Most businesses now use Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for recruiting purposes in addition to traditional marketing. Social media is quickly becoming one of the most popular recruiting tools. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 84 percent of businesses use sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to attract potential hires, compared to 56 percent in 2011.
The strength of social media lies in its ability to reach passive job seekers: people who are open to new employment opportunities but aren't actively searching. Seeing a post from your company while they browse through their social feeds is often the push they need to apply for what could be a fulfilling new career.
Here are five top-of-the-line tips for recruiting candidates on social media:
Optimize for mobile devices
Mobile will soon dominate the way people access the internet. According to statistics from eMarketer, the amount of time people spend on mobile devices is steadily increasing, while time people spend interacting with all other forms of media is falling. What's more, according to StatCounter, internet use on mobile devices surpassed that of desktop computers for the first time in late 2016. It stands to reason this trend will continue in the coming years.
Therefore, your social media recruitment strategy should be tailored to mobile use. Passive seekers aren't logging onto LinkedIn on their computers; they're opening the app instead. When they click a link from a post that leads to your homepage or online job listing, that pages must be easily readable on their phones or tablets.
Be consistent across all platforms
Consistency is a key component of multichannel marketing, and it's just as necessary for recruiting on social media. Job seekers experience each interaction with your company as part of a whole, so your visuals, tone and values should feel the same on every channel. Otherwise, they'll get the impression that your company isn't a cohesive unit and wouldn't be a good employer.
Use paid social posts to reach targeted applicants
Facebook is a fantastic resource for marketers, and your HR department can use its tools to target potential new hires in multiple ways. You can advertise directly to three types of audiences - core, custom and look-alike - so you can attract the exact type of applicants you want.
LinkedIn is also a great tool for reaching applicants. The platform lets you deliver messages straight to a user's LinkedIn inbox, and all of its paid content options are designed to look attractive on any device.
Support your current employees through social
Company culture is a priority among today's job seekers, and they want to know a prospective employer will be supportive. If one of your current employees finds you on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other social platform, feature that person's public, relevant posts if appropriate. For example, you can share a LinkedIn Pulse article written by a current staff member. This shows potential applicants that you're proud of your employees and makes them more likely to apply.
Be aware of how you use info found online
One of the dangers of social media is how much information it reveals about a candidate. As Monster.com warned, learning certain protected information - such as age, religion or even gender, among other things - could open your business to a lawsuit if such details are used in your hiring decision. Still, as long as you're wise about how you use these platforms, social media is a great tool for finding qualified new hires.
Want the best recruiting partner and background check service? Contact the Orange Tree sales team to see how we can help you.
