How Candidates and Recruiters are Finding Each Other

By Cheryl Morgan

Finding top talent is the goal of any recruiter, and social media recruiting now enables candidates and recruiters to find one another more easily and effectively than ever before. In fact, social recruiting empowers you to communicate with hundreds of potential hires each week. Here are some of the strategies that recruiters use to find the best candidates online.
 

Picking the Right Social Media Platforms

One of the most important aspects of social media recruiting is for the recruiter to choose the right platform. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for businesses because the right platform will depend on a number of factors, such as the type of company that is being represented and the target audience. Take the time to choose the social media platforms that best represent the company and are intuitive to the needs of your core audience.
 

Preparing for First Impressions

Whether or not it's fair, both recruiters and candidates are likely to make quick assumptions at first glance. First impressions matter a great deal when it comes to how you present yourself online. When an ideal recruit does a social media job search, keep in mind what it would be like for them to first see each of your social media pages. Your page needs to be sleek, organised, and consistently updated. Never go longer than a week without posting at least something to all of your social media pages. When a link changes, update it quickly, and make sure that the "About" page or section is current as well.
 

Delivering What Job Seekers Want

When you make social media posts, it's really important to consider the types of messages that job seekers want to see. It's best to talk about persona profiles rather than strict job descriptions. Yes, you do want an employee who can perform a certain minimum of skills and excel in specific ways, but a persona profile is a better way of conveying what you ultimately want and truly need in a new hire. Profiles are also more reader-friendly for candidates.


Social media recruiting enables you to connect with passive candidates, too.
 

Communicating with Passive Candidates

One of the most useful things about social media recruiting is that you can connect with many people at one time. Your posts may be attracting readers who aren't yet looking for a job. Top professionals who are already employed may be reading your social media feed and trying to see what your company culture is like. Communicate with passive candidates as professionally and as regularly as you do with those who are actively seeking a job. Building great relationships with passive candidates can lead to long-term hires of top talent.

Finally, keep in mind that the ways that candidates and recruiters find one another may continue to change and evolve over time. Social media websites may come and go, but sticking to the core platforms and staying consistent should help the right recruits find you when they're doing a social media job search or simply perusing the internet for the right company for their career goals. Be sure to sign up to our free social recruiting training webinar to set yourself up for success.