According to Jobvite’s Annual Social Recruiting Survey, more companies are deploying social media recruiting efforts. Almost 94 percent of HR managers use LinkedIn to find job candidates while 66 percent use Facebook. Other highlights of the report include:
- 66 percent of HR managers allocate a monthly budget for social media recruitment.
- More than 50 percent of HR managers look at social profiles of job candidates to determine their suitability.
- About 33 percent of HR managers have shortened time to hire by using social media.
In a nutshell, using social media for recruiting can pay off. Moreover, as more HR managers jump to using the networks, those who are not in the game risk missing out on excellent talent.
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Using Social Media to Recruit
Joey McGirr, CEO of McGirr Enterprises, notes HR managers need to step up their social media recruitment game. Otherwise, engaging in inappropriate interactions or creating uninformed content can do more damage than good.
Writing for Ere.net, Melissa Murray Bailey, president of Americas for Universum, states that companies will need more strategic social media recruitment plans in 2015. Enterprises need to create authentic content that is credible and purposeful. When HR professionals start using social media to recruit, they need to know the tone to set. Managers do not need to be aggressive when selecting a job candidate.
You can publicize your hiring subtly on social media by talking about the achievements of your clients, their short and long-term goals, awards and so on. This content can generate interest in social media circles, especially from candidates looking for job opportunities within your company.
Social Media vs. Face-to-Face Recruiting
While social media can greatly reduce the time it takes to find potential candidates, it is not great at building relationships in the same way as face-to-face interactions.
According to Greatbusinessschools.org, in-person meetings are essential for long-term business partnerships. The conversations tend to be more formal in face-to-face settings than those on social media sites. Moreover, most HR managers consider in-person conversations more credible than their online equivalent.
You can find great candidates by using traditional face-to-face recruitment together with social media. Face-to-face recruitment is not all about handshakes and killer smiles. To find top talent in your industry, you need to go out and approach individuals in a unique way.
For instance, consider how BigCommerce is fighting for top Silicon Valley talent by offering poached eggs and coffee. West Stringfellow, the company’s chief product officer, says that the company’s offline and online recruitment strategy work in harmony. During “coffee sessions,” more than 94 percent of visitors to BigCommerce’s website were new. Online traffic surged, with more than 5,000 social shares and 30 million views across the top three social media sites.
Professional headhunters are using social media strategies that allow them to reach candidates on social media. What about you?
