How to use social media to seek talent for your business
23 February 2021
5
min read
Social recruiting can be a powerful tool to add to your traditional recruiting process to help find and hire high-quality applicants.
Social recruiting uses social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter to advertise job vacancies.
But it has become more than simply sharing job postings on social media platforms, and many organisations now complement traditional recruiting with a social recruiting strategy as a tool for researching and networking with potential candidates.
Reach top talent
Many potential high-quality employees may be hidden to businesses looking to recruit new team members.
A recent study found 70% of the workforce is made up of people who qualify as passive candidates.1
Passive candidates are those who are currently employed and might not be looking to change jobs immediately.
While they might not be actively looking for a new job, they are however likely to be on social media. The study by LinkedIn also determined that 87% of these passive candidates would actually be open to new job opportunities.
This research reflects the trend in Australia, where more than half of the Australian job force say it is important, or extremely important, to be aware of job opportunities, regardless of their employment status. And more than a third say they don’t know exactly what job they’re searching for when looking. 2
Social recruiting could help a business reach this hidden talent pool of passive candidates to inform them about new opportunities and create a connection that could translate into them joining a company.
Used effectively, it can also help businesses identify candidates it might want to target for a position based on their social media profiles, connections and social interactions.
Recruiting in the ‘new normal’
Recruiting and human resources (HR), like the workplace, are constantly evolving and look a little different in 2021 to what they once did.
One of the top trends for the 2020s that has emerged through the COVID-19 pandemic experience, according to a global study by LinkedIn Talent Solutions3, is the elevation of ‘employee experience’.
Employee experience begins from the point of recruitment through to a way to help retain the best talent in your organisation.
By including social media recruiting in your organisation’s hiring toolkit, it can help meet some of the expectations of potential employees by giving them insight into the business, what it would be like to work for the organisation, and offer an experience that may turn a candidate into an employee.
Through social media recruiting, businesses can highlight their company culture and showcase the company by sharing content such as employer branding, celebratory events, milestones reached, and charitable activities the organisation contributes to the community.
Seen through the lens of an employee, or potential employee, your company may be just the place they are looking to work.
3 tips for social media recruitment
’Employer brand’ refers to an organisation’s reputation and popularity as an employer. It’s the brand’s value proposition to employees. This is different from the brand the company projects to customers. Ensure your employer brand is active and accurate on social media.
You could build interest and trust with potential or passive candidates by publishing high-value blogs, visual content and posts on social media. Showcase your company so potential candidates have an insight into the employee experience.
Once you have targeted or found potential candidates, make them feel valued throughout the recruitment process. This can be done through a combination of social media engagement and personal touchpoints. Technology should enhance, but not replace, the role of the recruiter and hiring manager.
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1. LinkedIn Talent Solutions, 2016, The Ultimate List of Hiring Statistics, at www.business.linkedin.com
2. Indeed, March 2019, Where are Australians Looking For Jobs?, Survey 1,371 Australian workers in July 2018 by Indeed in partnership with Lonergan Research, at www.blog.au.indeed.com
3. LinkedIn Talent Solutions, 2020, Global Talent Trends, at www.business.linkedin.com
The opinions expressed and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the QSuper Board. No responsibility is taken for the accuracy of any of the information supplied and you should seek advice for your circumstances.