The days of cold calling, meeting candidates in person, and advertising on job boards are long gone. As the world moves more toward social media, so does recruit. The future of recruitment looks to be social media. In fact, a recent study found that 86% of recruiters use LinkedIn as their primary social network for sourcing talent. But it doesn’t stop there: 54% also use Facebook and 44% have turned to Twitter to find new employees!

The number of social media users rose by more than 13% over the past year, with almost 500,000 new people joining these platforms monthly. By 2021’s beginning, the worldwide total had risen to just under 3.78 billion people. Every day during 2020, on average more than 1.3 million individuals joined social media. That equals approximately 15½ new users every second.

Where are the billions of social media users spending their time? In 2020, Facebook was by far the most popular social networking site. It has 3 billion of 4.2 billion worldwide social media users. In reality, Facebook usage has risen 72% from 2015 to 2020! YouTube and WhatsApp follow suit with 2 billion users each, then we have Messenger, WeChat, Instagram, and TikTok all with 1 billion or more subscribers.

The future generation of applicants is social media natives. To them, online social media recruiting isn’t anything new. They expect to be able to connect and communicate with their potential employers before the interview even begins.

What is Social Media Recruiting?

Social media recruiting allows you to interact directly with people who are searching for work or those who aren’t actively looking for a job but might be interested in a new opportunity. You may also use social media sites to check employees’ professional and academic credentials and expertise.

Social Media Recruiting Is The Future of Recruitment

This shift in how we recruit has allowed for companies like Glassdoor and Hired to enter the market by providing reviews of resumes based on personal experience rather than traditional references; it’s also allowed individual job seekers (the passive source) more control over when and where they apply.

And while this may seem like an entirely separate discussion from social media recruitment—it’s not! The majority of people who use LinkedIn are utilizing the site as part of their daily interactions: reading newsfeed content, responding or commenting on posts, or checking out what others are up to.

This means that social media recruitment is already well-established in the minds of both candidates and employers. If you’re not utilizing social recruiting—or are only doing so on a small scale—you’re missing out on an opportunity to attract top talent, set yourself apart from the competition, and make your hiring process better for everyone involved.

Benefits of Social Media Recruiting

Finding suitable talent and candidates for a position used to entail a lengthy recruiting and selection process. The individual picked for any given job had to be carefully chosen to match the requirements of the position, including experience, education, and attitude. Recruitment businesses with more resources were frequently contracted by firms to complete the work.

With a few clicks, recruiters nowadays have access to a global pool of talent. Facebook allows recruiters to discover a very defined demographic that they want for a job role or conduct a background check. On LinkedIn, they can communicate with people in their industry and share job vacancies.

And while every social media network has its own set of rules, it also gives employers insight into the life, hobbies, and talents of potential employees.

How Does Social Media Affect the Future of Recruitment?

With social media changing at such a rapid pace, it’s reasonable to anticipate that finding active job candidates will no longer be an issue for recruiters. For a recruiter, social networks are a treasure trove of information on a possible applicant, and that is unlikely to alter.

Even if the talent pool does eventually expand, finding “passive” candidates may be difficult. However, future studies may find that organizations could benefit from increased support for their HR and Talent Acquisition teams. Even while the number of accessible people expands as a result of increased social media usage, finding “passive” applicants might be difficult.

3 Social Media Recruiting Strategies You Can Do Right Now

Here are some ways you can start using social media to recruit the best talent out there.

Share Company Culture Through Social Events

Candidates are looking for more than a job; they want an employee experience that gives them a feeling of purpose and pride in their work. Culture is so important that 33% of C-suite level candidates would take a pay cut to work for a mission-driven business that aligned with their beliefs.

Inform job seekers why they should work for your firm. Describe the corporate culture, the purpose behind your brand, and what you stand for. Demonstrate to future employees why they should work with you and how their position would contribute to what your company stands for.

It’s crucial to ensure that job seekers experience your culture first-hand. Hold virtual social gatherings or networking events for possible prospects. Provide career shadowing sessions or open houses so applicants can get a feel for what it’s like to work there. Almost two-thirds of job seekers (63%) said they were more likely to apply for a position with an organization if they had the opportunity to attend a social gathering to network with potential colleagues and learn more about the company.

Streamline Your Job Applying Experience With Technology

To attract top talent, you need to be tech-savvy. Nearly half of job seekers (49%) say they would be more likely to apply for a position if the application process was easy and convenient. This means that you should accept online applications, make use of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and provide an easy-to-use applicant tracking website.

Also, candidates want good, direct human contact throughout the recruitment process, whether it’s in person, by phone, or over email. As they progress through the interview phase, that desire grows stronger. Personalized initial outreach makes candidates more likely to apply for a role, according to two-thirds of them. In-person meetings or phone calls are preferred over automated technologies like chatbots when negotiating job packages or accepting formal offers, according to people.

Technology will play a significant role in recruiting. However, don’t neglect the human aspect of things. When it comes to getting emails or phone calls from a recruiter, job seekers want to deal with real people (i.e., chatbots or robocalls that have actual individuals on the other end).

Showcase Rewards And Perks

You can’t just talk about your company culture and expect people to show up. They need a reason, beyond salary or benefits.

Candidates’ eagerness to exchange pay demonstrates that they don’t consider these benefits as simply a nice-to-have. They’re separators: qualities that set one job offer apart from the next. It’s not enough for a business to just provide them in today’s highly competitive employment market.

Recruiters must be able to quantify and communicate them as part of their value proposition. Treat these perks as if they were sales opportunities. Recognize how important these incentives are for candidates and integrate them into your package offering.

Here are 3 top perks candidates seek for today:

Learning New Skills

A study from PWC show’s that 37% of candidates would take a pay cut for an opportunity to learn new skills.

Upskilling and reskilling are becoming more important to companies and employees alike. Offering the chance to learn new things can be a major selling point for your company.

Work Flexibility

As the workforce becomes even more mobile, flexible schedules are becoming an increasingly important benefit to job seekers who value their personal time and schedule flexibility. With the pandemic, the tech workforce demands the ability to work remotely on more than just an occasional basis.

And, for parents with kids in school, the ability to work remotely during the day can be a lifesaver.

Diversity And Inclusion

Another factor to consider is inclusion. More and more job seekers are looking for companies with a better reputation when it comes to diversity. According to PwC’s research, 62% of job applicants are more likely to apply for a position with an organization that is openly committed to increasing diversity and inclusion in its workforce. That figure rises to 68% among knowledge workers and 72% among the C-suite.

Use your existing social media platforms to increase awareness. Focus your material on the values of your business and what it’s like to work there. Highlight individuals from distinct backgrounds who can communicate the advantages of working for you.

In Conclusion

Recruiting is evolving. By understanding what candidates are looking for, you can create a social media strategy that will help you find and attract the best talent to your company. Offering top perks and benefits is one way to set yourself apart from the competition and show candidates that you care about their well-being. Stay ahead of the curve by giving job seekers what they want—a great experience during the hiring process!