels for measuring results
The overall goal of social recruiting is to build a large, high-quality talent pool. So you’ll want to know whether you’re achieving your goals. This is why it’s essential to put ways of measuring results even before you start. Some of the ways you can measure the effectiveness of your social recruiting strategy include:
Increased engagement on your social media platforms
Increased traffic to your Careers page
Engagement rates on job postings
Cost per hire
Time to fill vacant positions
Create a Social Media Recruiting Strategy
A well-designed strategy covering recruitment through retention is essential if your organization wants to build a great team and stay ahead of the competition. It’s important to note that what works for one company may not work for yours. It would help if you made a social recruiting strategy tailored to your company’s needs and the roles you’re hiring for. If you’re interested in developing an effective social media marketing strategy for your HR department, we can help with that.
