How to use social media to recruit employees
People are the key to any successful business, but in the early stages of growth the high costs associated with traditional methods of recruiting have forced some businesses to try a relatively new way of searching for potential candidates: social media.
Social media is not only a fantastic way of connecting brands with their customers, but is now one of the most effective ways of recruiting. It gives companies unprecedented access to a huge number of people. In fact, recent statistics revealed by staff.com suggest that social media use for recruitment is at an all-time high, with 92% of businesses using platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for hiring purposes. Some 42% of companies have gone on to state that candidate quality has improved since using social media for recruitment, with 20% claiming it takes less time to hire. So how can you use it to your advantage?
Where are your potential employees?
Start out by finding where people are most likely to look for a job - particularly for the role you are advertising. Look through various sites in great detail to get a feel for the type of people who use them: the big channels such as LinkedIn and Facebook will give you access to a larger database, whereas industry-focused sites attract a smaller, but more focused, audience.
Advertise positions in your status updates
This method is free but effective, meaning the job description can be seen by your entire network. It may be that no-one in your network is looking for a job themselves, but it's likely they'll know someone who is.
Perfect your LinkedIn profile
Everyone knows that LinkedIn is designed for business networking, but it can also offer the easiest access to CV-style information. Ensure your business page is up-to-date and join any member-created groups that are relevant to your business. Share your job updates on your company profile and within groups, as well as on your personal profile.
Get social in the office
One of your strongest assets is your current employees - everyone at your company can help with the social recruitment process as they can also announce job positions on their LinkedIn and Facebook. Encourage them to do so by offering an incentive (such as a gift voucher) for introducing the successful candidate to the company.
Remember, it's a two-way process
You're looking for the perfect employee, but candidates are also looking for the perfect place to work. It's essential that your company's social media profiles are relevant, current and reflect your business in the best light possible. Having an out of date, stale social media profile is likely to deter those looking to further their career.
All of the above are effective ways to recruiting via social media, but it's important to note that you shouldn't rely entirely on the channel when recruiting staff. Visit the ACAS website to find out more about the pitfalls you should avoid.