There is a new trend in recruitment, which is to leverage social media to find candidates. As a result, hiring managers are now relying on social media to hire staff. There are various platforms where you can post a job online. Once you start receiving resumes the next step is to filter out who is the right candidate for the position. While using social media to recruit staff is the smart and trendy way of attaining new personnel you will still need invest time and narrow down good candidates.
According to an article by Forbes Agency Council, “Eight Ways to Leverage Social Media as A Hiring Tool,” there many innovative ways social media can help you narrow down candidates. The article list tips from various companies that used social media as a tool for recruitment. For example, you can post a job on your company’s social media platforms and newsletters. Break the Ice Media shared after they posted a job on Facebook, they were able to get better candidates, and they saved money on ads. The reason they are saving money on ads is as of now Facebook ad are inexpensive. The filters offered to target your market are also very good therefore, people make use of this tool quite often as it is a good investment of time and money.
The article also suggests looking at the candidate’s writing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., this will give you a sense of their writing style. You can also review the candidate’s social media posts to see if their messages go well with company’s culture or brand. Another tip mentioned is to use LinkedIn. The Ligne Group, was quoted in the article recommending LinkedIn for higher and industry-specific management positions. In addition, they suggest to use other social media platforms in addition to LinkedIn results. Furthermore, the article suggests for your current staff to post on your company’s social media platform. If your team posts positive reviews, this will make your company look like a great place to work for and welcoming to new candidates.
It is recommended for companies to enhance their own social media platforms. According to the article, you will need to have a structure for what you post on each platform, for example, the Blue Water Ads company mentions using Twitter for their educational messages, Facebook for company culture and LinkedIn for showing the company achievement or milestones. They also suggest using videos for companies to take advantage of online videos. For instance, companies can upload educational topics or promoting an upcoming conference on YouTube. You can post short videos as well on Instagram or Snapchat to promote an event.
Join social media groups to find staff. For example, as stated in an article by Tiffany Black, “How to Use Social Media as a Recruiting Tool”, if you are looking for accounting consultants search for groups that are affiliated with those fields. You can interact with group members, and maybe you can get a good candidate who is an active member of the group. Facebook has a directory that is free to use. You can find groups to join and start interacting with its members. While Twitter does not have groups, you can locate people talking about your industry by searching the bar and clicking people. You will get companies and people discussing your search topic.
Many companies might not have time to do all of the necessary steps to find candidates on social media. Therefore, you might want to consider using a staffing agency to help you find the right staff to do these tasks. Companies like Synergy America Inc, who possess years of experience assisting companies to locate personnel, also are tactful in using social media platform for their client’s staffing needs. They are experts in experts in placing staff, so social media is another tool they have to keep their clients satisfied in finding the right candidate.