Have you hired anyone using social media channels? It’s becoming increasingly popular for business owners to turn to LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, among other channels, to recruit. Social media recruitment is far different from running an ad or posting your opening in a job forum or on your website. It’s about engaging with candidates so they can learn about your values, business philosophy, and credentials before deciding to apply. You also have the opportunity to learn about them beyond their resume.
STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL RECRUITMENT
Determine which sites to use
When it comes to job-related traffic, LinkedIn, the largest professional network of its kind, is driving the most (47 percent), followed by Facebook (30 percent) and Twitter (16 percent). With any of these social networking sites, you have the opportunity to evaluate candidates based on their online activity. For example, you can see how much of their interaction is personal or professional.
- LinkedIn gives you several recruiting options. Post a job opening in your status updates for your contacts to see and hopefully share among their contacts. Join groups to expand your network to identify possible candidates. If you want to contact people outside your network, you can pay for a premium membership, which lets you send InMails to a set number of people.
- Facebook is well worth considering since 85 percent of Internet users have Facebook accounts. You can post jobs right on your Facebook page. There also are apps that post jobs from your website directly onto your Facebook page.
- Twitter’s 140 character maximum doesn’t enable you to describe your opportunity in detail. If you use Twitter to recruit, be very clear about the position you need to fill in your Tweet and then provide a shortened URL to a page on your website that provides more information. Use a hashtag -- #jobpost, #employment, or #hiring, for example -- with your tweet to make it searchable.
Build your brand and credibility
Before you even begin to announce job openings, establish your company on your target's social media sites. Get involved in conversations and post information and comments that inform your followers about your company and your values. Through your engagement, you’ll establish your credibility and build trust in your organization.
Respond
You can create an auto-response for applicants who apply online or personally reply with an email. A response says something about the quality of your company. You also can use your response to offer more information about your spa or massage business.
Social recruiting can not only save you time and money; it can help you expand your connections as you reach out to candidates. Just remember, social recruiting is about engagement, not selling. Build trust in your business, and you’ll get the candidates you want and more than likely a steady stream of inquiries.