Can you find the right talent by leveraging social media platforms?

Over the years, the role of social media has evolved from merely just a space for socializing to a tool that helps audiences also connect with the brands and businesses they are interested in. Naturally, companies saw the opportunity here and social recruiting took form, forever redefining hiring practices and increasing the success factor. With time, these platforms evolved and social media is now a crucial cog in the hiring process. In fact, north of 84% of companies use social media for recruiting, and with the success this route offers, another 9% are looking to board the train soon. 

Although job search portals and websites help, leveraging social media for recruitment greatly increases the chances of finding the right candidate. As per RecruitLoop, a Facebook ad can achieve twice the visibility of a classified ad. While reach is one part of the equation, cost is the other, wherein social recruiting does save recruitment costs. This goes hand-in-hand with the fact that these sites now house several hundred million users. For instance, LinkedIn – the popular recruitment social media site – has over 800 million members. Considering the nature of the users on this platform, it is ripe with passive job seekers, and recruiters are able to scout and target these individuals better with social recruiting.

Social recruiting demands a calculated approach.

Key strategies for leveraging social media in recruitment.

Research and target the right demographic

The number of social media sites has grown in number over the past decade and has split communities into bubbles. For instance, LinkedIn is the standard platform for all things career and business, but companies can still find viable professionals on other platforms. However, to be successful, companies must consider the primary demographic that frequents these digital watering holes. 

For instance, finding and attracting part-time employees and interns will likely be a lot easier on sites like Facebook and Instagram as these are often frequented by college-goers and young adults. On the other hand, if the goal is to attract a mid-level executive or a senior programmer, specialized forums, LinkedIn, and a handful of Facebook groups may be the better choice. While it may work to cast a wide net to leverage the full force of social recruiting, companies would do well to be more deliberate in their communication. 

Establish a relatable employer brand 

With more than 4.48 billion users on social media platforms across the world, there’s no doubting its reach. Our recent survey of over 10,000 tech professionals found that as many as 93% of active job seekers rely on LinkedIn to read about potential employers. But to tap into these channels, companies must build and express a relatable and aspirational employer brand. Company culture is an important factor for the modern employee and many that are considering a new position will do their due diligence on a company. This means checking their social pages, company pages, reviews, and interactions with the world around them. Companies should take this into consideration and use social media to showcase what their brand is all about. In fact, by being active within the right community, companies stand to make serious reputational gains. One of the best ways to go about this is to work on building an organic network. Companies can offer value to their audiences in the form of newsletters, industry-specific insights, thought leadership content, and more. 

Another approach is to celebrate the existing talent. By using the platform to express warmth and gratitude toward the existing workforce, companies can convey a strong message to their audiences. The idea is to work on employer branding and to enlighten audiences, and potential hires, about the company culture. Doubling down on this, companies can even go the extra mile to reinforce retention. One effective way to do this is to support pages, employee posts, and even popular creators that advocate for work-life balance. In doing so, companies subtly express their views, even if it is just a reshare, and inform audiences about the principles they stand by.  

Leverage FOMO appropriately

While mainstream in B2C marketing, FOMO can actually help companies build interest when engaging in social recruiting. With the right employer branding, companies are in a unique position to create and retain interest, especially for viable candidates. As such, whenever there are openings, users that are genuinely interested will organically reach out. The inherent interest in the company, its values, and culture is a good sign for companies as this means that candidates that have the right skills are also those that relate with the organization on other levels. 

Utilize the right targeting features 

Social media platforms have technologies for hyper-targeting and these are immensely valuable in the social recruiting process. Take hashtags, for example, a simple tagging provision that categorizes content and makes it easier for the user to explore what they want to see. Companies can use these to their advantage to identify and target specific demographics more effectively. By doing so, any material or communication published gets viewed by the right audiences, and this increases the likelihood of success. 

Personalize communication wherever possible 

Gone are the days when audiences, and even potential hires, will respond to what seems like an obvious email blast. The problem here is the message and that it doesn’t seem genuine or remotely intended for the receiver. While companies can utilize solutions that do allow for personalized messages, it is important that this becomes the primary strategy for communication. Companies can send a personal note to the potential hires expressing why they are a good fit for the position. 

Do note that companies should know when to draw the line with personalized messages. While assessing metrics and retargeting those that showed interest at some point in the past is acceptable, including talking points about a user’s recent move to a new country can come off as digital stalking. 

Encourage and broadcast employee-generated content 

Companies should encourage employees to share their experiences and memorable moments on their preferred platforms. In doing so, existing employees inform their respective networks about the company, while also associating with the organization in a positive manner. To add to this, companies should utilize special hashtags or tags for such content. This makes it easier to find such content, promote it, and even leverage it during recruiting. Considering these tactics, it is clear that employees may just be the best option for companies to communicate their values in a genuine manner, and this will help attract the right talent.

Assess a candidate’s profile and personality

There are many ways to assess a potential hire and companies can use social media to get the required insights to make the right decisions. In fact, such information is crucial when hiring for creative or even leadership roles and such candidates usually express their opinions and share their ideologies with their peer networks. All of this provides crucial background and can assist organizations in checking for specific traits. In fact, when assessing if a candidate is a cultural fit, such checks may be critical both before and after the initial interview phases. 

Do note that while social recruiting is a viable strategy for all these reasons, it is important that companies realize that for most users, these platforms are an extension of their personality. Being invasive will not lead to favorable outcomes and finding the line can be tricky. To ensure that your company doesn’t face such hurdles, outsource talent management and partner with Talent500.

Our hiring and management protocols have driven success for major Fortune 500 companies. We achieve 60% higher recruiter productivity with pre-assessment tests, intelligent AI fit, and trusted multi-channel sourcing, and will find the right talent for your specific needs. To know more, schedule a consultation and build a global workforce efficiently.