Organizations have been using social media for years to find job applicants. Many companies, however, don’t always know how to make the best use of social networks to promote their brand and effectively reach qualified candidates. The following steps will help your company implement the best practices when using social media for recruitment.
Define Your Objectives
Too many companies cast a wide net when recruiting on social media. Ideally, your company should be on all major social media platforms. There are, however, several ways a business can narrow down its objectives.
Start by putting together a profile of who your ideal candidate is. Are you looking for entry-level workers or those with more experience? Are you hiring healthcare professionals or those in the tech industry? To find out which platforms they use, analyze third-party research from sites such as Hootsuite, Statista, and Pew Research Center.
Next, find out how your business is already using social media platforms. You now have the information you need to create your recruitment objectives. You’ll want to spend time on your ideal candidate’s platforms growing a following organically. Once you know who your ideal candidates are and where they spend time, you can start building long-term relationships with potential hires.
Provide Relevant Content
It’s important to provide quality content that is not viewed as spam. Spam is gimmicky and generic. Quality content is relevant to the company and offers useful or entertaining information to the intended user.
Besides job descriptions, relevant content could include descriptions of a company’s mission statement or benefits. Other ideas include images and videos of company events or testimonials from current employees.
The following are examples of specific types of social media content and how to effectively use them.
- Podcasts: Choose effective keywords and use them while speaking. Use podcast clips for promotion on social media platforms and publish all podcast transcripts.
- Infographics: Use infographics to visually tell a story about your company, a recent event, or illustrate job progression opportunities.
- Newsletters: Effective newsletters should be short, concise, and broken up with graphics and appealing headlines.
- Blogs: Blogs are excellent ways to create a low-stress, two-way communication channel between recruiters and potential hires.
Create Targeted Ads
Companies must craft compelling ads that target specific demographics and job titles. Using your candidate persona, you can use the following types of ads.
- Static Ads: These are basic images or pictures users can scroll by. Because they are static, they are easy to use on different platforms.
- Video Ads: Wearepf lists the image size and video length best suited for each social media platform. For example, effective videos can be up to 10 minutes on LinkedIn but only 90 seconds on Instagram.
- Stories Ads: Instagram Story ads are one example. Instagram provides templates for companies that don’t have a big marketing budget.
- Carousel Ads: These swipeable, rotating ads can be used on almost any social media platform. Carousel ads can promote multiple positions or provide extensive information about a single job.
- Collection Ads: Collection ads showcase one large image with several product images beneath it. Recruiters can use these to showcase the company and several aspects of a job in one ad.
Connect With Potential Candidates
Instead of throwing up a few photos and a company bio, a business needs to establish a genuine rapport with potential candidates. Creating a unique experience for potential hires is crucial if you want your company to stand out above all the others.
Personalizing content could include the following:
- Promote Targeted Videos: If your candidate persona includes younger individuals who care about the environment, you might post videos showcasing employees planting trees in the community or live stream a conference regarding how your company is implementing environmentally friendly policies.
- Include Employees: Employee story-telling can personalize a business. Use company social media influencers as ambassadors to share jobs and blogs relatable to your ideal candidate.
- Comment on Content: It’s okay to respond directly to content potential candidates are posting. Don’t be generic. Take the time to engage with the content and provide thoughtful comments. You may even want to encourage direct messaging.
Don’t Forget Niche Platforms
Using niche platforms is a great way to think outside the box when looking for talent. Connecting to candidates on platforms such as Reddit, Medium, WhatsApp, and Snapchat is a way to narrow your efforts and effectively reach specific candidates.
To find out which platforms will be most effective, refer back to your initial research. Who are your ideal candidates, and where do they spend time online? It’s easier to create tailored content and actively engage with the community when recruiting on niche platforms.
If your ideal candidate is a doctor right out of medical school, you might look on Student Doctor Network Forum or Doximity. Active Rain is a social media platform for professionals in the real estate industry.
Partner With an Experienced Recruitment Firm
Since 1965, MRINetwork has assisted thousands of organizations in their hiring and cybersecurity processes. We can implement the right recruitment strategies to help you find top talent for each position. Construction, finance, technology, and healthcare are a few industries we specialize in. Contact us today at MRINetwork.