Want to use social media to find your next rockstar? Where do you start? What should you do? Let’s discover social recruiting.
1. New to social recruiting?
The key to social recruiting is to figure out where your “target” recruits are online and go there. For many people this is Facebook or LinkedIn. For others it will be Twitter or Pinterest. You can also start with the social media you are most comfortable with and go from there. Don’t take on too much, trying to launch a Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram account all at once is a surefire way to burn out and give up.
2. When possible – join groups.
Join groups where people within your industry go and interact. This is your niche and people here speak the same language. Don’t just lurk there. Be an active participant by taking part in discussions, forums, or by leaving insightful comments.
3. Target specific groups.
Be specific with your search so that you target specific groups of people on social media sites instead of posting generic job listings that may get hundreds of applicants that don’t fit your criteria. Keywords help.
4. Use keywords.
Using keywords on sites like Twitter and LinkedIn, keywords will help attract the most appropriate individuals who will be right for your organization.
5. Use simple and casual words.
Using simple and casual words makes it sound more humane. While good old paper classifieds are cold and to the point, social media platforms gives you the opportunity to give the candidates a real sense of life in your company. Use social media to find people who are passionate about the job.
6. Want to spend some time chatting with a talent?
Dig deeper and discover the sites that likely prospects go and how much time they spend there? Do they read blogs or participate in forums and online discussions? Find out where they hang out and be present for them to ask questions. Be a professional online stalker. Not sure? Ask people in your company who are in that position. Ask friends in LinkedIn.
7. Get more referrals.
Tap your connections or well-connected friends to be on the lookout for you. Post messages with incentives, like: “whoever brings me a high-performing sales pro for our northern territory will be treated to KFC”. Providing an incentive makes it likely for people to actually go the extra mile for your job search. Remember to appreciate those who tried to help you.
8. What is in it for me?
Candidate’s perspective is important. Instead of just listing the requirements, think about what will grab your reader’s attention. Make it interesting. Put yourself into their shoes. What would you want to see in a potential job offering? Write it from that angle for better results. Think of everyone’s favourite radio station – WII-FM “What’s In It For Me”? It will help you connect with the right people for your openings.
9. Not getting desired results from a particular site?
Lesser-known and niche social media networks sometimes produce better results. Using popular sites isn’t a guarantee that you will attract the people you are looking for. Social media sites pop up on a regular basis—many have very specific niches that could be just the right fit for you. Deviant Art, for example, is a social media platform for artists. If you have a job opening for the artistic, you might want to try your luck there.
10. Your favorite candidate already employed?
You may come across candidates who would be perfect for a specific position but are already employed! If you want to connect with them, you can use InMails or “cold” emails. However, the best strategy is to get introduced to that person through one of your common connections—especially on LinkedIn or Facebook – where people see their mutual friends.
Building trust by establishing relationships is the core of social recruiting. (Tweet This!)
With time, your job acceptance rates will increase and people would be comfortable referring you to their friends and family. Word of mouth is very important and hearing about you from people they trust does make an impact.
New technologies and platforms are now arriving faster than we can cope and are dramatically changing our lives more than we think. But instead of ignoring them, why not use these technologies and changes as opportunities to improve the search for the best of the best candidates out there? The name of the game is to get the right people in the right positions.
Need that great employee? Spend some time, chat up, stay in touch for a few days and you would be rewarded. Do stay consistent in your social recruiting efforts because it doesn’t happen overnight.
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