How to Leverage Social Media

Social media has not only shaken up the lives of job seekers (it’s estimated that more than 14 million people used social media to find their last jobs in 2011) — it′s also changed the way staffing and recruiting firms operate.

From posting jobs, “Linking In,” and personalizing their brand to conducting background checks on candidates, most staffing and recruiting firms are using some form of social media each day.

Whether you question the business value of spending time on Facebook or consider yourself a LinkedIn power user, taking a look at how your peers in the industry are using social media may provide inspiration.

Here are some examples of how the staffing and recruiting industry is leveraging social media:

 

  1. Posting open job opportunities. While you’re posting to job boards make sure your job openings are being seen on the social channels too. Many times the posts can be automated from software such as Bullhorn.
  2. Positioning themselves as a resource. Not all content on your social channels has to be original; many firms, such as Boston’s Hire Partnership, share links to articles and blog posts that they think their clients and candidates will value.
  3. Conducting or participating in online chats. Social media is a natural forum for chatting, whether it’s on a site, webinar, Twitter, Google+ or other chat forums. Share your expertise and connect with prospects during chats, such as Twitter’s Talent Chat (#Tchat), which is targeted toward internal HR managers, and these 11 chats for job seekers
  4. Creating content. Participating in social channels does require you to invest in developing some original content, but that effort can be shared throughout the firm, as PSG Staffing does with its “Ask A Recruiter” blog posts, and (on a larger scale) Manpower does with its Facebook webinar series.
  5. Personalizing your brand. It can be tough to find a “voice” for your blog, especially if there are numerous contributors. Signature Consultants keeps it simple and publishes short updates on company developments on its corporate blog. For its 50th anniversary, Randstad invited its U.S. offices to create dance videos.
  6. Driving traffic to your web site. Learn SEO basics, or what makes your site more visible to search engines, to ensure you are visible to prospects when they’re looking for a staffing partner.
  7. Enabling job seekers to apply for jobs online. Allegis Group Services is one firm that lets candidates apply for specific jobs or ‘join a talent pool’ via its Facebook page.
  8. Listening. Good social media intentions can go bad if you don’t monitor activity and respond to followers’ queries, questions or remarks. Whether it’s one person designated for this assignment or a team that crosses office functionality to pitch in, have a listening strategy.
  9. Measuring. Measurement is important to avoid wasting time on social media tactics that won’t yield results. Fortunately there are as many measurement tools to choose from as there are intended results to measure! From Google analytics to Hootsuite, Hubspot, Radian6 and Sysomos, this Google Doc offers a helpful list of popular social media management tools.
  10. Participating in LinkedIn groups. Most recruiters are aware of LinkedIn’s Groups feature, but how many are active participants that post content and answer questions in their groups’ discussion forums? The key is determining which groups are the “right” ones to invest your time in.
  11. Sharing your successes. It’s easy to forget that social media isn’t just about broadcasting opportunities and scrolling for candidates; highlighting successful placements and positive job experiences will leave your connections with an upbeat impression of your work.
Alison Kenney

Alison Kenney
Alison Kenney is an independent PR professional specializing in PR, media relations and content creation for clients in the staffing and HR industries. She is based on Boston′s North Shore and can be reached at alison (at) kprcommunications (dot) com, on Twitter at @akenn or https://www.facebook.com/KPRCommunications.

Alison Kenney

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