Generating buzz on social media helps hire masses of people in new markets.
By Tierney McAfee
Social media is not just changing the way people communicate -it’s changing the way organizations recruit.
According to CareerArc’s 2017 Future of Recruitment Study, social media is now the most popular recruiting platform among employers and job seekers alike. Job seekers rank social and professional networks as the most useful job search resource over job boards, job ads, employee referrals, recruiting agencies, and recruiting events.
The study also found that 91 percent of employers use social media to hire talent, and 91 percent of employers believe social media will become a more significant recruiting source in the next five years.
“There aren’t enough people looking for jobs,” says Adam Godson, senior vice president of global technology solutions for Cielo. “So you’ve got to use Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Google, ad networks -all the things that consumers are using -to be able to find the right candidates at the right time.”
One tool at recruiters’ disposal is geo-targeting. This practice allows organizations to deliver content to users based on their geographic location. In this case, HR and TA leaders can leverage the tactic to target prospective hires with job openings where they live and work.
“It’s being able to use things like Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook to say, ‘I want to find candidates really close to this spot,’ ” Godson explains. “We know that candidates want short commutes, someone’s distance from work drives their overall job saistaction, impacting engagement and retention. Geo-targeting helps target the right people.”
While many organizations produce content that shows happy employees and work benefits, many organizations overlook the power of advertising aggressively on social media for their open jobs. Social media recruiting can be particularly useful when it comes to high volume hiring for companies opening a new location or expanding a current location, says Greg Summers, executive vice president of High Volume RPO for Cielo. “It’s about finding the right balance between promoting your employer brand and culture AND your actual employment opportunities.”
“Social media’s broad reach from a marketing perspective coupled with the acceleration that technology brings makes it a really good fit for these types of situations,” Summers says. “It gives us the ability to capture talent with a short shelf life and get them on board in a timely manner, which -when you’re looking to launch on a specific date -is everything.”