Recruiting on Social Media: More Than Just a Passing Craze

06.25.19 | Looking to Hire

Are you recruiting on social media? If not, then maybe you should be. With billions of users, social media is an effective way to reach job seekers. But what does this look like? How do you reach candidates who may already have multiple opportunities before them? How can your job post stand out from the rest?

Here at Workbox Staffing, we know how hard it can be to find qualified candidates. That’s why our process is both simple and personal. We quickly connect employers with qualified candidates, so you can be sure to find the best employee every time.  

Social Media Recruiting: Using the Correct Channels

Often, recruiters and hiring managers have to use specific channels in order to reach candidates. A “channel” is a set of people or an organization who are in a position to reach your potential employees better than you can. The key to using channels is to pick the one that already has a connection to your ideal candidates.

Social Media Recruiting

There are many channels used to reach candidates, but social media is quickly becoming the most popular and most efficient. Social media platforms have billions of users, so there’s no question that your ideal candidates are there. A few social platforms (Facebook and LinkedIn) even have built-in job search features. A survey found that 79% of job applicants use their social media accounts to search for jobs. Also, 91% of employers are using social media to hire.

What Platform Should I Use?

Certain platforms work better than others for reaching candidates. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Here’s what generally works best on the major platforms:

  • Use Facebook to post links and pictures of your job listing. Target job seekers even more by boosting your post and by using the built-in job search feature.
  • Use LinkedIn to announce that you’re hiring and to post links to your job listing. LinkedIn’s job search platform is widely used, but it costs employers money to post a job opening. About 80% of employers who post jobs on social media do so on LinkedIn.
  • Use Twitter to post links and pictures related to your job listing. Twitter’s character limit makes this an excellent place for short and snappy job descriptions. Use hashtags like #jobs #joblistings #jobopenings to attract job seekers’ attention.

Getting Your Posts Read

Once your post is seen, it’s time to make sure it actually gets read. The more scannable your actual text is, the better. In fact, only about 16% of people will read online content word-by-word.

Scannable, Yet Engaging

People want text that’s scannable, yet still engaging.

Here are some ideas to help people read your post all the way through:

  • Make it friendly and personable.
  • Consider including a short description of a typical day.
  • List the physical requirements, especially if the job will include being on your feet all day or lifting heavy loads.  
  • Make a top ten list of an ideal candidate’s qualities.
  • Have fun! Every post on social media is an opportunity to showcase company culture.

Coming from a Trusted Source

Candidates are more likely to apply for a job if they receive a personal recommendation from someone they know or trust. A 2014 survey found that 65% of respondents would consider a new job if they heard about it through a personal connection. Another study found that 92% of people trust recommendations they get from friends and family over any kind of marketing promotion or advertising. Tap into the advantages of personal job recommendations by having friends and co-workers share the job on their own social media accounts.

Use video

Video marketing may be one of the biggest trends…ever. And it’s not going anywhere. Here are some video statistics to blow your mind:

  • More than 500 million hours of videos are watched on YouTube each day.
  • 45% of people watch over an hour of Facebook or YouTube videos a week.
  • 46% of users act after viewing an ad.
  • Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch a video (as opposed to 10% when reading text).
  • Videos on social media get 12 times more shares than text and images.

Your videos don’t have to be elaborate. Record a short message from your hiring manager, or simply post a general video about your company.

Here’s a short video we put together about Workbox:

This video communicates a lot in a short period of time. It highlights our company culture while also getting across that great feeling of being matched with the perfect job or candidate.  

Secret Ingredient: Making it Personal

So you’ve reached your candidates on social media, and you’ve gotten them to read your job listing or watch a video. Now it’s time to make things personal. Whether it’s a Workbox recruiter or a hiring manager, candidates want to know that there’s a real human being on the other end of the search.   

More and more job seekers are turning away from job sites that act as online resume databases. Indeed currently boasts around 120 million resumes, while smaller sites like Zip Recruiter have around 12 million. The odds of a job seeker uploading their resume to one of these sites and actually getting noticed by the right company is like throwing your resume into a black hole. The odds aren’t exactly in anyone’s favor here.

We know first hand that a personal connection is important. That’s why we build relationships with our candidates and the companies we hire for. Our job recommendations are specifically matched to a candidate’s skills and previous experience. Our approach is simple yet personal.

Find Your Next Employee With Workbox Staffing

Social media is a great way to reach your candidates, but you can’t stop there. Your content needs to be engaging and you should be ready to connect with your candidates on a personal level. Don’t worry if you’re feeling overwhelmed. We’d love to help. Our process is simple, personal, and available to job seekers across multiple industries. Contact us today to find your next great employee!