Smart companies know that one of the best ways to connect with candidates is to go where they are: on social networks. However, just being present on these networks isn’t enough. Companies need to optimise their social media presence and their brand reputation with prospective employees. This means you need to engage candidates with content and conversations that matter on a consistent and ongoing basis.
Here are some steps to make your social hiring strategy more effective:
Identify which social channels you should be on
Some brands think they have to be on every social channel available, but this is not true. Do some research to discover where your ideal candidates are hanging out and how they currently engage online. What seems to capture their professional interest? What are they sharing? What do they like? What issues are they concerned about? You need to focus on the channels that will best leverage your company’s brand presence and your resources.
Create a human face for your brand
Use consistent company branding across all of your social channels to create a seamless experience for candidates. Establish one voice, tone and even common language that everyone who posts will use. Include bios of recruiters and photos or videos to make it more personable. Write in a way like humans talk, not like businesses write.
Establish rules of engagement
Social media consumes time and resources, so companies need to establish expectations and guidelines for everyone on the team through the implementation of a Social Media Use Policy. This includes deciding who will post, when, how often, and what type of content at what times. Free tools such as Hootsuite and Buffer will help to set up and schedule posts across various networks. Be sure to establish turn-around times and a plan for handling complaints, offensive material, and specific questions for recruiters vs hiring managers.
Focus on real-time interactions
You’ll want to automate posts for time management, but a good portion of your online interaction should be real-time responses and conversations with your audience. Response time is critical, as time-to-respond is a measurement of trust in social communities. Most candidates expect a response within 24 hours or less; so the faster, the better. If you can’t fully respond, provide an initial response indicating when you can to help keep trust intact.
Offer more value than just job postings
What can you provide candidates that will set you up as a go-to resource for more than just job postings? By offering resume advice, interview tips, career development insights, industry news, as well as the inside track to what it’s like to work at your company, you provide value that many competitors do not. Clearly show your culture, post videos from employees, and highlight your helpfulness by demonstrating you are a company that cares about each employee’s success. You want to stand out when it comes down to a candidate choosing between your company or a competitor, so give them something they can’t pass up: the feeling of being valued.
Use analytics to continually improve
Lastly, it’s important to build and track analytics to determine what content people respond to, and the overall value of your social campaigns. Statistics like hires, followers, page likes, shares, and what type of posts get a response all help you tailor your communication toward improvement. Social networks offer analytics for company pages that can help you track the numbers that matter to you.
Social media is a great way to converse with, weed out, and discover the talent you need to keep your company on a competitive edge. With attention to detail and a thoughtful plan, you can make your social media candidate experience one that sets you apart and makes you an employer of choice.
Author: Erin Bazinet
