Best Practices When Using Social Networks To Recruit

Social networking has not only become a great place to follow the news of the day, your favorite celebrities or keep in touch with family and friends; it has also become a great way for companies to recruit candidates for open jobs. There are, however, improper ways to use social media that harm a company’s chances of landing top talent.

We are going to discuss the best practices to employ when recruiting using social networks, so that you get the most from this resource.

Expand Your Social Media Presence

Never limit yourself when it comes to participating in social networks. Your company should post content to Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, as well as other popular networks. Utilize all of the social media networks out there to expand your company’s brand as much as possible. This includes posting videos to YouTube, pictures to Instagram, ideas to Pinterest and videos to Vine. The more social media networks you use, the more followers you will have who might turn into job candidates in the near future. Just be sure that all of the content you post is relevant to your company and useful to your followers.

Take Part in the Conversation

Social media networks are perfect for having conversations, no matter how short they are. When potential candidates reach out to your company via social media, make sure a response is issued in order to start a dialogue. When you leave questions unanswered or fail to respond to comments, you give the impression that followers are not important to your company. Consider posting to the social media pages of job candidates before they reach out to you. This proactivity helps break the ice.

Get Active in Communities and Groups

When one thinks of social media, the regular sites like Twitter and Facebook come to mind. But there are forums out there that can really help companies find top talent.

LinkedIn provides a targeted outlet to reach candidates with interests similar to your job postings. The background of job candidates (active and passive) is readily available. Recruiters can join LinkedIn groups based around an industry (human resources) or a location (Chicago). The members of those groups are already connected to the content you are posting, so it can be a successful targeted approach.

Another example is Quora, which is a great place for companies to interact with experts in specific industries. Not only can you keep up with the news of the industry, but you can also get in touch with top members of your industry who might be ready for a new challenge.

Promote the Company Brand

Companies that promote their brand on social media, for both customers and employees, find it easier to recruit using this platform. Use social media to promote company events, both public and just for employees, while also talking about any significant goals reached by the organization lately. Get permission from employees to post pictures and videos of them on your social media networks, so followers know what it is like to work at your company.

Social media has become a powerful tool for hiring and human resource managers when it comes to recruiting new employees. The best practices outlined above are just the tip of the iceberg. Make sure your company is using at least two-to-three social networks in order to attract top talent.

About Prof Janek Ratnatunga 1129 Articles
Professor Janek Ratnatunga is CEO of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants. He has held appointments at the University of Melbourne, Monash University and the Australian National University in Australia; and the Universities of Washington, Richmond and Rhode Island in the USA. Prior to his academic career he worked with KPMG.