Strengthen your social media recruitment know-how and fill more openings.
Social media recruiting has essentially become a standard process: Just 4 percent of recruiters don’t use the network-based sites when trying to find new candidates, according to a recent Jobvite survey.
Potential hires are also using social media to scope out employers and job opportunities. In the first decade of their career, 86 percent of workers are likely to use it in their job search, according to a Glassdoor survey.
How and when recruiters tap into sites’ vast amount of information, however, can vary — and enormously affect a social media recruitment effort’s results.
Do you know how candidates use social media to look for and ultimately accept jobs? Or how hiring managers and other professionals approach social media recruitment? A few stats to consider:
- Recruiters still overwhelmingly prefer LinkedIn. 87 percent use it to cast a wider candidate net, according to Jobvite; Facebook (55 percent), Twitter (47 percent) and Glassdoor (38 percent) are the next most popular social media recruiting options.
- Japan’s Recruit is the No. 1 global job board, in terms of revenue. LinkedIn ranks second, according to a report from temporary employment advisor Staffing Industry Analysts. Monster is third. Biggest, though, isn’t always better. When posting job listings, always consider the audience you’re trying to reach, and select the site that best targets it.
- Hiring managers use social media most often to vet technology information and financial services candidates. Sixty-one percent of hiring managers also say they use social media to find out about sales candidates, according to CareerBuilder; 49 percent of manufacturing managers use it in social media recruitment, as well.
- Organizations use social media to publicize openings — and paint their workplace in a positive light. As of 2015, 47 percent of companies viewed social media sites as an important employment-related branding tool, according to LinkedIn’s Global Recruiting Trends 2016 report. Use them in your social media recruitment efforts to show candidates your best amenities.
- Being offline may weaken a candidate’s chances. Thirty-three percent of recruiters view a lack of a social media presence negatively. Thirty-five percent say they’re less likely to interview a candidate if they can’t find any information about the person online.
You may think you’re maximizing all the power social media recruiting has to offer; but chances are, your staff doesn’t. Glassdoor’s survey found that nearly two out of three employees think their employer doesn’t — or doesn’t know how to — effectively use social media to promote job openings.
A few best practice tips to ensure your social media recruitment endeavors are a success:
- Make sure you’re posting about why employees love working at your organization. Work-life balance and a company’s culture and values are two of the top five elements job seekers consider before accepting a position. Sharing proof you offer a positive work environment and fair schedule on social media can help build your employment brand — and convince potential hires your offer is their best bet.
- Test your website to ensure the 9 out of 10 candidates who search for jobs on a mobile device can see it. Hopefully, your company’s site was built with responsive design and/or you’ve created a mobile-friendly site to make it easier to navigate on a handheld device. If not, your social media recruitment efforts may be limited, because candidates you reach could easily miss out on important job information.
- Encourage employees and other contacts to share openings. Social professional networks are the top source of quality hires, according to LinkedIn.
Looking for more social media recruiting tips? Find out how to target your social media recruitment efforts, reach candidates through mobile device-based social media recruiting — and how to rally employees to use social media to provide your organization with incredible referrals.