Recruit smarter on social media: 5 tips
Recruiting and especially finding suitable candidates has become a lot harder. Simply posting job openings on social media just no longer works. If you want to attract talent successfully, you need a solid employer branding strategy. In this article you will read how you can make the difference and which channels you should use.
Why should you, as a company, invest more in social media? There are 3 important reasons.
High quality candidates
According to research, 59% of recruiters feel that candidates found through social media are of the highest quality. LinkedIn in particular allows recruiters to target very specific audiences and hire people who fit their organizational culture. By targeting people with specific knowledge, skills and experience, recruiters can eliminate irrelevant applications and recruit better quality candidates.
Faster and cheaper recruiting
Recruiters who use social media for recruiting typically spend fewer resources to hire new candidates, and they fill their positions faster compared to recruiters who focus on other channels. For example, compared to job sites, advertising on social media is much cheaper.
Employer branding as a lever
According to research, 75% of candidates research a company's reputation before applying for a job, and in doing so they primarily use social media. That is why social media are an important means of promoting the organizational culture and values of the company.
How do you approach this in concrete terms? Some tips and best practices in 5 steps:
1. Choose the right channels
Today, there are many different social media channels. Therefore, it is important to understand how each of the channels works and who the primary audience is on each channel. For example, while Instagram is best suited for people who focus on design, marketing, retail and the like, this channel may not be the best choice for IT-focused profiles. For that, LinkedIn is still the most efficient network. More than 90% of recruiters use LinkedIn to successfully fill job openings.
2. Make sure you have a strong profile
Social media profiles should reflect the culture and core values of the company. Don't just think about the company profile but also the personal profile of yourself and your employees. Chances are that a potential candidate will look at the personal profile of the recruiter or of other employees within the company. Of course you want to make the right impression.
3. Use inviting images and catchy texts
Especially images with people on them score up to 35% better than other images. A photo of your team, for example, or a testimonial from a colleague immediately appeals to the imagination. Keep your text short and concise but make sure it clearly states who you are looking for.
4. Involve your team or colleagues
It is not only the task of the HR department to distribute job vacancies. Everyone within the company can play a role in this and become a bit of an 'ambassador' for the company. Organizations that have employer brand ambassadors are much more successful in attracting new candidates and recruiting top talent. Potential candidates are much more likely to accept a job application if they heard about it through a personal connection in their network. Research shows that they have more confidence in recommendations from friends and family than in a job posting on a company page.
So your own employees play a crucial role in employer branding. So give your recruitment strategy a boost with employee advocacy.
5. Look beyond active job seekers
Job posts on specific recruitment sites are mainly aimed at actively seeking work. Through social media your offer also comes to the attention of people who are not immediately actively looking for another job, but who would consider a better offer. These people do not go to job boards and they do not visit company career sites. But they might be triggered by new opportunities.
Because there are many more passive than active job seekers, so reaching both groups is a good strategy. Social media is the best way to do that.
Recruiting through social media is not a quick fix. It takes attention, insight, strategy and time. Strong employer branding cannot be built overnight.
Yet it pays off (especially in the longer term) to harness its potential because it leads to an improvement in both the quantity and quality of candidates.
More info: Recruiting through social media
