Find quality candidates, build connections with them, and attract top talent. Do you know how to use social media for recruiting and hiring? Social media is where people hang out online to express ideas and interact with each other. This is where you need to show up and establish a connection with your future talent. Sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and others offer recruiters a great opportunity to connect with candidates, many of whom would never be found through traditional sources.
According to GlobalWebIndex (2020), the average internet user has over 5 social media accounts. People go to these different communities to share what they think and converse with like-minded individuals. Much like a city center, social media sites have become the focal point for online interaction.
Most companies use social media to recruit candidates, but not all are doing it successfully. In this article, we'll look at the benefits of social media recruiting and some ways you can connect with talented people online.
Each company must develop its own unique social media recruiting strategy. Here are some basic ideas you can use to get started:
Engage in appropriate conversations
The key to social media hiring is to cut through the noise and find the right people. Being active in LinkedIn groups and using hashtags are great ways to get your openings in front of the candidates you want applying. For example, ##sebuscadev or ##trabajosihay can help you reach the right candidates on Twitter.
Adopt a gentle approach and promote your culture
Social media recruiting goes beyond posting active and open requisitions at the moment. You should also share content demonstrating that your company is a great place to work so you can attract candidates organically. People love talking about companies with unique cultures, so this type of content often gets high engagement.
Don't overlook niche networks
Of course, when we talk about social networks these days, we almost always mean Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. But you can find specific candidates by looking at specialized networks and forums. For example, developers share knowledge on GitHub and StackOverflow. Marketing specialists exchange ideas on Moz and Warrior Forum. Your next hire might be posting some kind of content on Quora, for example.
Involve all employees
You likely have some advanced social media users in your workplace. Encourage all your staff to share job openings and generally be an evangelist for your brand on social media. Some companies have strict social media policies, but allowing your employees to talk about their work experiences responsibly can pique a potential candidate's curiosity.
Help your recruiters increase their social media presence
Corporate accounts can only accomplish so much. Individual recruiters can build person-to-person connections with candidates, but they first must know social media best practices and use their accounts regularly.
Hiring Tips on LinkedIn
Of all social networks, LinkedIn is, of course, the best for recruitment. Almost everyone with an established career has a profile on the “World's Largest Professional Network.” You can use LinkedIn to attract active candidates and connect with passive ones. Here are some tips to get started with LinkedIn recruitment:
- Complete Your Brand Page: A complete company page on LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to showcase your company culture. Active job seekers will find the page, see your open positions, and learn everything they need to know about your organization.
- Use filters to find the right candidates: With so many people on LinkedIn, recruiters can use filters to find potential candidates. For example, you can search by location, current and past company, years of experience, and a host of other factors that help you narrow your focus to candidates who tick all the boxes.
- Communicate with a personal touch: Experienced and talented people hear from many recruiters on LinkedIn. Don't copy and paste the same message to everyone you're trying to connect with. Instead, mention what caught your eye about the candidate and makes you think they'd be a good fit for your company. In other words, personalize the message.
BENEFITS OF RECRUITING ON SOCIAL NETWORKS
The idea of companies recruiting and hiring through social media is no longer a gimmick. It is now a vital channel for sourcing candidates and promoting company culture. Here are some of the benefits of using social media in your recruiting efforts:
- Reach passive candidates: Social media is the best way to find passive candidates and connect with them. LinkedIn is essentially a directory of professionals organized by industry, company, job title, and other categories.
- See talent and passion firsthand: Many people use social media to broadcast their love for their careers. You can find passionate individuals and learn about the incredible work they've done and the creative ideas they have.
- Get resume details without a resume: On LinkedIn, and to some extent on Facebook, you can see a person's complete work and educational history. You'll know whether a candidate has the experience a position requires before you reach out to them.
- Find a great culture fit: Social media allows you to learn about a person's hobbies and even conclude what kind of personality they have. You can find candidates who are skilled and also a good fit for your workplace.
- Filter out unsuitable candidates: Some people misbehave on social media. You can determine if a potential candidate has a bad attitude by looking at what they share online.
- Save money: Unless you promote job offers through paid campaigns, social media recruiting is completely free.
What works for one company won't always work for the next. Create a social recruiting strategy that makes sense for your company and the roles you're hiring for.
Try different types of content until you find what connects best with your audience. As we said before, it's not always about talking about the company's open positions. You have to go beyond that and try to establish an emotional connection with the person.
Make it an extension of your broader recruitment and social networking strategies so your entire company continues to run like a well-oiled machine.
