Giving Your Organization’s Hiring Effort an Edge with Social RecruitingFrom something that was solely seen as a way to catch up with friends living far away to something that has become indispensable to personal and professional networking, social media has come a long way. With growing use among consumers, companies have found ways to use social media to increase sales, reach new audiences and increasingly, even hire new recruits.
Social recruiting refers to using any of the social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to identify and reach out to new recruits. This approach to recruiting makes it possible to find candidates who may not be as active on traditional job platforms. It’s a targeted effort to reach the most suitable candidate for a position. And it works quite well. As per an Adweek survey, 92% of recruiters use social media to find top talent.
Here are some reasons employers are opting for social recruiting:
Works well for young employees:
As young people spend an increasing amount of time online, social media is where you are most likely to find your next recruit. The combined reach of three popular social media platforms — Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn — is over 326 million in India itself. That’s a lot of people you can reach to find the best fit for your organization, especially among millenials and Gen Z.
Turns out to be less expensive:
Scouting for the best candidate through traditional means is a time and resource-intensive process. Going for a job listing on a social media platform is a less expensive and a much more effective proposition. Hiring through social media can also cut down on the time spent on reviewing resumes from non-relevant candidate profiles.
Allows you to target the most relevant candidates:
A single posting on a job portal can attract a flood of applicants, most of which are not at all relevant to the position but sifting through them can cost you precious time. Social recruiting can take care of this problem as one can opt for advertising targeted towards candidates based on their location and preferences. This part can be especially helpful for specialized positions. Professional groups on social media groups can also give you access to a wide talent pool and find candidates with the desired skill set.
As you can see, there are quite a few reasons you would want your organization to utilize social recruiting. However, to make the most of social recruiting, some groundwork is essential. To retain the attention of prospective employees, your company’s social media content to be engaging enough. Here’s what you need to know about getting social recruiting right:
Understand the different platforms:
What’s true for sharing content is true for sharing recruitment content as well. An understanding of different social media platforms is essential. For example, as a formal professional networking platform, LinkedIn is a good place to review professional backgrounds and reach out to candidates for further discussion while Facebook can be helpful to get you in touch with candidates you might share mutual connections with.
Give a glimpse of company culture:
For millenials, company culture is an essential aspect of choosing a workplace. Quite a few of them are even willing to work for lower pay at an organization that provides them ample personal growth opportunities. To attract the best talent, your online presence needs to show prospective candidates how an organization provides avenues for growth and learning.
This can be done through content on the company website and social media handles. Depending on the company function, you can also opt for a humorous tone in your content as it is something that tends to perform well on social media.
With an employee advocacy program, you can effectively showcase your company culture by involving your employees. They can ensure greater visibility for your organization by sharing your branded content among their social connections.
Make your organization part of the conversation on industry trends and issues:
The static content on your website is just one part of your online presence. Topical social media content is key to establishing your company’s position on industry trends and issues. For example, employees might be interested in sharing an article on work from home policy as they are part of a company that has this policy.
On a platform like LinkedIn, the HR manager might want to talk about the confluence of technology and talent hunting. There are numerous ways in which employees can emerge as thought leaders and the company as a place that is on top of the latest trends in a rapidly changing world.
With these tips, you can employ social recruiting and give your organization the edge it needs to find the best talent.
