Using Social Media to Attract The best Talent

There’s nothing inherently wrong with traditional job listings. Resumes and phone filtering still play an extremely important role in connecting job candidates to job openings. But firms that rely solely on the time-honored way of attracting talent are missing out if they don’t utilize another valuable candidate resource: social media. Social media lets you dig deeper than skills and experience alone. Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram are all great channels for attracting the elite talent. With 92% of recruiting professionals reporting they use or plan to use social media in their own recruiting efforts, it’s time to see how your company can get in on the action.

Social Media Strategy

Begin with a plan that highlights dedicated career profiles on social media accounts. Accomplish this by ensuring your current staff are actively engaged in social media themselves and then help them support your firm’s recruiting campaign. Social media messages should be updated and re-purposed on a consistent basis, and your strategy should include ways for possible recruits to interact with your staff, which will make them feel personally connected to your firm. Everyone loves first-person success stories, so let the people who already work for you showcase your firm’s positive aspects. Include videos, tours, quotes and advice from current staff to add authenticity and depth to your social media outreach. Be sure to create evergreen content that can be tweaked to fit each social media platform. This gives your brand a consistent message that can be tailored to appeal to different audiences for different positions.

Facebook

As the world’s largest social network – 1.55 billion users around the globe – Facebook continues to grow in popularity as a place where job seekers can not only highlight their talents, but also find companies that use social media screenings as part of their recruiting and hiring practices.

• Use your company's Facebook Page to showcase your brand and workplace culture.
• Participate in Facebook Groups and share relevant information. Or, create your group and invite current and past employees to participate. Monitor the page and PM any user you think might be a perfect fit for your company.

Instagram

Companies looking to attract the 18 to 34-year old age bracket are smart to use Instagram to promote their brand.

• To foster a personal connection, use pictures to tell the story behind your brand.
• Use photos that illustrate and offer insight into your company’s culture.

Twitter

Recruiters can capitalize on Twitter’s high level of daily engagement by using real-time strategies that include hashtags and lists.

• Establish brand hashtags and use them consistently.
• Create Twitter lists to keep your followers (and potential candidates) organized. Remember that you don’t have to follow someone to include them on a list.

Is your company utilizing the power of social media to locate and recruit top talent? Your competition most likely is, so there’s no better time to implement some of these best practices into your recruitment strategy.