The executive workforce and managerial firepower are the pillars of any organisation. Hiring skilled employees requires a lot of planning and contemplation. This is why more and more human resource managers are turning to social media for help.
Gone are the days when ads and classifieds in the newspapers would be used to dictate the recruitment information. Social media has provided faster and efficient solutions with just a click of a button.
A blessing for HR managers and recruiters worldwide, the internet is no longer just used for recreational purposes or procuring information; no, today social networking has revolutionised the entire recruitment process. Just look at these tech companies that have mastered the art of employer branding in the digital environment. Given below are some smart solutions for managers to attract the best candidates:
Why use social media for talent acquisition?
Recent studies conducted by the Society of Human Resource Management reveal how more than half of the global organisations are using social media to find new talent:
- Other than hiring skilled candidates, social media also comes in handy for effective communication, employee management and knowing more about the competition.
- Social media is a practical tool for building connections and easy interaction.
- A boon for recruiters and HR managers- social media offers a wider range than the conventional methods.
- Cost efficient and time saving, social networking allows you to reach out to more people using minimum resources, create brand awareness and target the top candidates for your firm.
- It also allows current employees to make referrals, spreading the message around attracting more people.
Social media and HR
The responsive framework of the social networking sites helps in strengthening the recruiter-candidate relationship; it is easier to reach out to the prospective candidate, informing them about the job openings, skills required and other necessary information. A smart tool for procuring, monitoring and collaborating information, social media has narrowed down the world to a single computer.
“With Facebook or Twitter, it is important to remain interactive with the followers. (…) We had a dedicated team work on micro-sites and post engaging content on a daily basis.”
Vandana Tilwani, Head of Talent Acquisition at GroupM via Mettl
Using networking sites creatively to present their organisation, hiring managers are now shifting to platforms such as Tumblr and Instagram, posting pictures and blogs about the company’s history, its growth and achievements to create a good impression. Managers even use social media to get valuable feedback from the present employees, listening to their grievances and suggestions.
Social recruitment strategies:
With more and more people shifting to the virtual platform, it is only logical that managers would have to change their recruiting strategies. A strong web presence is important for creating a powerful impression on the potential candidates. Check out some steps you can apply:
- Fix your priorities and communicate the same to the candidates:
Identify your goals and steps required to achieve them, as an employer you’d have some expectations from your employees. Potential employees have their own demands as well. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter offer effective communication tools to bridge this gap.
- Expand your enterprise:
Platforms like Facebook, Tumblr and WordPress are great or spreading the word, promoting the company and informing the applicants of the job postings.
- Target the talented candidates:
Websites such as LinkedIn, Naukri.com, Quickr etc. offer employers all the resumes and technical information of prospective candidates who have applied for the post. This even assists you in checking the background, and skills of the applicants.
Companies can also use a number of online testing tools to pre-screen applicants; the cognitive assessment test from Mettl, for example, can help with screening candidates early on, saving time and effort at the interview stage.
Other than recruitment, social networks are also great marketing tools that can boost your customer base and maximize profits. From increasing visibility, finding potential customers and converting these leads to sales, social media covers it all.
We’ve had clients use social media for new hires. They started out with the intention that it would be a great new platform to find prospective employees. I think they became a little disillusioned when it turned into a big background check platform to find out what type of people they were potentially hiring!
Appreciate the comment Bruce! I can understand why that happened, we’ve hear the story before. There are also success stories like GrubHub’s recruitment campaign – the online food delivery service. They took to Snapchat to search for a social media intern with “Insane Snpachat Skillz.” The company posted a six-image photo slideshow explaining how interested candidates could apply with a snap of their best doodle. By using a platform that targets young tech savvy talent, GrubHub’s recruitment campaign allowed candidates to show their humor, creativity, and social media skills. I’ve seen a series of creative social media campaigns that reached the right people and also created great exposure for the company that created them. I think creativity and social media strategy should be closely linked to ensure the success of such a campaign, so that it’s not merely an online background check.