What is social recruiting anyway? Is it just another “buzzword” in recruiting? Nope. Social recruiting (social hiring or social media recruitment) is recruiting a candidate by using social media channels as talent databases or for advertising your company’s culture and message.

Why would your company want to invest time in social recruiting? Our question is, “why not?” Especially if your company is already using social media for branding and customer outreach, why not use it for candidates? Recruiting is sales.

1. Reach passive candidates

You won’t find passive candidates on job boards or your company careers site, so social media might be the only way to for your job ad to reach them.

2. Get more referrals

Most of our clients report that internal referrals are in the top three sources to hire. Employees that share jobs via social media increase visibility and produce more hires.

3. Showcase your company culture

Reports show candidates are doing their homework on social media to learn more about the brand and the culture. This is a critical way to recruit new talent. It’s a fantastic birds-eye view of what the company culture feels like to someone looking at opportunities.

4. Establish a more personal connection with potential candidates with messaging

Social recruiting should operate like a conversation. Allow candidates to message your organization with questions to learn more about why they might want to work there.

5. Save some budget

Social media platforms are extremely cost-effective compared to most job boards!

Here’s a few quick tips:

1. Use hashtags. Create company hashtags like #dunkinlife #subway, or jump on trending hashtags to gain interest (#marchmadness, #wednesdaywisdom).
2. There’s help! Utilize social media scheduling sites like Buffer, Hootsuite, and SocialOomph.
3. Use custom images and/or find a mascot for people to follow.
4. Get employees to share!

As much as social media can showcase your company, there is a downside. You will need to prepare for social media interactions and react quickly to any negativity that may occur. If an issue appears, you need to acknowledge it and address quickly by responding in a positive manner.

Purple Ink can help your organization build a positive social media strategy. Just contact us today for more information.