Ask any human resources professional, and they’ll tell you that finding and recruiting awesome employees is no easy feat. In fact, there are currently more open positions than qualified candidates! Recruiters and HR departments, used to waiting for candidates to come to them, are losing valuable hires to more forward-thinking recruiting strategies (we see you, work-from-home options). Instead, hiring managers are being forced to think outside the box and actually market their companies or roles to grab the time and attention of potential candidates. Since capable employees are crucial to the success of every company, it’s imperative that businesses learn where to find qualified applicants and how to market their open positions to them.
Have Lots of Open Positions, But No One to Fill Them?
If your job postings aren’t bringing in well-matched candidates or any candidates at all, it’s time to evaluate why the proverbial fish aren’t biting at the bait you’re putting out. Recruiting is an entirely different beast than it was before the introduction of the internet, and as a result, the practice now requires a non-traditional approach in order to attract your ideal candidates. If advertising open positions on your team still consists of throwing up an ad on your website, posting on a few job boards, and hoping for the best, odds are the candidates you want most won’t even be on your radar, and vice-versa.
In an age in which the average internet user has more than five social media accounts, it makes sense that recruiters and hiring parties are turning to social media to attract potential candidates. Think about it—big brands and agencies of all types use social media marketing to further campaigns, introduce new products, share exciting company news, connect with consumers, and more. Wouldn’t it then be logical to also use social media marketing to attract future employees?
Using Social Media to Your Advantage
When it comes to using social media as a recruitment method, there are some definite do’s and don’ts to follow in order to ensure that you’re making the most of this powerful tool.
Promote Your Company Culture
By 2020, nearly half of the workforce will be millennials. The idea of corporate culture has been around for a long time, but research shows that culture and work environment are even more important to this and ensuing generations. Your recruiting efforts through social media should focus on marketing and building your culture to attract the best possible candidates—and keep them! Highlight meaningful aspects of your culture on social media by snapping company happy-hours, blogging about a recent service project your team did, or even posting photos of your office dogs. A cultural fit is one of the biggest things job seekers value, so make sure they know what environment they would be stepping into by getting a job with your team.
Create a Solid Brand Image
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: brand consistency is everything when it comes to the success of your website, social media, and marketing materials. Potential applicants will be confused if they click a branded job post that funnels to a website which looks nothing like the posting. Make sure your color scheme, typography, and brand message are consistent from one genre to another in order to simplify the searching process and create a genuine connection with potential applicants.
Utilize Multiple Platforms
One of the best reasons to utilize social media as a recruiting tool is its start-up cost—zero dollars! For most social networking sites, creating a profile is free, and running ads or promoting content through those profiles is either free or fairly affordable. The more profiles your brand has, the wider your reach and the more potential candidates will see your content. Depending on the platform, you can also utilize different types of content to communicate most effectively with your audience. For example, Twitter is a great place to plug short, intentional bursts of content, while Instagram is more suited for photos and videos.
Time Yourself
A benefit (and sometimes a downside) of social media is that it operates in real time, and users can post, comment, share, and delete content at the click of a mouse. If your brand decides to focus its efforts on social media for hiring purposes, quick response times to inquiries are a must. If you don’t have the bandwidth or manpower to be engaging quickly with every post, include an email address in your content—but even those should be responded to in 2-3 business days at most.
Amp Up Your Social Media with Snap
Do you want to utilize social media as a recruiting resource, but know your existing profiles need some experienced help first? Do you need some help strengthening your overall brand story and engagement efforts? Reach out to Snap today. Our team of SEO experts, content marketers, web designers, and social media gurus would love to hear from you!