Social media plays a useful role in simplifying an organization’s recruitment process and finding quality job candidates. In this article, Itamar Gero, founder and CEO of Skillfuel, discusses seven strategies that make social media recruitment successful.
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter continue to be the leading platforms for communication and engagement. With billions of users using more than one of these websites, companies have taken efforts to engage potential customers on social media.
Although social media is used mostly for marketing and promotion, it has become a popular platform for targeting talent and engaging job candidates. A study by recruitment consultancy firm Robert WaltersOpens a new window showed that 67% of candidates look at an organization’s social media pages before applying.
Why a Social Media Recruitment Strategy Is Essential
When used correctly, social media can improve the quality of your entire recruitment processOpens a new window , giving your organization benefits such as:
Finding quality candidates
Social media helps you do a background check on potential candidates and see if their personality and skills match the job vacancy and your company’s culture. Doing so allows you to reject applications early on without wasting your time inviting them for an interview.
Extended reach for potential candidates
Unlike CV databases and job boards that help you find people actively looking for a job, social media enables you to reach out to a passive pool of candidates. Having your employees share a job advertisement on their social media accounts helps attract individuals who are not actively looking but may be a good fit for your company.
Cost-effectiveness
Most social media platforms let you post a job advertisement for free. But you will always find better reach on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, which have paid features that let you create more targeted ad campaigns to make sure your ads reach your prospective candidates.
Better engagement with candidates
Unlike traditional recruitment strategiesOpens a new window , social media helps you engage with candidates before and after the recruitment process. Starting a conversation and posting engaging content makes prospects want to learn more about your organization, eventually convincing them to want to work for you.
Learn More: Top 3 Innovative Corporate Recruitment Strategies for 2020Opens a new window
Making Your Social Media Recruitment Strategy a Success
Creating a successful social media recruitment campaign takes time and effort. Here are seven tips to attract the best talent through social media:
1. Set talent acquisition rules and requirements
A social media recruitment strategy is different from a traditional talent acquisition strategy. Define the application process first before implementing it on relevant networks. Should your candidates send their resumes through the recruitment email? Or can they send it through a private message through your social networks?
Automating your recruitment workflow eases the process of finding talents through social media. You’ll find various recruitment automation tools that will help you create a recruitment strategy based on your company requirements.
2. Create a candidate persona
Just like a buyer’s persona, a candidate’s persona identifies your ideal job candidate, significantly improving your recruitment strategies.
A candidate’s persona includes the following features:
- Basic information: Age, education, work experience, skills
- Goals: Reasons for changing jobs (if the position requires work experience), career aspirations
- Frustrations: Barriers to changing their current job
- Job search behavior: Do they search online or go through traditional recruitment methods?
- Motivations: When they apply for a job, what do they prioritize? Is it the organization’s reputation, pay, and benefits, the organizational culture?
- Influencers: Who affects their decision-making? Their family, friends, or current employer?
3. Choose the right social media platforms
Although LinkedIn is the most popular social media platform among recruiters, it might not be what your prospects are using. Identify which platforms your employees are using and target candidates on sites that get the most engagement.
Apart from the popular platforms, look for niche networks where your dream employees might be. For example, web developers share knowledge on GitHub while graphic designers might be lurking on Tumblr.
4. Share quality content
Keep your potential applicants engaged by releasing content such as:
- Blog posts
- Images
- Infographics
- How-to guides
- Videos
Content created for job candidates must answer their questions about the company and its culture. Applicants may be wondering how their careers will progress when they work for your company. You can bring them behind the scenes so they know what’s it like to work in your organization for a day.
Create a content calendar and schedule your posts so that job candidates have something to anticipate and learn about the organization.
Learn More: How to Use Recruitment Chatbots for Maximum EfficiencyOpens a new window
5. Engage with your potential candidates
Although social media recruitment captures passive candidates, it pays to be proactive and approach your prospects. When you see someone comment on your post or send a private message, reply to them as soon as possible. To speed up your response rate, consider automating your private messages for an excellent candidate experience.
6. Involve employees on social media
Involve your existing employees in your plan to spread the word about job vacancies. Have them share your social media posts on their accounts and incentivize them when their referral gets hired.
Having your employees share the vacancy on social media not only widens your reach but also gives you a trustworthy pool of candidates. Since this type of candidate shares a connection with your employees, your employees tend to do their screening and recommend candidates whom they believe fit the position. This form of recruitment also helps you attract individuals who can fit into your company’s culture more easily.
7. Perfect your campaign with social insights
Use available insight tools to determine the success of your social media recruitment strategy. Aside from the tools available on your account, take advantage of automated tracking systems that compile accurate data of your recruitment efforts.
For example, find out how many people applied through social media and how they saw the vacancy. Was it from a sponsored post, an article, or through one of your current employees? Do the candidates who applied through social media match your candidate’s persona? Did the applicants follow the guidelines you set or were the instructions unclear?
Adjust your strategy accordingly and implement them in your next campaign.
Take a Strategic Approach to Social Media Recruitment
Social media has helped recruiters expand their reach and find the right job applicants at a lower cost. Recruiting candidates on social media, however, requires more than just creating a post and waiting for the applications to come in. Remember, a well-thought-out strategy with solid guidelines and the right target applicants ensures a successful hire.
How do you think social media can help find the right job candidates and ease the hiring process? Tell us on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window .