The Dos and Don'ts of Social Media Recruiting in 2019

Social media has changed quite a lot since Facebook was founded over 15 years ago. Over that time, recruiters have found creative ways to leverage social platforms to speed up hiring processes and identify more qualified candidates.

If it's been a while since you've updated your social media recruiting strategy, brush up on these important dos and don'ts:

Do: Consider your reputation before posting

Social media is all about reputation. Everything you post is a reflection of your employer brand, and will therefore shape the perception job seekers have of your work environment. Posting positive messages and relevant stories will show your readers that your organization fosters a culture of support and collaboration.

"When making a big decision in life, you want to be surrounded by people and organizations you trust," says Wade Franchville, Division Director of Beacon Hill's Pharma Division in Indianapolis. "Looking for a new career or searching for a new employee can be stressful and, in many cases, is one of the biggest decisions people will make in their lives. Social media has added a whole new element to the trust factor when partnering with a recruiter – as a recruiter, you are being judged on if you are someone that can be trusted. Accordingly, think of social media as an extension of your interview attire – are you dressed appropriately, or are you underprepared and leading the candidate to think you are taking this too casually?"

Brands should refrain from posting off-topic stories, complaints or anything else that may be perceived as negative or irrelevant. While it is perfectly acceptable to be serious and straightforward, it never hurts to inject a little humor into social posts.

Don't: Spam your followers with useless content

Though it is important to post with regularity, brands can run the risk of posting too frequently. In most cases, it's enough to post once or twice per day. Flooding your feeds with content will likely mean less engagement with each individual post.

If you're worried about some of your followers missing your posts, try to upload social media content at times of the day when your followers are most likely to be online. An Experian report revealed that people are more likely to check their social feeds at night after work as well as in the mornings before lunchtime.

Do: Use more than one social media platform

There are more social media platforms now than ever before. People use Facebook to keep up with friends and family, Twitter to engage in conversations on trending topics, LinkedIn to make professional connections, Instagram to share visual stories - the list goes on.

Your brand doesn't need to be on every platform, but it should be on more than one. For many brands, LinkedIn is the obvious choice for reaching out to job seekers, but Twitter and Instagram can be useful, too. Learn where your target audience likes to get social, and meet them there.

Don't: Ignore your social feeds

Posting some content to your social feeds is not the only step you need to take to effectively recruit candidates. In fact, many of the professionals you encounter on social platforms fall into the category of passive job seekers. They're not currently applying to jobs, but they might be interested in the right opportunity.

To engage those job seekers, you need to interact with them. Include questions, surveys and opinions in your posts to encourage readers to comment and share your content. After all, social media is all about interaction, not passive content consumption.

Do: Use social chat to keep candidates engaged

The majority of the top social media platforms feature chat functionality - the ability to instantly connect with other members in real time. Recruiters and hiring managers can leverage these features to keep candidates engaged when they're waiting on a decision.

Candidates dislike being left in the dark, and the longer you take to respond, the more likely they are to move on. Sending job seekers a quick chat with a status update will ensure they don't assume you've forgotten about them.

Effective social media recruiting doesn't happen overnight; you need to build a thoughtful reputation, maintain strong connections with your followers and participate in conversations. For tips on how to optimize your organization's talent recruitment and retention efforts, check out our resource center today.

This content is brought to you by the Marketing Team at Beacon Hill Staffing Group.