How Social Media Can Help You Find and Hire the Right Candidate

Employee recruitment has changed markedly over the past decade. Organizations must drastically expand their human resource in a progressively competitive atmosphere. Accordingly, social media recruiting strategies are essential to attract the best candidates.

Social media recruitment describes identifying and hiring talent through social media. Businesses can use this employee recruitment strategy to reach a broader talent pool and select candidates more effectively. It also puts organizations right where potential employees spend much of their free time - social media.

Employers have limited options but to embrace social media for recruiting since most job seekers apply the technology to get jobs. 92 percent of organizations do their recruitment through social media, as reported by Adweek. Therefore, keep reading to understand how social media can help you find and hire the right candidate.

Also read : Hiring employees - A complete guide to hire right

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Social Media Recruiting Strategies

You can execute social hiring in both an active and passive approach. You should prepare an elaborate plan before publishing any job vacancies on social media; you should draw up a detailed plan. Here are some essential strategies you should apply when recruiting through social media:
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1. Define Your Recruitment Objective

Determining vital performance indicators is critical in finding the right candidate from social media. You can establish recruitment objectives such as reaching a particular number of candidates, targeting only candidates interested in working from home, or growing the traffic to a position advertisement. 

Also read : 5 ways HR teams can redefine your recruiting strategy‍

2. Select Suitable Social Media Platforms

Carefully choose the social media platform that is most related to the sector in which you are hiring. Every social media platform has its communication methods and advantages. You can equally exploit countless social networking websites to find candidates for different vacancies.

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3. Create an Online Presence

Establish your brand and be an organization everyone recognizes and wishes to work for. Do not only target clients with your company branding campaign. Make your prospective employees invested in your organization because they might be the key to your growth from within. Try to schedule your posts on different social media platforms at the best time when more employees are likely to view the posts. Use buffer alternatives to know the trendiest social media management tool to post content at best times.

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Millennials and Generation Z want to create an emotional attachment with a suitable organization, giving them a reason to be excited. Organically attract candidates by publishing content that displays a good picture of your company and that it is a great work environment.

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4. Indicate the Application Process

Putting simple instructions on how interested prospects can apply for vacancies may help speed up recruitment. Recruiters might use social media networks to announce vacancies or contact prospective candidates. But, having definite knowledge of the subsequent phase may make the exercise more efficient and expeditious. This can include asking interested individuals to email the HR manager or referring them to a web application. It can also include using cutting-edge technologies to collect desired emails — implementing a LinkedIn email finder can be one of your options.

Best Social Media Platforms for Recruiting

Your target audience on every social network can differ considerably. After knowing who is following, customize your posting to get to the right person at the correct time.

Most leading social networks incorporate native features that can help your social media recruitment efforts. Apply these to target and attract potential applicants on a person-to-person basis intently.

Facebook

Facebook is a superb recruiting medium for many businesses. Content on Facebook about job positions, shows it is an excellent recruiting channel for many brands. Facebook job postings appear alongside regular posts on your company page and under the job bookmark. Your staff can share job posts through Messenger or on their timelines. You may also boost the job post by paying to display it in your target candidates’ news feeds.

LinkedIn

Because LinkedIn is a business-focused network, its advanced search features offer recruiters a considerable edge over other social media platforms. Whether you are looking for a content writer or a software developer who can develop email validation software, for instance, using LinkedIn can help you to find the best candidate. Though around half of its advanced search tools are accessible for free, some need a LinkedIn Premium subscription. However, the free advanced search features offer ample flexibility to find competent candidates for your recruiting vacancy. Develop a posting strategy that matches the best time to post on Linkedin to increase your reach. Alternatively, you can also embed linkedIn feed on website to boost the reach of your posts among your website visitors.

Twitter

Though the advanced search feature of Twitter is inferior to LinkedIn and Facebook, it can be a helpful tool if utilized correctly. The search is ideal for people who tweet using a particular hashtag or phrase since tweets have a 280 characters limit.

Therefore, find hashtags used in your field, and apply them for the advanced search. Contract your search by location if necessary.

TikTok

In 2021, acknowledging a surge in job and career-related content, TikTok launched TikTok Resumes. The trial program allows select organizations to post vacancies, while interested individuals can upload brief video resumes. You can make and edit video resumes for TikTok without hassle using the TikTok video editor. Employing hashtags like #TikTokResumes and #careerTek, you can participate in the conversation and request talented creators for video resumes.

Tips For Successful Social Media Recruiting Strategies

The following tips can help you recruit using social media:

• Target specific candidates using advanced social media tools. Several social media platforms offer advanced search tools that recruiters can use to find particular certifications or training. Recruiters can use paid advertisements or skill-targeting features to find the most qualified candidates.

• Make social media engagement a regular habit. Building a reputation on social media requires consistent attention from your audience and using weekly social media report to see how your brand's content performs and what should be improved to keep your audience engaged.. Recruiters can use this to increase the number of candidates who respond to their recruitment communications.
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• Video can help you stand out from other recruiters. It is possible to personalize the recruitment process by publishing videos of the brand or yourself. Potential candidates can learn about the company culture by watching videos featuring interviews with current team members.
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• Join communities or groups within your industry. Social media platforms allow brands and recruiters to connect with other professionals in similar industries through social media groups. By doing this, recruiters can access more qualified, interested candidates.
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• Understand ideal candidates by using personas. Candidate personas are an excellent way to reach the best candidates for each position. To find the best candidate for a position, pinpoint the required characteristics and skills.

Benefits of Social Media Recruitment

In today's world, businesses can recruit and hire using social media. Thus, it has become a key channel for recruiting candidates and promoting a company's culture. The following are some benefits of using social media in recruiting:

• Identify and reach passive candidates. Social media is great for finding passive candidates. For example, LinkedIn organizes professionals according to industry, company, job and other categories.
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• Experience talent and passion firsthand. Many people use social media to share how much they love their careers. You will find potential candidates who share their unique ideas and work here.
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• Find a perfect cultural fit. Social media allows you to learn a person’s hobbies and even conclude what personality they have. You can find skilled candidates who will also be a good fit for your workplace.
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• Filter bad candidates. Social media is a place where people often behave poorly. What a candidate posts online can give you an indication of their attitude. It's from this that you can gauge and make a decision.
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• Save money. There is no cost associated with social media recruiting unless you use paid campaigns for job postings. This, in turn, helps you save money.

Social Media Recruiting Mistakes To Avoid

In general, recruiters should be wary of taking actions that could backfire and lead to poor online engagement with potential candidates or, worse, the loss of promising leads. Avoid these social media recruiting mistakes at all costs:

• Sending out too many messages to potential candidates;
• Avoid inconsistencies or contradictions in information posted on an organization's website or social media platforms;
• Excessive or ineffective engagement efforts;
• Choosing the wrong social media platforms to reach ideal candidates, misunderstanding or overlooking their characteristics, and finally.
• The inability to provide easy transitions from social media platforms to the application process.

Conclusion

What succeeds for one business might not always work for another. Develop a social recruiting plan that works for your business and your hiring positions. Make it a supplement to your social media and recruiting approaches so that the entire business continues to run smoothly.

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