The biggest question I get from recruiters is: how can I use social media to recruit the best talent?
Gone are the days of having to sift through hundreds of paper resumes in order to find candidates that might fit a position you are recruiting for. Using social media tools allow you to connect and engage with a wider pool of talent.
But which channels should you use? What should you post? When is the best time to post? To be sure, social media can get pretty confusing. And so I’d like to share with you some best practices for Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Just remember, that each channel has its own rules and its own audience. What works for Twitter might not work on LinkedIn and so on.
Once you’ve set up a Twitter account, remember that engagement is key – share, ask, respond. Do not rely on scheduled tweets alone or having your other channels automatically post to Twitter.
- Tag keywords related to the job posting.
- Participate in industry-related chats.
- Find out what chats your prospective candidates participate in.
Like it or not, Facebook is the biggest social network at the moment. At the end of 2012, studies show ed that people spent nearly 8 hours a month on Facebook. So you must:
- Leverage your company’s Facebook Page.
- Have a career tab and post on the timeline about urgent positions with a link to the actual posting.
- Share industry-related content and prompt discussions in order to engage job seekers.
- Share photos and events that showcase the company’s culture.
You probably already have a LinkedIn profile. It is, after all, known as the professional social network.
- Update your status with links to the jobs you are recruiting for. Add a message, an insight to the job so that it isn’t just a url to the job posting.
- Share jobs with connections who can then share them with their contacts.
- Promote job openings in industry groups.
- Outreach to passive job seekers by sending a message or inMail.
You might also consider a paid recruiter account that gives you access to the entire LinkedIn network and allows you to collaborate with the rest of your team.