Last week, we talked about the power of social recruiting and why it is one of the most powerful tools for recruiting top-tier talent. Once a business has been convinced of social recruiting’s utility, the natural question is: “Where do I start?”.

It may seem as if a social recruiting strategy is as simple as posting job on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. But there is more to the process than that. The process of implementing a social recruiting strategy can be broken into three broad steps: Setting goals, choosing platforms, involving employee advocates.

Step 1: Setting Your Goals

As with any company initiative, it is important to set goals and key performance indicators. This is so that managers can objectively identify progress and success when it happens. To begin, firms should consider a few things: what kinds of platforms to use, what kinds of jobs to post, and what kinds of candidates to attract. From the dozens of social media platforms available, it can be enticing to target audiences on every single one of those sites, but that strategy can lead to ineffective results with no real target audience.

Typically, there are slight nuances among the ways that companies engage with potential recruits depending on the social media platform. Below are just a few examples.

• On Facebook: Companies can monitor candidates to get a glimpse into how they present themselves to friends, family, and strangers.
• On Twitter: A conversational platform, Twitter can be used to chat with candidates or learn more about their interests and values—great for determining company fit.
• On LinkedIn: A classic, LinkedIn can be used to gauge a candidate’s professional experience—useful in determining whether a candidate is qualified for the position.
• On Instagram: Firms can understand what the candidate likes to do in his or her spare time or what passions they have outside of work.

Step 2: Choosing the Right Platform

At times, finding qualified candidates can seem like searching for a needle in a haystack, which is why it is important for recruiters to use the appropriate platform given the role they are trying to fill. LinkedIn and Twitter may seem like the most obvious choices, but that is not always the case. For example, consider two job openings. One is for a graphic designer, the other is for a salesman. The graphic designer may elect to spend more time on visual social media such as Instagram or Pinterest. The salesman, however, may be more active on traditional platforms such as LinkedIn or Twitter.

By carefully considering the nature of the position they are trying to fill, recruiters can frame their social media recruiting strategies around where the best candidates are likely to spend the most time. Each platform will require a slightly different approach when recruiting. Twitter recruiters will want to utilize hashtags and concise job descriptions in order to maximize visibility. Facebook recruiters may want to consider joining career groups or job pages to find the best talent.

Step 3: Involve Employee Advocates

What is unique about a social recruiting strategy is that it is social. This means that recruiters should leverage the power of connection with the network they already have. Just by sharing job listings, company employees can exponentially improve a firm’s chances of attracting a top-quality candidate.

According to a recent study by Smarp, the average employee advocate has 400 LinkedIn contacts, 420 Facebook friends, and 360 Twitter followers. Additionally, the content shared by employees has an 8x higher engagement rate than content shared by company profiles.

With over 98% of professionals using at least one social media site, recruiting managers have the potential to unlock a huge network of exposure—one that is as close to home as possible. Potential candidates want proof that current employees enjoy working for the firm. First-hand testimonials from employee advocates can have huge, positive impacts on a firm’s recruiting strategy.

Conclusion

Firms who consistently attract top-tier talent almost always have some form of a social recruiting strategy. But following the recruiting process is the selection process—an entirely different challenge. Fortunately, Predictive Success Corporation has a simple, fast, and scientifically-validated solution. The PI administers behavioural and cognitive tests that help recruiters make more informed decisions in the hiring process. To learn more, click here.