Increasing competition in the global job market means traditional recruiting methods are no longer sufficient to attract top talent.
The idea of a job posting, previously limited to a classified ad in the newspaper or a listing on a job board, has been turned upside down by social media. You can now find many new candidates on social media who were once beyond your reach.
In this blog, we’ll explore key insights into the world of social recruiting and what you can do to take your hiring game to the next level.
What is social recruiting?
Social recruiting is a modern recruiting strategy that leverages the reach and potential of social media to source, attract, and engage with candidates. It’s a major change from the traditional process of recruiting, which usually consists of placing an advertisement in the newspaper or going to job fairs.
Beyond the efficiencies of social recruiting lie the benefits of creating a more engaging candidate experience. Rather than rely on the usual resume and cover letter, recruiters can gain a better sense of a candidate’s experience, skills, and personality through social media platforms and online behavior.
What is driving the shift to social recruiting strategies?
The changing nature of the job market and the requirements of job seekers have led to the transition from traditional recruiting methodologies to social recruiting. In the past, companies advertised for available positions in newspapers or on job boards and waited for the candidates’ applications. This approach is no longer as efficient today.
As for job applicants, most of them are digital natives with high rates of social media usage (for example, Millennials or Generation Z).
They want a hiring experience that’s more personalized and relevant to their values and passions. Using social recruiting can help you meet these expectations and position your organization as an employer of choice.
Modern consumer habits also make it important to use a social recruiting strategy.
For many people, social media sites are an important part of their daily lives. Social media identities have reached 5.07 billion in recent statistics.
This means that, by investing in a social recruiting strategy, you automatically have one of the most diverse candidate pools at your fingertips. Not only that, but social recruiting can be less costly and more effective than traditional sourcing techniques.
Without having to buy print ads or attend expensive job fairs, you can instead rely on your corporate social media presence and employee networks to attract the best talent. Ultimately, you can be more targeted about whom you want to hire and use data to recruit the right people.
Where does social recruiting happen?
Note that there is no one social platform that you have to use to be successful.
Just as with any other kind of social media marketing, the trick is to be where your target audience already spends their time. Interestingly, the popularity of social media platforms for job hunting varies by region.
Three of the most popular social networks for job hunting in the US are LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Facebook, but things are a little bit different in the UK, for example.
While LinkedIn is still on top, Glassdoor falls to third, and X (formerly Twitter) rises to second, illustrating how knowing what works for the audience you hope to attract in a given market can guide you in choosing your tactics.
Let's take a closer look at some of the most popular social media platforms for recruitment.
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn is often seen as the preferred place for professional networking and job seeking. With millions of users worldwide, it offers a vast pool of potential candidates across various industries and job functions.
- Facebook: With over 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook is another major player in the social recruiting space. While it's less professional than LinkedIn, Facebook’s targeting and reach make it an attractive recruiting tool.
- X: X's real-time nature and hashtag functionality make it an effective platform for sharing job openings and engaging with candidates. Using hashtags for your industry and participating in chats and discussions improves your visibility and helps you catch the eye of potential applicants.
- Glassdoor: While Glassdoor may not be a traditional social media platform, it plays a significant role in social recruiting. Glassdoor is a website where employees and former employees can anonymously review companies and their management, and provide information about company culture, salary details, and interview techniques.
How to boost your hiring with social recruiting
Here are some helpful tips that could guide your implementation of social recruiting.
Plan your social recruiting strategy
To fully capitalize on the benefits of social recruiting, you must develop a strategy that fits your hiring goals. This often means optimizing your social media profiles and creating compelling content that showcases your employer brand.
You can leverage employee scheduling software online tools to gain a fuller understanding of the role you’re recruiting for. This helps you create an accurate job description and to understand where you can flex in contract negotiations.
First, make sure that your company’s branded pages on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media sites are up to date, complete, and accurately represent your employer brand.
Use appealing cover images and profile pictures. Ensure your cover images and profile pictures highlight your company culture and values. Write compelling descriptions of your company's mission, vision, and why your organization is a great place to work. Use keywords in your profiles to make it easier for potential candidates to find you.
To attract top talent, your job postings need to look more appealing than those of your competitors. Generic, boring job descriptions are unlikely to capture the attention of the best candidates. Instead, focus on creating compelling visual content that improves brand appearance and showcases the unique benefits of working for your company.
Captivate readers with exciting headlines and information. List the main responsibilities and qualifications needed for the role, yes, but also describe the possibilities for growth, learning, and impact. Share stories and testimonials from current employees to provide a window into your company culture.
Incorporate diversity and inclusion strategies
Reaching out to candidates of all genders and from a range of ethnicities, age groups, and abilities is important to be able to attract a diverse range of talented candidates and help foster a more inclusive workplace culture.
One way to do this is to work with diversity-focused organizations and professional networks to extend your reach and identify new talent pools. You can also use inclusive job postings and social media content that incorporates inclusive language and imagery to signal that candidates of all backgrounds are welcome to apply.
Implement your strategy and engage potential candidates
With your strategy in place, it’s time to get to work and draw in potential applicants. You can do this by building your employer brand on your social media pages with show-and-tell content.
Post employee behind-the-scenes interviews, a list of benefits, anything that can make your company unique. Giving prospective employees a sense of what it’s like to work for your company is the best social media strategy you can use to grab their attention. Besides the big events, share the little things that happen every day in your office.
Engage potential candidates by explaining how you invest in your employees using modern solutions such as expense management software. No more laborious inputting of receipts and long waits for approval—just what today’s employee wants to hear.
Your mission, as a social recruiter, ought to be to build up a tribe of people who would consider it an honor to work for you – and that’s where the hashtags and targeted ads could also play a part.
Hashtags and targeted ads are powerful tools for reaching potential candidates on social media. This will help your content reach those searching for information about your industry or job functions.
Targeted ads allow you to reach a highly specific audience based on factors such as location, job title, skills, and interests – a great option for those hard-to-fill roles or if you’re trying to get in front of passive candidates who aren’t currently looking for a job.
Refine your recruitment with advanced tools and analytics
Consider investing in an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to optimize your recruitment process and make more data-driven decisions. You can import candidate information directly from social media profiles into your ATS, making it easy to compare candidates at a glance. A social recruiting tool might also help you schedule posts and monitor analytics.
And remember, social recruiting is a team effort. Get your employees involved to amplify your impact and reach. Encourage your team members to share jobs and company content on their personal profiles.
Provide pre-approved messaging and visuals to guarantee consistency and accuracy. Regularly communicate with your team to share best practices, success stories, and areas for improvement.
Key takeaways
Social recruiting is a powerful tool that can boost your hiring game. But always remember that it should be part of a comprehensive hiring strategy.
Traditional recruiting methods, such as job boards and employee referrals, still have their place and can complement your social recruiting efforts.
The trick is to get the right combination of tactics that suit your organization. This might entail testing the right mix between social media channels, content formats and targeting options to see what works best for your ideal candidates.
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