A shocking number of recruiters are overlooking social media as a useful hiring tool. How can recruiters use social media more effectively to find the best candidates for the job?
A company’s success often depends on its ability to hire the right people. Effective recruiting requires more than a smattering of job posts and the hope that your dream candidate will stumble upon them.
With the digital age has come an information overload, making it harder for both companies and job seekers to stand out. The exponential growth and increasing ubiquity of social media sites may prove useful in the ongoing struggle to see and be seen in the job world.
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) conducted a survey of over 18,000 employers in the UK. It revealed that 49% of employers have hired in the past 12 months, and in order to fill those vacancies, 38% used free public channels such as Job Centre Plus, while up to 30% still relied on word-of-mouth.
A mere 7% of those companies surveyed reported that they used social media platforms in their recruitment efforts.
Today, the scope of sites like Facebook is unparalleled. While Linkedin is increasingly being championed as the tool of choice for recruiters, the fact that most recruiters are failing to utilise these tools speaks for itself, and is shocking, especially when you consider the potential benefits that social media has to offer.
Social media networks allow companies to vastly expand their outreach at little or no cost. High-speed, user-friendly platforms like Twitter allow recruiters to keep job postings up to date and accurate.
It’s important to recognise the value of social media as an implement of attraction. It’s not just about putting jobs out there--it’s about making your company appear desirable to top talent. Corporate culture is of key value to the new generation of workers.
Using social media outlets to provide potential employees with a clear and accurate view of your company’s core values will help attract qualified candidates and ensure that they’re a good fit.
Another way to increase your applicant pool is to encourage current employees to engage their personal social networks. Internal recommendations and referrals come with a built-in reliability factor that helps expedite some of the initial stages of the recruiting process.
Getting your employees to announce openings on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn can help extend the reach of your recruiting efforts beyond your company’s network.
A study by eMarketer found that photos make up 75% of the content on Facebook and generate an 87% interaction rate amongst Facebook users. Recent research by Media Blog suggests that adding a photo or video to a tweet can boost retweets by up to 35%.
Visual content is easier to consume and digest than text. In fact, according to Search Engine Journal, the human brain can make sense of an image in less than 1/10 of a second. Including simple infographics and photos in your posts can quickly grab a job seeker’s attention while giving them a better understanding of the company and position they’re applying for.
Social networks are more than just a job board--they can be used as a channel of influence. You can make your efforts multidimensional by incorporating a variety of social media platforms to reach more people, thereby offering your audience a comprehensive perspective into your company.
With the rapid expansion of a company’s network comes the need to effectively sort through a high volume of potential candidates. Utilising IT innovations like LaunchPad Recruits’ video interviewing software can help hiring professionals manage their recruitment efforts more efficiently, letting them capitalise on the boost that social media can provide.
