What Are Examples of Using Social Media for Effective Recruitment?

Utilize Social Media for Recruitment

Hiring easily is a myth. Anyone who says they don't face hiring issues is straight-up lying or a walking LinkedIn. At my company, we are constantly struggling to find great talent, and social media is a big, with a capital 'B,' help. Why? Think about the good old days when talent was hired chiefly offline. You practically bumped into people and directed them in the right direction. It was more or less a matter of chance that things might work for you. But today, we can post jobs on social media and get hundreds of applications. So, the number of applications is not an issue. If you think that's where things end, you're wrong. This is where it gets started. Recruiters can spend a lot of time finding the right match and waste time. So here are some handy tips on how you can utilize social media for your benefit. I see it in three ways: 1) Numbers, 2) Social Proof, and 3) Eagerness. I have already talked about how you can hit high numbers of applications. Social media itself is social proof of applicants' backgrounds, like courses in college or work experience. Anyone who has taken online courses and put them up on social media gets my notice. Looking at recent social media activity is a great way to assess the eagerness of someone passionate about the job. A profile that shares recent updates in their field is a great place to go for an interview. These days, social media platforms provide filters to screen candidates based on social proof and eagerness, which saves a lot of time in reaching the right candidate. I would also like to add that hiring is a two-way process. Maintaining a good social media presence for your company helps you achieve your goals faster.

Leverage Personal Brand for Talent Access

When I made the conscious decision early in 2023 to focus on TikTok and Instagram growth, I knew it would change my life in several ways.

One of these ways, I predicted, would be access to great talent.

I make short-form mobile videos about marketing and business, using myself and my face in every video. This makes me somebody that talent wants to align with.

I just passed 70,000 followers on TikTok and am nearing 20,000 followers on Instagram.

My videos have inspired, taught, and motivated hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people.

As a result of this, every day, I have talent messaging me, asking if they can work for me for free, get mentored by me, start a business with me, be my employee, or even invest in my businesses.

I've also taken people up on their offers. People who once started as fans of mine are now colleagues and employees. These people are self-motivated, smart, and hard-working.

One of my favorite things is that if I ever need an expert or employee in a specific domain, I can usually just ask about it on my podcast (which I drive traffic to through TikTok and Instagram) and get a referral.

So, because I've focused on social media, my access to talent has been tremendous.

Find Candidates in Niche Social Groups

One of the unique things about our firm is our 'Family First' value. In certain situations, we are willing to accommodate a part-time HR consulting resource if it meets our business and candidate's needs.

So, there was a time we were challenged with finding the right resource for a Consultant job opening. Our Managing Director opted to share the job in a local Facebook Moms group and was able to find the successful candidate there. She was interested in the part-time option and felt like the flexibility would be ideal for her to re-enter the workforce after raising two kids.

We don't necessarily market jobs like this all the time, but for where we were in the firm's growth at the time, posting the job in a local Facebook group was perfect for what we needed.

Create Engaging Content for Recruitment

In one of my previous roles, I was tasked with leveraging social media for recruitment purposes. Our goal was to attract a diverse range of high-quality candidates for a series of tech-related positions.

We decided to utilize LinkedIn and Twitter, given their professional user base and widespread use in our industry. The strategy involved a mix of targeted content creation and active engagement. On LinkedIn, we created posts that highlighted our company culture, employee testimonials, and detailed job descriptions with clear calls to action. These posts were not only informative but also aimed to capture the essence of working at our company, showcasing our supportive and dynamic work environment.

On Twitter, we engaged directly with potential candidates by participating in relevant industry discussions and using targeted hashtags. We also hosted a series of Twitter Q&A sessions where our existing employees shared their experiences and answered questions about their roles and the company culture. This approach helped humanize our brand and made potential candidates more comfortable with the idea of reaching out and applying.

The results were impressive. We saw a significant increase in the number of quality applications, and many candidates mentioned our social media content as a key factor in their decision to apply. This experience reinforced the importance of using social media not just to advertise positions, but to build a narrative around the company culture and actively engage with potential candidates, making the recruitment process more personal and effective.