How to Attract Top Talent on Social Media

By Adam Maidment

Everyone is using social media these days. On Facebook alone there are over 1.55 billion accounts and on Twitter 500 million tweets are sent every day. Whether it’s for personal or business, the audience is there.

With massive audiences using these platforms, it’s no wonder that recruiters are now looking to social media to find their next candidate. A report by SHRM found that 65% of organisations had sourced new hires through social media in the past year, with 57% sourced from LinkedIn alone.

Besides the massive scope of potential candidates, hiring through social media is lucrative to recruiters because it’s quick and easy. What would have previously been a drawn out recruitment process can now simply involve looking at the profile of a possible candidate and getting in touch.

Before you decide on a strategy or even a platform to go with, you need to understand the audience you want to target. Take the time to consider whether they’re more likely to be found on Facebook or LinkedIn, and cater your search to their needs.

For any recruiters or companies who are a little bit dubious about searching for talent on social media, we’ve come up with a guide that’ll help you create a successful campaign based around the three main social media platforms: LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
 

Using LinkedIn

Most recruiters will choose to use LinkedIn over other platforms as it’s known as a professional network. According to Linkhumans, LinkedIn remains the leading network in Europe for recruitment, with 64% of companies using it.

Creating a Company Page on LinkedIn is a good example of building up interest from your followers. You can share regular updates which will help to keep them informed about the latest goings on within the company and the relevant industry.

Another suggestion on using LinkedIn to your advantage is to create a group around a specific topic that you’re recruiting for or specialise in. These groups encourage debate from users who express an interest in the topic, which is convenient when you have a job in the available sector.

You’ll also be able to subtly use these spaces when it comes to advertising your latest jobs. As members of your groups and pages, you’ll already know that they’re interested in you as a company.
 

Using Facebook

Facebook is a great platform for discussion and opinion, so encourage this from your followers as much as you can.

On your company page, make sure you’re providing calls-to-actions on your posts. Share articles and blog posts that you know will be relevant to your audience that can generate a response and debate.

Joining and contributing to groups that are relevant and appropriate to your audience will also help, as members will be introduced to your brand via your insightful advice and presence online. When they seek out their next role or see your name as part of a job listing, they may be reminded of that helpful comment you made.

Another good tip is to create your very own company group, which will further encourage  prospective candidates to apply when they see that your brand is providing wisdom and knowledgeable content.
 

Using Twitter

Twitter is perhaps the best platform when it comes to communicating, but you’ll have to find the right balance between sharing and caring. Make sure you are not just using Twitter as a platform to share your own content, it can run the risk of looking like a constant stream of self-advertisement and will be off-putting to some. Mix up your content and share industry news alongside your share-worthy moments and vacancies.

The communication aspect of Twitter has proven to be a valuable asset when it comes to recruiting. A study by SoftwareAdvice found that 57% of companies agreed that being able to communicate with job seekers through Twitter was effective in placing a job.

Keep an eye on relevant hashtags, and see if there are any that you could perhaps jump on the bandwagon with. For example, if you’re looking to hire someone in your HR department then you could take a look at what kind of content is being shared via the #HR hashtag. You can get pointers on what content to share and also find potential candidates who are responding well to the hashtag and content.
 

Finally...

Recruiting has always been about finding that connection with the candidate and targeting their interests. In that regard, the massive cross-appeal of social media is perfect for the recruiter. As long as you use it wisely and find the balance between content and self-promotion, you will look lucrative to possible candidates.

Be knowledgeable and don’t be afraid to share the expert opinion that you have, it’ll only give people more confidence in you as a company.

Author bio

Adam Maidment is a Content Writer for Portfolio CBR, providers of compensation, benefits and rewards jobs throughout the UK.

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