How to Create Your Dream Team with Social Recruiting

Some days it feels like no aspect of life is unrelated to social media —and talent acquisition is no exception. 

Connecting with job candidates on social platforms has become commonplace, and these hubs can be a powerful recruitment tool. From LinkedIn to Instagram to Twitter (or is it X?), recruiters now have unprecedented access to an extensive talent pool.

These social media platforms allow recruiters to showcase their employer brand and actively search for candidates. It expands the reach of recruiters and offers valuable insights into candidates’ skills, experiences, and cultural fit through their digital presence. 

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, social recruiting is expected to play an even more crucial role in the recruitment process, fostering innovative ways to connect recruiters with candidates. 

What Is Social Recruiting?

Social recruiting — also known as social media recruiting or digital recruiting — is the process of utilizing social media platforms to attract and evaluate potential candidates. It involves leveraging the reach and functionality of platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other networking sites to source and connect with talent. 

Not only is it convenient, but social recruiting is effective: Nearly 90% of recruiters report that they hired someone through LinkedIn.

Social media recruiting encompasses various strategies, including posting job openings, sharing employer brand content, utilizing targeted advertising, actively searching for candidates, and engaging in direct communication. This enables recruiters to tap into the vast network of users on social media platforms and interact with them to assess their suitability for specific roles. 

How to Use Social Media for Recruitment

Recruiters often use various social recruiting practices to engage with potential candidates and enhance their talent acquisition efforts. Some of these practices include things like:

1. Identifying Potential Candidates on LinkedIn

 LinkedIn is a popular professional networking platform widely used by recruiters. They leverage its advanced search features and filters to identify individuals with specific skills, experiences, or job titles relevant to their open positions. Recruiters can reach out to these candidates directly through private messages or by sending connection requests.

2. Tweeting Job Links with Relevant Hashtags

Twitter's real-time nature makes it ideal for quick updates and job postings. Recruiters can tweet links to available positions, ensuring they include relevant hashtags to reach a wider audience and build long-term cohesion with followers interested in their organization or industry. Hashtags like #jobs, #hiring, and industry-specific terms help attract attention from job seekers and other professionals.

3. Creating Culture-Focused Videos

Videos are powerful tools for showcasing an organization's culture, values, and work environment. Recruiters can create and share videos on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram that provide insights into the company's day-to-day operations, employee testimonials, and career growth opportunities. These videos help potential candidates gain a better understanding of the organization and attract those who align with its values and aspirations.

4. Using Targeted Advertising

Social media platforms offer sophisticated advertising features that allow recruiters to reach a highly specific audience. Through targeted advertising, recruiters can tailor job postings to reach individuals with particular skills, experiences, and job titles relevant to their open positions. By using regional filters and industry-specific interests, recruiters can increase the chances of attracting a pool of relevant applicants. This approach optimizes the recruitment process, saving time and resources while connecting with potential candidates who best fit the organization's requirements.

Posting in Social Communities

Recruiters leverage social media platforms to create specialized groups and communities where professionals with shared interests can gather and engage. These groups serve as virtual hubs for industry-specific discussions, networking, and job opportunities. By curating content, sharing relevant insights, and facilitating conversations, recruiters foster a sense of community and establish themselves as industry thought leaders. 

Social Media Platforms Used in Social Recruiting

LinkedIn is, of course, one of the primary platforms used for social media recruitment. That’s what it was built for, after all. 

This indispensable platform for social recruitment offers a myriad of tools that empower recruiters to identify and engage with candidates. With its advanced search filters, recruiters can precisely target candidates based on specific skills, job titles, and industry experience. InMail and direct messaging facilitate personalized communication, allowing recruiters to initiate conversations and nurture relationships with prospects outside their immediate network. In addition, LinkedIn's job posting feature enables companies to showcase their open positions to a vast network of professionals, attracting a qualified pool of applicants. 

Companies can also elevate their employer brand well-curated company pages that share company culture, values, and accomplishments to resonate with potential candidates. 

But LinkedIn is far from your only option. Facebook, Twitter (X??), and Instagram are also powerful platforms for recruiters.

Each of these social media sites offers unique advantages in the talent acquisition process. For example, Facebook's vast user base and diverse demographics provide recruiters with a broad reach to tap into a wide pool of potential candidates. Its messaging features enable personalized communication, making it easier for recruiters to engage with prospects directly.

Twitter real-time nature and extensive use of hashtags (let’s just stick with Twitter) — allows recruiters to share job openings instantaneously and connect with candidates who are actively seeking new opportunities. Additionally, the platform fosters engagement through retweets and replies, increasing the visibility of job postings.

Then there’s Instagram, which is known for its visual appeal. This platform enables employers to showcase their company culture, workplace environment, and employee experiences, thereby attracting candidates who align with the organization's values. 

Is Social Media Recruiting More Effective than Traditional Recruiting?

Social recruiting offers several advantages that make it more cost-effective and time-efficient compared to traditional recruiting methods. 

First, social media platforms boast billions of active users, granting recruiters access to a vast audience at minimal expenses. Posting job openings and employer brand content on these platforms is far more economical than conventional advertising methods, such as print media or job fairs. Their broader reach significantly increases the likelihood of finding qualified candidates quickly and reduces the cost per candidate.

