On the Social Media Contractors website, we have such an incredible variety of free resources available for to help marketers with recruiting. Whether you’re a fan of our white paper (free strategic planning!) or one of the blog posts from throughout the years, it’s clear that recruiting top talent is one of the massive benefits made possible by social media.
The days of headhunters with boxes full of business cards might not be completely obsolete, but social media has truly changed the game in terms of company recruiting.
Last year, we posted some do’s and don’t’s of recruiting on social media. For example, using multiple platforms, being calculated, and engaging are all important features. And, as with all digital media: don’t expect miracles. Interaction is interaction, and the core of that hasn’t changed despite the advances in technology. It’s a complex process, frankly, so something that we help clients with is the more elusive process of engaging– possibly the most important to-do on your list.
So what does engaging in a recruiting setting really mean? Well, as we said in the last blog post, “social media recruiting is as much about self-promotion as it is about actually getting the job out there, so do everything you can to interact with anyone whom you think might be interested in the position.” As it turns out, this is much easier said than done.
The first step to engaging is making sure that your passive presence is just as strong as your active presence. This means that even if your company isn’t actively tweeting at the moment, a potential job-seeker should be able to visit your pages and find the most accurate, up-to-date information regarding the position and information about your company. The “About” section on Facebook should be polished, and all links should feed back to the company website.
Atlantic Business Technologies told Entrepreneur that they post job openings on Twitter that direct applicants to the company website and company Facebook page. They also work to have company job openings go ‘viral’ on Twitter by “re-tweeting”—most of the time it only takes a couple re-tweets to get potential candidates to review the job description, says company founder Jon Jordan. “Facebook and LinkedIn are great for networking and Twitter is better for broadcasting.”
When you know your passive presence is strong and your social media activity is engaging with potential job-seekers, that’s when it’s time to have a little fun with your active work online. For example, a company looking to brand itself as one of the top places to work can use social media to spearhead that vision. Behind-the-scenes Instagrams of company gatherings or special events will project a company culture that is not only successful, but an enjoyable place to be– putting a face to the name, so to speak. For example, The Today Show’s Instagram account uses videos and pictures for behind-the-scenes shots of their anchors with special guests, beautiful shots from destinations the team visits and more, to create the image of a happy work family with exciting people and fun events. People want to enjoy where they work and what they do, so it’s the job of companies to make their desirable work environment known among the top talent.
We have a whole section of awesome posts on recruiting here on the blog, so take some time to browse– especially if you’re in the market for a rockstar CEO.
Image Credit: CC by emilianohorcada
