A significant portion of today’s global population uses social media. It’s estimated that as of the beginning of 2021, this number was 53%, or 4.2 billion users. Besides the user count, it’s important to realize that social media has an impact on various aspects of modern people’s lives. The news we read, the music we listen to, the recipes we cook, the jokes we share, and even the job opportunities we come across are all influenced by social media.
Social media allows employers to reach potential employees in a place where they actively, eagerly, and daily spend a part of their time – whether it’s on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, or any other social platform. Therefore, social media should be a part of every employer’s business plan, with a focus on how to best utilize them for the specific needs of recruiting new talents.
What Employers Can and Should Do on Social Media
It could be said that reaching various professionals and talents in today’s market is easier than ever before. With the help of social media, employers can easily find out who is involved in specific fields. They can even learn something about a person’s experience before seeing their CV (e.g., through a LinkedIn profile), and they can directly contact individuals without needing their phone numbers (via their social media profiles). However, what immediately emerged as a counterbalance to the ease of accessing information and contacts is the level of competition employers also have to contend with. That’s why strategic positioning on social media is crucial.
The optimal combination of different social media platforms used for representing an organization should be chosen based on where the target audience is located. Often, organizations end up using a social platform or combination of platforms that someone within the organization knows or prefers to use. Falling into the trap of advertising in places and in ways that have been the practice until now, without following trends, is common. The strategic path, however, is to conduct a situational analysis, define goals, pinpoint the target audience, thoroughly research it, and then create communication channels and an entire content strategy for attracting and recruiting according to that target audience.
Reaching Relevant Job Candidates
One of the major advantages of social media is that it enables access to candidates who may not be actively seeking a job, the so-called passive candidates. If something piques their interest, they can be engaged to apply. This often isn’t possible through traditional job advertising methods – via the employer’s website or job listing portals.
These traditional methods don’t always facilitate two-way communication or provide enough information for someone to decide to engage in the selection and potential hiring process. The advantage of social media is also the ability to target candidates based on specific characteristics even better than other traditional advertising methods. People from various professions, age groups, and locations use the same social media platforms. And there’s the option to only approach and address those who you want to.
Building an Employer Brand on Social Media as a Long-Term Strategy
Job seekers tend to compare potential employers, often by visiting their profiles on social media platforms. They frequently seek more information about the organization itself, the work atmosphere, the team, the culture, projects, and achievements. It’s the employer’s duty to facilitate this search for candidates and include communication planning that’s relevant to the talent in their strategy. Of course, the content must be truthful, authentic, and published systematically and consistently.
In terms of frequency, encouraging communication and advertising only when there’s a specific job opening isn’t the best tactic. A continuous presence on social media allows organizations to communicate their values more effectively over a longer period and in various ways, making them more attractive potential employers.
By maintaining ongoing communication, sharing information, encouraging dialog, and presenting the employer’s values, a connection for the future is established. When a job opening becomes available, this connection makes a significant difference. The strength of the brand is such that when the organization advertises a job, the person has already become such an ambassador for the brand that they might apply themselves, or they might share the job listing on their profiles or forward it with a message to apply. All of these actions are significant.
The organization essentially doesn’t just want a large number of applications; they want quality and relevant applications. This is easier when there are brand ambassadors on the market in their favor.
Future Organization Talents Primarily on Social Media
Organizations, while needing to track where talents are, must also understand who the talents of today and those of the future are. The generation that witnessed the rise of social media, millennials, are now a significant part of the workforce.
The need for organizations to have a 24/7 online presence, engage in more intense two-way communication, and make more use of available technology began with millennials. Thus, it’s necessary to follow the trends of new generations and their trends, given that these trends will have to be followed and will be crucial at some point in the future.
New generations don’t know a world without the internet, digital devices, or social media – they’ve been in touch with these from birth. Moreover, they know how to use available technology and the virtual realm for all aspects of their lives. Therefore, it might be good to already see social media as a primary and mandatory communication channel (not just something that would be good), and pay attention to how to address new generations in different forms, ways, and approaches. New generations are also future employees of the organization.
A social media strategy should start today
Attracting potential employees and recruiting through social media can be an excellent option and tool, as long as the right channels for the brand and target audience are used and the content is relevant to those the organization is addressing. In recent years, especially from 2021 onward, users are accessing social media more through mobile devices, seeking quick and easy access to information, wanting information that’s not lengthy but concise – preferably visual – and these are trends that are already alive today and that organizations must keep pace with to be relevant and desirable. With the right communication strategy and approach, attracting potential employees through Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn can and should begin today. 🙂
