Three Effective Ways to Use Social Media for Talent Acquisition

Social Media Is Essential To Successful Recruiting

Today’s most successful businesses are including social media in their recruitment strategy. In a report published by SHRM, 84% of companies surveyed used social media as a recruitment tool in 2016 and an additional 9% were planning to start. While the majority of these companies are not using social media as their only recruiting tool, it’s clear that social media should be a part of any recruitment strategy. According to the job and recruiting site, Glassdoor, 79% of all job seekers, and 86% of those in the first decade of their career are likely to use social media in their job search. In addition to using social channels to promote job postings, employers can use it to establish and maintain their talent brand, and to screen potential hires.

Using Social Media to Advertise Open Positions

The popularity of online job boards like Monster.com is declining yearly as social media becomes a more valued channel for many employers. The use of LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media networks for this purpose increased by 10% last year while the use of job boards fell by 3%. LinkedIn is understandably the most popular social site for recruitment, due to its robust ability to connect potential employers with passive job seekers. SHRM finds that 96% of companies that recruit socially use LinkedIn. Posting a job on LinkedIn not only makes it possible for the position to be found by active job seekers, but also to be placed in the path of passive job seekers, who comprise 70% of the current workforce. Encouraging employees to share advertised positions with their own networks can yield 10X the number of applicants for a given position.When it comes to social media recruiting, Facebook (66%) and Twitter (53%) were also found by SHRM to be popular resources for employers. Depending upon your industry, there may be professional associations with specific social networking sites that can be an excellent opportunity to get your position in front of a qualified audience. Regardless of the channel, 55% of employers using social media to advertise positions find that it lowers the cost of this aspect of the hiring process.

Social Media and the Talent Brand

Having a strong talent brand is seen as essential to attracting the best and brightest in today’s increasingly competitive employment market. As reported in Forbes, a strong talent brand touches on every point in the employment funnel from pre-candidates to existing employees, and a solid one can reduce the cost to hire by 50% and reduce turnover by 28%. Social media is arguably the most important channel for shaping and communicating your talent brand. Employers should use their social media channels to showcase your corporate culture through both the static areas of a site or page and through posts that highlight the success stories of existing employees in a way that emphasizes your commitment to support and foster employee development. Google’s recruitment page on LinkedIn is an excellent example of how an organization can use social media to build its talent brand and employer value prop and customize that message across various demographic pools.

Screening Candidates Through Social Media

60% of employers report that they use social media to screen potential candidates, according to a survey by job posting site Careerbuilder.com. Recruiters and hiring managers use candidates’ social profiles to verify information on a resume or cover letter, to gain insights into their professionalism, to access their fit with company culture and to assess their communication skills. Social media can also identify potential red flag issues that can result in a decision to eliminate a candidate who might be a risky hire. Employers often find inappropriate photos or videos, information that points to drug or alcohol use, discriminatory comments that may indicate undesired attitudes on race or gender that would be a risk in the workplace, or other content that shows a negative attitude regarding prior employers or colleagues. In this way social media can help employers avoid the cost of a bad hire and at times, confirm a hunch that a candidate won’t be a good fit for the organization even when objective criteria are pointing to a different conclusion.

Win the Talent War with Modern Recruiting Tools

Social media is just one of many modern tools that successful companies leverage to attract and retain top talent. To win the talent war, you need access to integrated solutions that provide the flexibility to interview, accept and on-board seamlessly. Learn more about how Asure Software’s talent management tools can deliver more efficient talent management to your organization.

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