Second, social media platforms offer sophisticated targeting options that allow recruiters to reach specific groups, industries, or regions relevant to their job openings. Targeted advertising ensures that job postings are seen by individuals possessing the right skills and experience, thus streamlining the recruitment process by reducing the time and effort spent on sifting through irrelevant applications. 

Moreover, social media facilitates real-time communication, enabling job seekers to inquire about positions, submit applications, or ask questions instantaneously. This can expedite the application process and minimize response time delays. 

Employee referrals are also encouraged by social media, as employees become brand advocates. They can share job openings with their networks, amplifying the reach of job postings without incurring additional costs.

Finally, social media platforms offer analytics and data insights that help recruiters measure the effectiveness of their recruitment efforts. By tracking job posting performance, engagement rates, and other metrics, recruiters can fine-tune their strategies and optimize their approach over time. 

Benefits of Social Recruiting

There are numerous benefits that can significantly impact the recruitment process when an organization uses social recruiting.

Wider Reach and Increased Visibility

Social media platforms have billions of active users, allowing recruiters and organizations to reach a diverse and extensive pool of potential candidates. Posting job openings and employer brand content on these platforms increases the visibility of job opportunities, attracting candidates from various backgrounds and locations. This broader reach helps increase the chance of finding qualified candidates quickly and effectively.

Enhanced Candidate Engagement and Interaction

Social recruiting allows recruiters to interact with candidates in a more personal and direct manner. Through social media profiles, recruiters can gain insights into candidates' personalities, interests, and professional achievements. Engaging with candidates through comments, direct messages, and conversations provides a better glimpse into their potential fit within the company culture and team dynamics.

Better Employer Branding and

Social media platforms are powerful tools for enhancing employer branding. Sharing engaging content about company culture, values, and employee experiences can establish a reputation that attracts candidates. Over time, this can reduce the cost of talent acquisition.

Candidate Screening Improvements

Recruiters screen candidates by reviewing their social media presence and interactions. A social media background check can provide valuable information about candidates' professionalism, communication skills, and cultural alignment. This enables recruiters to better identify a quality candidate more efficiently and accurately.

Best Practices for Effective Social Recruiting

Effective social recruiting requires a well-thought-out strategy and the implementation of best practices. Here’s a guide for successful social recruiting.

Define Clear Recruitment Goals

Recruiters should establish specific recruitment metrics, such as hiring a certain number of candidates within a specified timeframe or sourcing talent for critical positions. Encouraging employee referrals can be achieved through incentives and recognition programs. Utilizing analytics is essential to track the success of social recruiting efforts, measuring metrics like the number of applicants, the source of applications, and the conversion rate of candidates from social media to hires. This data-driven approach enables recruiters to make data-backed decisions and optimize their recruitment strategies.

Identify Target Audience and Select Appropriate Social Media Platforms

Craft the ideal candidate persona for each position and identify the social media platforms where they are most active. Different roles and industries may have varying preferences for social media usage. For example, LinkedIn is ideal for professional and B2B recruitment, while Facebook and Instagram are more suited for reaching a broader audience. Focusing efforts on the right platforms helps recruiters engage with the most relevant candidates.

Optimize Social Media Profiles and Job Postings

Ensure that social media profiles, particularly LinkedIn and company pages, reflect the employer brand and provide clear and compelling information about the organization. Job postings should be well-written, concise, and include relevant hashtags and keywords to increase visibility and attract the right candidates.

Develop an Engaging and Consistent Employer Brand

Crafting a compelling employer brand is crucial to attract top talent. Showcase the company's values, culture, and opportunities for growth. Consistency across all social media platforms helps build a strong and recognizable employer brand.

Share Compelling and Relevant Content

Regularly posting engaging content that aligns with the employer brand can peak the interest of potential candidates. Stay updated with social media trends and best practices to help content resonate with the target audience. Utilizing multimedia, such as videos, images, and infographics, can make content more visually appealing and shareable.

Actively Engage and Respond to Candidate Inquiries

Responding to candidates promptly and professionally goes a long way. Timely and personalized responses can significantly improve the candidate experience and increase the likelihood of successful hires. Active engagement with candidates shows that the organization values their interest and creates a positive impression. 

Draw Candidates to You With Social Recruiting

Social recruiting has emerged as a dominant strategy in modern talent acquisition. It offers organizations a powerful way to identify potential candidates and establish meaningful connections with them. 

One its chief advantages is the ability to establish a positive employer brand. This pulls candidates to your organization, making it easier, more efficient, and less expensive to find top talent. 

Wellness programs can greatly enhance your employer brand. Consider that 96% of employees will only consider employers that place a clear emphasis on employee wellbeing during their next job hunt. A list on LinkedIn of the gym memberships your company offers, or an Instagram REEL of your marketing team at a yoga class, can help you meet those expectations.

Wellhub can help meet the wellbeing needs of today’s diverse and distributed workforce. Speak with a Wellbeing Specialist to get started!

References

• Medved, JP. (2014, February 20). 15 Best Recruiting Statistics for 2014. Capterra. Retrieved July 24, 2023 from https://www.capterra.com/resources/top-15-recruiting-statistics-2014/.