How-to Guide for Social Media Recruitment

With close to 3.5 billion people using some type of social media, you’d have to be living under a rock not to be aware of the meteoric rise of social media across just about every area of our lives. The world of talent acquisition and recruiting is no exception and using social media as a tool in recruitment has become more and more popular – with good reason. After all, with a myriad of social media and digital platforms, it’s now easier than ever to find and engage with potential candidates from all over the world.

However, with so many social media platforms out there, and just as many different audiences to target, developing the most effective social media recruitment strategies for your specific needs can be like finding a needle in a haystack. But it doesn’t have to be! Because with the right strategy and technology tools, you can successfully incorporate social media into your recruiting process. Before we dive into that, let’s discuss what social media recruitment really means and why it’s important.

What is Social Media Recruitment

A study by glassdoor found that 79% of job seekers use social media in their job search. That pretty much answers the question of why incorporating social media strategies into your recruiting process is so critical. But what does it really mean to use social media in recruitment? In the simplest terms possible, it means leveraging the different social media platforms to identify, attract, and engage potential candidates for job openings.

Why You Should Use Social Media in Recruiting

Social media platforms are where people across the board go to communicate, share ideas, and build relationships. For recruiters, social media platforms provide the perfect opportunity to connect with potential candidates in ways that were previously impossible. It provides not only access a wider audience, but it also allows you to tap into the networks of your employees increasing your access to even more candidates.

Strategies for Success in Social Media Recruitment

Just like every other part of your recruiting and talent acquisition strategy, it’s important to clearly define your goals in order to build a roadmap to a successful strategy for social media hiring and recruiting. Start by asking yourself some key questions:

What kind of roles are you looking to fill? Who is your target audience? Will you be using paid social media ads? If so, what is your budget? Once you’ve answered these questions, keep a few things in mind.

• Make sure your social media recruitment strategy includes clear objectives and a target audience. (i.e. Gen X, millennials, Gen Z, etc.)
• Leverage your employer brand by sharing engaging and authentic content that highlights your company culture, values, and mission.
• Use social recruiting tactics including carefully crafted job postings, employee referrals, and social media contests to attract top talent.
• Engage with candidates and always respond promptly to inquiries and feedback. Nothing alienates a candidate more than being “ghosted.”
• Collaborate with your hiring team to make sure your social media recruitment strategy aligns with your overall hiring goals and objectives.

Most Commonly Used Social Media Platforms

Social media has come a long way since the Myspace days. An effective social media recruiting strategy starts with an understanding of the different platforms, their reach and what audiences are more likely to use a particular platform.

• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is less “social” in nature and was designed to be a professional networking site. It’s also an ideal platform for social recruiting. With millions of members worldwide, LinkedIn allows you to post job openings, search for potential candidates, and even message candidates directly.
• Facebook: As the largest social network with over 3.74 billion monthly active users, Facebook is a great platform to reach a wide range of candidates. Facebook allows you to post job openings on your company page and even target specific demographics through its advertising options.
• Twitter: With its fast-paced and real-time nature, Twitter can be a powerful tool for social recruiting. You can tweet job openings and use hashtags to increase visibility to potential candidates.
• Instagram: As a visual platform, Instagram can be a great way to showcase your company culture and attract potential candidates. You can use Instagram to post job openings and behind-the-scenes photos of your workplace.
• Snapchat: The social media app where messages and pictures are only available for a short time before becoming inaccessible, Snapchat is another platform that is very popular with younger people and is a great tool to attract and engage candidates for recruitment events.

Which Social Media Platforms to Use for Different Demographics

It’s important to note that there is no one size fits all social media platform when it comes to reaching specific demographics. Knowing which platform to use for different groups is an essential component of a solid social recruiting strategy. For example, if the audience you’re targeting is from the baby boomer generation, you’d be better off using Facebook in your recruiting strategy versus Snapchat, which is used much more by younger people.

• LinkedIn: If you’re sourcing professionals in fields such as finance, engineering, and technology, LinkedIn is a great option. You can target users based on their job title, industry, and location, and also post job openings and sponsored content.
• Facebook: With nearly 4 billion active users, Facebook is the world’s largest social network and is an ideal platform for reaching a broad audience. It’s particularly useful for recruiting for entry-level positions and hourly workers. Facebook allows you to target users based on their age, interests, and location.
• Instagram: If you’re looking for candidates in creative fields like – fashion, art, and design, Instagram is the platform to use. It’s also ideal for targeting younger audiences, with 70% of Instagram users being under the age of 35. Similar to Facebook, you can target users based on their location, interests, and the hashtags they follow.
• Twitter: Twitter is a real-time platform where users share their thoughts, news, and opinions. It can be particularly useful for recruiting candidates in the marketing, advertising, and public relations fields.
• Snapchat: Another social media platform that targets younger audiences, Snapchat has over 363 million daily active users. Snapchat is useful for recruiting in industries that require creativity, such as media and advertising. Snapchat also allows you to create a geo-filter that targets users in a specific location.

