Social Media + Recruitment = The Perfect Union

At Social Media Camp 2015, I am presenting on the topic of “Social Media + Recruitment = The Perfect Union.” This presentation highlights the benefits of using social media to build your employer brand and enhance your recruitment process.

Let’s face it. The days of posting your job in the newspaper and waiting for throngs of people to drop off their resume are LONG gone! There is a very competitive labour market out there and employers have to not only be savvy in their recruitment process but they also have to be a lot more aware of the candidate experience than ever before.

Before we get into the social side of things, I want to share with you a gentle reminder that the best way to be competitive, and to set yourself apart as an employer, is to be really clear on your brand as an employer. Everything you do or say reflects what it is like to work with you so if you want to compete and have your pick of the best candidates possible, then take a good hard look at your employer brand, because that is what is going social.

“Using social media, whichever channel you choose, is about opening up and showing people behind the curtain.”

Eliminate the mystery around what it’s like to work for you! Social media is an opportunity to showcase your fun projects, to highlight the kind of workplace you have and to show candidates what it takes to be successful in your business. It highlights your organizational culture like nothing ever has before. (Oh and by the way, your customers want to know that stuff as well so it is a win/win for the customer relationship!)

Now the time to go social isn’t just because you have a job opening. The time to go social is now so that when you do have an opening, you have people who are paying attention and can help spread the word! Here are some of the benefits to being social now and then leveraging it for your recruitment.

1. It provides you with access to a lot more candidates. The number of people who see your organization as a viable place to work grows the larger your social reach becomes. Are you a creative business? You might want to start a following on Pinterest so that when that graphic designer job comes available, you have a ready audience to spread the word. The person who follows you might not be interested in your job, but they might know someone who is perfect for it!
2. Employee referrals will increase when it is easy to share on social media. You want to hire people who know what they are getting into and who are ready to pick up the baton and run with it. Well, the people who know what it takes to do that task are the ones that currently work for you. So, if they think they know someone who can do it as well, then you want to make it easy for them to spread the news that you have a job opening.
3. Being social is a great way for you to be authentic in your reach and to reach the masses through a number of channels. Don’t rely on LinkedIn alone, unless that is the only place you think your ideal candidate is living, as they may also be on Google + and Twitter. Know your ideal candidate and where they hang out and then build an authentic presence on that channel.
4. Lowers the cost of sourcing. That’s right – it is cheaper than that $1,000 Globe and Mail ad that garnered you two applicants. Social media ads are cheaper, if you go for paid advertising, never mind the potential for organic reach through your networks.

If you are interested in learning more about social media and recruitment, or about employer branding and how to build that into your recruitment strategy, come to Social Media Camp 2015 and learn a lot more!

Your Engaged Assignment: Are you being social? Create a social media strategy now so that when you want to recruit, you have people to tell on social media and get them to start spreading the word. Need some help with your recruitment strategy? Feel free to give us a call!