Facebook for Recruitment – A Social Media Primer for Employers
Does your company use social media for recruiting? If not, its probably time you rethink your recruiting strategy. According to a survey conducted by Hire Rabbit, 48% of all job seekers were using social networking as a way to reach out to potential employers. And out of those 48%, nearly 85% of respondents were using Facebook as the medium to find new opportunities. These numbers alone illustrate why employers need to begin utilising recruitment strategies that are focused on social networking channels like Facebook. Here are three advantages and tips to get you started.
Expand Your Reach
Facebook gives employers a cost-effective way to contact a large number of individuals quickly and efficiently. A business that wishes to cast a wide net can do so by posting regular status updates that share company happenings and new job opportunities. Because users of Facebook are more prone to sharing content with their friends than users of other social media marketing channels, a company can easily widen it reach and have their message touch a large number of job seekers.
Post with a Purpose
Make sure your company has a strategy to post on a regular basis. Also, don’t just self-promote. In other words, provide more than just job openings in your posts. Providing valuable, informative content (tips, strategies, how-to’s, etc.) engages and creates shareable content on Facebook.
Automate You Recruiting
Simple automation tools and technology that save time and money are an important advantage of using Facebook for recruiting. And scheduling Facebook posts on your company Fan Page ahead of time is easy. This can be done with a tool like Hootsuite. And recently, Facebook provided the ability to schedule posts right on your company Fan Page. Your company can also go hands-free and sign up Linkup.com. This online job search engine scans company websites for job openings and automatically updates their Facebook page with new openings.
Monitoring is a Must
Any way you go, the ability to automate your recruiting announcements at minimal cost is a a great benefit to businesses. Set up an editorial calendar that plots out your posts ahead of time. The block of a set amount of time each week to schedule your post. No matter how you automate your recruiting, don’t forget to monitor and respond to questions and comments on a regular basis.
A Group Effort
A Facebook company page is a must. However, don’t forget about Facebook Groups. Companies can set up different pages that are designed to reach out to a particular audience. This gives employers the ability customise their message and have the greatest impact possible as it pertains to reaching job seekers. When used correctly, Facebook Groups can be a valuable asset in your recruiting tool box.
Be Inclusive and Open
The best way to deliver your message – you job openings – to your target audience is by creating Open Groups (anyone can join without a specific invitation) aimed at individuals with the skill sets needed to succeed in the jobs a company offers. Every department (sales, human resources, production, marketing, etc.) can have its own Facebook Group. As with your company page, make sure you share valuable content and promote your groups on your Fan Page, website and other social media marketing channels.
Tell us…
Do you or your company have any successful case studies or strategies related to social media marketing and recruiting? Our readers would love to hear them!
