Social Media Recruiting: the Basics
Let’s break it down:
Pick Your Platform
All too often, we try to be all things to all people on social media. That’s not a good strategy. Instead, figure out where your customers and potential employees live, work, and play on social media.
For example, many restaurant groups are heavy Facebook users. The way they use Facebook varies by brand. Some brands that are image-conscious build relationships with prospective employees on Facebook in order to source and interact with them. They start interacting with prospective employees 8-12 weeks before a new restaurant opens.
Twitter is another important recruiting platform, especially in the hospitality industry. Dallas-based Corner Bakery has tweetups for #TakeYourPoetToWorkDay, #CraveChat, and #SaladSongs. These chats engage both customers and prospective employees.
On the other hand, if you’re recruiting exempt employees, you may not need to look any further than LinkedIn. The industry that you work in may also dictate the platform that you use.
Here’s a real-life example: I manage social media for Attorneys Serving the Community. We’re a group of women lawyers who raise money for a local charity every year. Most of the women are on Facebook because they socialize there. But if I were sourcing, I wouldn’t start on Facebook, because most of my group members don’t list their specializations on their profiles. Many don’t even list their law schools. They use Facebook for socializing, and they guard their privacy fiercely (at least, as much as they can on Facebook).
My Attorneys Serving the Community group follows these social media use patterns among all adults, as measured by the Pew Research Center in 2014:
- Facebook: 58 percent
- LinkedIn: 23 percent
- Pinterest: 22 percent
- Instagram: 21 percent
- Twitter: 19 percent
What platform do your customers utilize the most? Are prospective employees on that platform, too?
Keep It Visual
Social media is most effective when it’s visual. So, even if you aren’t ready to directly source and interact with potential employees on Facebook, you can still pique interest in your company by posting lots of pictures and videos to get candidates excited. The most powerful visuals are the ones that are created by your current employees — and they’re also the most authentic.
Keep It Fresh
The most authentic stories are the ones that are told spontaneously. This is where culture and brand truly collide. Consider the power of posting first-day selfies on your Facebook page. Keep your posts fresh and relevant so that your followers continuously have new content on their feeds.
Recruiters have a bad reputation for allowing applications to fall into black holes. You can’t afford this reputation on social media, so make sure you’re responsive.
Keep It Mobile
Social media advertising is extremely cost-effective. It’s also great because you can target your audience (just be mindful of EEO rules).
Many successful companies email sponsored links to candidates (the customer audience) with links that direct them to a mobile-friendly application page.
Mobile apply is crucial for a successful social media recruiting strategy. This is especially true if you’re targeting millennials. According to the Pew Internet Center, 91 percent of adults aged 18-29 use their mobile devices for social networking; 50 percent of adults aged 50+ do so, too.
The numbers don’t lie. It just doesn’t make sense to have a robust social media recruiting strategy if it’s not supported by a mobile-apply process.
This article originally appeared on the HR Virtuoso blog.