In today’s digital world, social media rules. It’s where people begin and end their day, taking in information and engaging with others. As companies have figured out how to use social networks with eye-catching content and appealing calls to action, recruiters have also turned to popular social media sites to connect with job seekers.
If you’re not already reaching out to job seekers on social media, now is the time to begin. Social recruiting is an effective way to track activity, connect with potential applicants, and stay in touch with candidates during the hiring process. By using social networking sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, along with other tools like review websites, search pages, and video interviews, you’re already engaging in social recruiting and may have noticed some positive changes. This article will focus specifically on enhancing your presence on social networking sites.
Among those popular sites, did you know that only 36% of job seekers are active on LinkedIn? On the other hand, 40% are active on Twitter and a whopping 83% are active on Facebook, according to Jobvite. If you haven’t already, it’s time to branch out from LinkedIn and go where your target audience goes.
How to Engage Job Seekers Through Social Media
1. Ramp up your Profile
The first step to any social media plan is to draft a killer “about” section. No matter the platform, make it clear that you’re a recruiter and that you’re looking for the next great candidate for your company. Job seekers who stumble across your profile want to know WHO you are and WHY they should follow you. Be concise and optimize your profile for keywords job seekers might be searching for, such as position openings you’re looking to fill right now. After all, in order to engage job seekers, they have to find you first.
2. Ask Questions and Respond
Start a conversation with followers by asking a question and see what kind of responses you receive. This tactic will help you understand what they’re looking for and what content interests them. Similarly, respond to those that you follow. Interaction is a two-way street, so it’s important to reply to others’ content as much as others reply to yours and follow accounts that interest you.
3. Share More than just Job Descriptions
One of the first mistakes people make on social media is limiting themselves to posting nothing but job descriptions with links to apply. Do you need to do this? Of course! But that’s not all you should be doing. Try sharing statistics about the job market or about your business, or link to company blog articles that your followers might find interesting, especially if they relate to company culture.
4. Vary your Content Types
A text-heavy social media feed can get old fast, so make sure to play around with images (whether stock or custom) and videos too. Retweet relevant content from others, such as interesting articles about interviews or job searching. The content you share is all about peaking the interest of your audience and establishing yourself as an expert. While you are trying to keep your profile very professional, remember that it still needs to be interesting. Make an effort to let your personality show through your posts, and even try posting behind-the-scenes photos at the office that will show your followers what the work environment may be like.
5. Send Direct Messages as Needed
When possible, comment or reply to people through the public platform to help build a relationship with them, but when you want to reach out to someone with a more personal message, send them a direct message instead. Be sure that if you’re going to send a direct message, you take the time to personalize your message to the specific person and their background. No one on social media is going to want to engage with you if your message sounds like it was a template downloaded from a website or written by a robot. Use direct messages to personally introduce yourself and even invite someone to apply if you think that their background would be a good fit for a certain position. At this point, they’re hopefully familiar with you from your profile.
Whether you’re new to social networks or not, try these five tips for increasing engagement with your followers and building your social media profile as an expert in your field who’s looking for the next great candidate!