Social recruiting is extremely powerful for the current and future state of your company! Want to get a clear understanding on how to use social recruiting in your recruitment process in order to reach the best candidates, may they be active or passive?
Then this article is for you!
Online content gets consumed in increasing numbers each year. Actually, multiple social media platforms at once. With that in mind, one of the questions in HR-ON’s “Meet the team” section is, “What are the top 5 most-used apps on your phone?”. You will be able to see in the future posts that most of the people answering will choose them to be mostly social media apps.
Thinking about it, you can likely name 5 social media platforms without difficulty. The permanent usage of social channels has changed the way we interact with each other and has had a profound impact on the way we approach the job search process.
Job searching and recruiting continue to evolve alongside of numerous trends in the HR departments. Technological advancements, results from previous campaigns, competitor’s campaigns and predictions for the future are only few examples of influential factor in HR development. These are the factors that will mold the recruiting systems in the future years.
Progression changes direction and new innovative solutions might replace all the recruitment efforts we are working on today. Now, I am not saying it’s not important to be up to date, relevant and appeal to the different generations, but remember, to take a breath and find your own online voice and be genuine in doing so.
Looking back in time we see examples of influencers that were dead wrong about future trends. In 2007, when Apple was just in the beginning of developing a phone that acted as a computer as well, Steve Ballmer (CEO of Microsoft at the time) said ”There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance. ”
Going mobile
The time for websites that are not responsive is ending. Small and medium sized companies are getting on board and reaping the value of user centered designs, a trend which seems to increase every year.
Not to mention, a report made at Cisco that predicts that mobile data traffic will increase sevenfold between 2017 and 2022. Besides that, if looking at the accelerated evolution within the past years, the development doesn’t seem to stop at 2022.
According to Statista there is 3.5 billion smartphone users in 2020, so not having a responsive website will end up costing customers in the long run.
Interact with users and participate actively in conversations
People like to form a connection and get in contact with companies through dialogue. LinkedIn, Facebook, blogs and all other social channels serve as a way to peek into the lives of possible collaborators and future candidates for your job openings. Participating actively in meaningful and related conversations gives you access and can awake interest in passive candidates.
Passive candidates
Now that we are talking about these specific candidates, what exactly is a passive candidate?
A passive candidate is a person who is not currently looking for a job, but has the potential of being the perfect fit for your company. They represent a big percentage of the workforce, in fact 92% of candidates would consider switching jobs if a company with an excellent reputation offered them a position. That alone should be a incentive to be proactive and start building a good brand reputation!
The passive candidates already have the stability of a job, though, so you will need will need to charm and make them want to join you.
You can do that with your social media marketing strategy and a focus on employer branding.
This is a significant and effective gateway in the pursuit of the passive candidates. A lot of magic comes with this buzzword and there is more to come. The influencer market has become quite saturated, and social media channels are battling fake accounts and people faking their real influence, so employer branding is becoming an increasingly relevant method of establishing a credible and trustworthy brand.
Online reputation
Ideally, your online reputation is flawless, you reach your audience with little effort, prospective clients and candidates can easily find and interact with your company and your best content. Now, the reality is that there is a long way to reach all of that and it is a work in progress.
Quality content that is tailored for your desired audience is a great way to start. Know your audience and optimise their online experience so that there aren’t any inconsistencies and confusing call to action in your digital footprint.
A 2017 study made by DemandGen Report shows that 75% of people said that the online content had a significant impact on their buying decision, so gaining their trust through quality content pays off in the long run.
Make a social media strategy that adjusts to your audiences behaviour so that you talk their language, without losing your brand identity.
Your presence on each social platform can differ, as long as your core values and identity is still represented.
It comes without saying that all the technical aspects need to work as in working landing pages, no errors and responsive design.
Use your employers networks
The chance is that you and your employees are connected through social networks to many potential customers and potential candidates. Tap into that potential and connect with the audience in a more organic way.
This can be included in your employer branding strategy, because your employers are your best asset and their networks may as well be a gold mine.
In order to have employers that are ambassadors of your brand, they need to be happy, satisfied and feel like they matter in your organization for their efforts to be genuine.
Empower them to be active socially, digitally and even encourage them to write about working with you on their blogs and give reviews of your company.
According to a 2018 study done by BrightLocal, 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, so covering both of those fronts gives you best exposure.
Make sure your employers know that you are open to them sharing and helping to fill in job positions and some even make it as an ERP -employer referral program- where there can come bonuses for referring to an excellent candidate that ends up being employed.
Show off your employees and your company culture, including that in your social media marketing strategy and on your website. Make visible the fact that you are proud of your employers and your work environment.
In this previous article we talk about the usage of video in recruiting qualified candidates and is a great opportunity in your employer branding and social recruiting.
Be mindful about utilising the power of social media, your own and your employers networks in order to get the best results in the recruitment process.
There is so much access to broad networks and information, so it is your and your company’s responsibility to use it to its fullest in your recruitment.
