The Benefits of Using Social Media for Recruiting Employees

You think you’ve done everything you can to try to recruit the best creative candidates. You’ve written a clear and compelling job description, posted the open position on your company website and asked employees to submit referrals. You may even be working with a staffing agency to help you find your next great hire. Is there anything else you can do to attract and land the talent you seek?

One valuable recruitment tool employers sometimes overlook is social media. These channels can be used to promote your company and connect with job seekers on an ongoing basis. Creative and marketing professionals, in particular, tend to be active on social media, so it’s an opportune place to engage with them. Potential hires may use social media to do a little recon on you, too – and if they don’t like what they see, there’s a good chance they’ll move on to other opportunities.

If you’re not already using social media for recruitment, here’s a push to get on board: 94 percent of advertising and marketing executives surveyed by The Creative Group said their company uses social media for recruiting, with the top reasons being to post jobs and promote the company via advertising and posts from their corporate feeds. (See our infographic of the research below.)

The bottom line is that organizations that don’t evolve their hiring practices risk getting left behind. Consider these three benefits of incorporating social media into your recruitment strategy:

You can connect with passive job seekers

One of the more obvious ways to use social media for recruiting is to share links to job postings via your accounts. But don’t stop there. You also need to interact with your followers. Social media isn’t a one-way communication channel. So, do your best to engage with anyone who comments on, likes or shares your content. You never know, highly skilled yet currently employed professionals may decide to explore employment opportunities at your company as a result of your social media activity.

While LinkedIn is known for being more business-oriented than other social media sites, it’s not the only worthwhile place to post open positions or information relevant to your audience. Many creative professionals use sites like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter to showcase their work, get inspiration and network. Research which platforms your target demographic spends the most time on, and focus your efforts there.

You can establish credibility as a “great place to work”

It’s one thing to claim your company is a great place to work, but it’s another to prove it. Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to do with the help of social media. By regularly posting content that showcases your corporate culture and values, you can paint a picture of what it’s like to work for your organization and what makes it unique. For example, highlight company accolades, volunteer work and media mentions. Post photos of the office, team-building activities or trainings. Customer testimonials are also a powerful tool for building trust and credibility.

To amplify your message and expand your reach, encourage employees to share your company’s content. Just be sure to develop a social media policy first so they can become effective brand ambassadors.

You can shine a light on your employees

A company is so much more than its products or services. It’s about the people that make all of the magic happen. And when candidates are considering a new job, they don’t just want to learn about the projects they’ll be working on, but also the team they’ll be working with. Showcasing your employees is an effective strategy when using social media for recruiting.

High-quality photos and videos are great, but not everything needs to be posed and polished. Often, the more candid the content, the better. Snap pics at a staff lunch or party celebrating the completion of a big project, and then share them on social media (with permission). Or create “employee of the week” posts that include a photo of the person and quote about a recent accomplishment or what they enjoy most about working at your firm.

If you’re having trouble finding great candidates for your open creative positions, it’s time to rethink your recruiting strategy and consider giving social media greater attention.