August 1st, 2019 | Virginia Rho, People and Culture Leader, Sterling

10 Ways to Leverage Social Media When Recruiting

Chances are, your company is already active on social media in order to reach consumers and get the word out about your brand. However, if you’re not also using social media platforms to attract new talent, you may be ignoring a great opportunity to find quality hires. Just like with other recruiting techniques, using social media is only effective if you create a plan and follow it through.

The following ten tips will help you leverage social media to recruit the right talent for your organisation:

1. Create A Strong LinkedIn Presence

Since LinkedIn is the go-to social media site for job seekers, it’s important for your organisation to have a strong presence there. When creating a company LinkedIn profile, you not only want to make it attractive to potential employees, you also want to make it attractive to search engines. To do this, you should write a strong and concise company description—no more than 154 characters—above the “See More” area of the page because this is what will be previewed in search results. Then as you continue your company description, be sure to include relevant keywords that will help job seekers find your page. Follow Sterling’s LinkedIn page for more ideas.

In addition to your profile, you can create a strong presence on LinkedIn by participating in industry groups. Sharing knowledge and connecting with others in this way will help increase your network and introduce you to people who could be a good fit for jobs at your organisation.

2. Use Other Social Media Platforms

Although LinkedIn is the main social networking platform that people think of when they’re looking for work, that doesn’t mean you can afford to ignore other sites like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. You can use these platforms to post jobs, share industry news and participate in conversations that people in your profession care about. To get the best results, make recruiting-related pages that are separate from the pages you use to connect with your customers.

3. Utilize Hashtags

To increase the chances of your posts being seen by prospective candidates, use hashtags related to the topics people in your industry are talking about online. From #marketing to #sales to #humanresources, hashtags allow you to start and join conversations that will get people interested in your content—and learning more about your organisation. Also, hashtags like #jobs, #jobsearch, and #careers are popular among people searching for work, so be sure to use them to leverage job posts on your platforms.

4. Leverage Video and Images

Well-crafted text can get attention, but videos and photographs can increase engagement exponentially and provide a glimpse into your company culture that text alone cannot. By posting images from company events and having your employees create videos about their experience at your organisation, you can pique people’s interest and get them excited about applying for jobs in your organisation.

5. Stay Active

In some cases, companies will set up a social media profile and when the excitement of having the platform wears off, they leave the page dormant. It’s important to keep all your social media pages up to date, this not only creates better engagement but also prevents creating an impression with job seekers that you may ignore them in the same way you’re ignoring your platforms.

6. Pay Attention to Metrics

Social media platforms allow users to find out how well their posts are doing, which can further help you determine what changes you need to make in your messaging and posting strategy. Metrics provide data-backed information such as, how many people click on your posts, how long do they linger on your post, at what time you are most likely to get engagement and which keywords and hashtags garner the most attention. Armed with this knowledge, you can refine how you use social media to get the best results.

7. Filter Out Bad Candidates

Just as you can use social media to find the right candidates, you can also use it to filter out bad ones. Leading background screening companies will help you discern the best talent from the activity of all your candidates; often discovering any red flags that may not be apparent in their resume and cover letter. Sterling’s in-house experts deliver social media background checks that are fast, thorough, customizable and global in reach.

8. Add A Personal Touch

It’s a good idea to reach out to people on social media who you believe would be the perfect fit for an available position. However, an impersonal message would not be the right approach. If you send a generic note to candidates, it can turn them off and may even make your company look desperate. Instead, write a personal note to the person you’re interested in, expressing why you feel like they would be a good fit for the job.

9. Get Employees on Board

Employees can be your best evangelists when it comes to showcasing your company culture. Having your workers use their social media pages to talk about their experiences with your organisation can provide a perspective that job hunters can’t get from human resources. If you do encourage employees to talk about your organisation online, be sure to monitor their activities closely. If you don’t have a social media usage policy in place, it’s a good idea to create one—or remind workers of what the rules are if you do have one—to ensure that they post responsibly.

10. Prepare for The Worst-Case Scenario

When talking to people online, mistakes can and do happen, so it’s best to be prepared. Create a plan for dealing with issues that may come up from your company’s social media activity—including problems that may be caused by your employees’ own platforms. In case of social media, time is of the essence, a cheat sheet of standardised responses for crises situations not only showcase your pro-active approach but prevent the spiraling out of control and adversely impacting your reputation.

Looking for more tips? Read our recent blog on the 10 DOs and DON’Ts for recruiting in a job-seeker’s market. Have questions around the most relevant background screening solution for you?

Click here to start a conversation.

This publication is for informational purposes only and nothing contained in it should be construed as legal advice. We expressly disclaim any warranty or responsibility for damages arising out this information. We encourage you to consult with legal counsel regarding your specific needs. We do not undertake any duty to update previously posted materials.