The benefits of using social media for recruitment plus eight essential tips to help you on your way.
Adobe Express
12/12/2024
In an increasingly social media-driven world, the growing use of social media for recruitment is only natural — even when it comes to platforms outside of LinkedIn. As a way to grab the attention of passive job seekers, as well as approach candidates with the power of your brand behind you, social media recruitment can be an incredibly effective way to build your perfect team.
In this day and age, almost everyone (above a certain age) has at least one social media account. Therefore, opting to take your recruitment efforts to social media can open you up to a much wider net of talent and possibilities, as well as allowing you to capture the attention of passive candidates who aren’t actively looking for their next role. On top of this, using social media can sometimes be a more powerful way to recruit new roles versus traditional recruitment methods. After all, your brand identity and personality should shine through your social channels, allowing any candidates interested in open roles to immediately understand what your business is all about and feel more connected to your brand from the offset. Social media will also allow for more transparency by allowing potential candidates to interact with current employees as well as with HR or a recruiting manager directly, in addition to saving money when it comes to recruitment costs.
Eight tips for using social media for recruitment
Ask your employees for help
There is no better way to make your company look like a desirable place to work than by asking your current employees to shout your praises. Consider creating a promo video featuring current employees talking about what it’s like to work for your business that you can then share. You could also ask your team to promote open roles on their own social channels and recommend your business as a great place to work.
Focus on brand building
A brand with a clear identity is going to have more power in attracting the right candidates. Ensure that your tone of voice and design is consistent across your channels to create a recognizable and memorable brand that will carry greater impact over time. Don’t be shy about sharing your brand values and the causes that your brand cares for to attract likeminded individuals who share your passion.
Position yourself as an industry leader
Sharing relevant industry news, giving advice to others, and being able to comment and have an opinion on current events will enable you to position yourself online as an industry leader and a source of information for individuals within your industry. Once you’ve built a reputation as a powerful resource, it’s only natural that talented individuals will look to you as a desirable place to work.
Make use of relevant groups
Getting involved in various online groups, such as Facebook Groups, X Communities, or LinkedIn Groups is a great way to directly target those in your industry whenever you have an open role to share. Not only will you be more able to cut through the noise when sharing information about an open role in a group versus in the feed, but you’re more likely to receive attention from relevant individuals who will either be interested in the role for themselves, or have a connection to whom they can pass that information.
Choose the right channels
LinkedIn is an obvious choice for recruitment, but there are benefits to sharing news of open roles via other social media channels. The most important consideration is to think about where your prime candidates are most likely to be active on social media and target them there. While it’s tempting to only stick to the biggest platforms, don’t rule out the more niche social channels such as GitHub (popular amongst developers) or Moz (popular amongst marketers), where you may find industry professionals exchanging advice and resources.
Show some authenticity and be transparent
Giving your social media audience a regular peek behind the curtain at what it’s like to work at your business can be a nice way to make your brand feel more human and less intimidating as a workplace. Sharing images of your employees at work or during meetings will showcase the friendly and approachable faces behind your brand and give prospective candidates a clearer picture of what working for your business might look like. This is especially true if you share pictures of any employee perks such as free snacks, office dogs, or nap rooms.
Use LinkedIn to its full potential
LinkedIn will always be the first platform that comes to mind when it comes to recruitment and there are many good reasons why it should. LinkedIn has a range of features designed specifically to help you find the best possible candidates to fill any open roles, especially due to recent AI advancements that take on the brunt of the work by filtering for the most suitable candidates.
Use Adobe Express templates to share news of open roles
Nothing attracts attention like an attractive and professional graphic to advertise your open roles. Make use of Adobe Express’ extensive library of social media templates to appeal to prospective candidates and give them the information they need to apply.
While there are many routes you can take when it comes to recruitment, the use of social media should be an essential part of your strategy. Nonetheless, take the time to tidy up your social channels, assess your content through the eyes of prospective candidates, and make a greater effort to showcase the best parts of working for your business before diving into open role promotion and expecting a wave of applicants.