Best Practices for Crafting Social Media Recruitment Posts

Now that you have an understanding of your audience and the variety of social media platforms available, make sure you follow some best practices to ensure you’re getting the maximum return on your investment.

• Less is more: Social media users have short attention spans, so make sure your recruitment posts are short, sweet, and to the point.
• Use attention-grabbing headlines: Creating headlines that grab the reader’s attention isn’t just important, it’s absolutely necessary. The whole point is to prompt a candidate to click, so give them a reason why they should.
• Showcase your company culture: Share posts that highlight the benefits and unique aspects of your company culture. Candidates want to know what it’s like to work at your company, so make sure your social media posts show that.
• Make your post visually appealing: A picture often is worth a thousand words. So, incorporating images, graphics or videos in your posts can increase your chances of being seen by your target audience.
• Use relevant hashtags: Using hashtags is a great way to get the attention of the people you’re trying to reach. For instance, if you were looking to hire a pharmaceutical salesperson, #pharmaceuticalsales is more likely to catch the eye of relevant candidates.
• Make it shareable: Your posts should always be shareable so others can help spread the word about your job openings. Add social share buttons to your posts and encourage employees to share them within their own networks.
• Be authentic: Candidates want to see that your company is genuine and values their employees. Show your company’s personality and let your brand shine through in your posts.

Metrics to Measure the Success of Your Social Media Recruitment Efforts

No matter what strategy you’re deploying, measuring the results is always an important aspect of achieving your goals. When it comes to social media recruiting, there are some specific metrics you’ll want to monitor. By doing so, you’ll be able to adjust your strategy and increase your odds for success.

• Engagement: High engagement rates suggest that your posts are resonating with your target audience and are worth investing more resources into. Measure engagement by tallying up the likes, comments, shares, and clicks.
• Reach: How many people are seeing your posts? You can measure reach by looking at the number of followers you have on each platform and how many people are seeing and engaging with your posts. A high reach rate means that your posts are being seen by a large number of people, which equates to increased brand awareness and potentially more applicants.
• Conversion rate: The number of people who actually act after seeing your posts, such as clicking through to your job postings or filling out an application is your conversion rate. You can measure conversion rate by looking at the number of applicants you receive compared to the number of people who view your posts.
• Cost per hire: Calculate the cost per hire by dividing the total cost of your social media recruitment efforts by the number of new hires you make. This can help you determine if you’re achieving maximum ROI, and if a particular social media strategy is cost-effective compared to other recruitment methods.
• Time to hire: You can measure time to hire by tracking the amount of time between posting a job on social media and making a job offer to a candidate. If you’re posting on multiple platforms, keeping track of this metric can help you determine which ones are working the best.

By regularly tracking and analyzing all of these metrics, you can make increasingly data-driven decisions that will improve your social recruiting strategy over time.

Over to You

At a time when the competition for top talent is showing no signs of slowing down, incorporating social media recruitment into your overall talent acquisition strategy is a cost-effective way to attract talent and stay ahead of the competition. But it’s also critical to have the right technology tools in place to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to sourcing the most compatible candidates.

With an AI-powered sourcing platform like Arya, recruiters and hiring teams can maximize ROI by leveraging the largest talent database in North America (850M+ candidates) sourced across 70+ channels. A single-platform sourcing solution, Arya increases recruiter efficiency by 5X, and empowers you to quickly discover, and rapidly engage the candidates most likely to succeed in every open role, while reducing candidate review and shortlisting time by 50%. Join the industry leading companies taking their talent acquisition game to the next level, and book your demo of Arya today.

FAQs

What is social media recruitment?

Social media recruitment refers to the use of social media platforms to attract, engage and hire potential candidates for job openings.

Why is social media recruitment important?

Social media recruitment can help you reach a wider pool of candidates, increase brand awareness, and save time and money compared to traditional recruitment methods.

Which social media platforms should I use for recruitment?

The best platforms to use will depend on your target audience. LinkedIn is great for professional networking, Facebook and Twitter can help you reach a larger audience, and Instagram can showcase your company culture.

How do I craft effective social media recruitment posts?

Focus on highlighting your company’s culture, values, and the benefits of working for your organization. Use clear and concise language, add visuals to catch people’s attention, and include a call-to-action to encourage applications.

How do I measure the success of my social media recruitment efforts?

Track metrics such as click-through rates, engagement, and the number of applications received. Set clear goals and use these metrics to evaluate your success and identify areas for improvement.

How can I target specific demographics on social media?

You can use features such as targeting tools and hashtags to reach specific groups of people based on factors such as location, interests, and job titles.

What are some common mistakes to avoid in social media recruitment?

Avoid posting generic or overly formal job descriptions, ignoring comments and messages from potential candidates, and not measuring the success of your efforts. Also, ensure that you have a clear social media policy in place to avoid any legal or reputational risks.

References

• https://resources.glassdoor.com/65-hr-recruiting-stats-2018.html
• https://thesmallbusinessblog.net/meta-users/
• https://thesocialshepherd.com/blog/snapchat-statistics