Which Social Media is Best For Recruitment?
As social media continues to evolve and new platforms emerge, the way we use it for recruiting also changes. In order to stay ahead of the curve, it’s important for recruiters to identify which social media sites are most popular with job seekers and target their recruiting efforts there. Last year alone, 73% of candidates were successfully hired through the use of social media, with 29% citing it as their primary tool for job searches.
So which social media sites should you focus on? Below, we’ve identified the six you need to frame your recruiting strategy around, and the different methods that work for each.
Which social media is best for recruitment?
Social media recruitment is the process of finding and attracting candidates for a job opening using social media sites. Due to the increasing popularity of social media, many job seekers use these sites as their primary tool for finding jobs. Because of this, it’s important for recruiters to identify which social media sites are most popular with job seekers and target their recruiting efforts there.
In order to stay ahead of the curve, it’s important for recruiters to focus on the following 7 social media sites:
Each site has its own benefits that can be used to attract different types of candidates.
LinkedIn is the Holy Grail of social recruiting. It’s a professional network and job board rolled into one, making it easy for recruiters to find candidates who have already taken the first step towards applying.
With over 562 million registered users – almost 50% more than Twitter – LinkedIn allows you to target specific demographics with greater accuracy. You can also join groups that are relevant to your business, providing an ideal opportunity to meet new people in your industry or niche market.
Twitter is fantastic for networking purposes but much less so for actually finding suitable candidates; despite its popularity among job seekers, many choose not to include their work history on their profile page (or simply don’t list them at all).
Social media recruiter Brent Gilinsky recommends being short and sweet in your approach; keep tweets under 120 characters when responding to candidates, or 140 if you use a hashtag.
Facebook might not be the first social network that springs to mind when looking for new recruits, but there are numerous ways to find them here nonetheless. Facebook’s Graph Search feature enables recruiters and businesses to search for talent via keyword-based searches (and is perfect for finding people who match specific job criteria).
Alternatively, consider posting job openings on industry groups pages, as well as your business page – just, remember it’s important that these posts include an enticing description of what the role entails and some details about how interested parties can contact you!
Instagram is similar in many ways to Facebook; you can use it to post job openings and look for candidates via keyword searches. However, it’s another social media platform where engaging visuals are key.
Instagram is a visual medium, so if your business isn’t particularly visually oriented (such as working in marketing), then maybe consider passing on this one entirely.
TikTok
TikTok is a social media app that is quickly gaining popularity, especially with the younger demographic. It’s essentially an amalgamation of Vine (remember that?) and Instagram, where users can share short videos of themselves.
Because it skews young, this could be a great place to post job openings if you’re looking for recent graduates or millennials.
YouTube
YouTube is another great social media outlet to promote your brand and job openings. Because it’s a visual medium, you can easily create videos of your employees talking about what they enjoy most about working at the company or why they love their positions.
Create a company profile on YouTube and post the job opening video there. You can also share it to other social media sites, both for visibility purposes and for potential candidates to explore your brand more.
Be sure to include information about how applicants can apply to the position in the description of your video, or at least have that information available on your website so they can follow up with you as needed.
Reddit is unique in that it’s not just one large social media site – it’s actually made up of smaller communities called subreddits. These are categorized by topic and allow users to post links, images, videos, comments, etc., pertaining to those topics.
This makes it a great place to target specific job seekers. For example, if you’re looking for software engineers, you could post in the /r/programming subreddit. And if you’re looking for nurses, there’s a subreddit for that too!
Final Thoughts
Social media recruiting is an excellent way to reach top talent, provided you’re putting the time and effort into targeting the right candidates.
Focus on one channel at a time, and measure the results before expanding to other platforms. Build a following and be consistent with your messaging to make the most of social recruiting.
Happy hunting!
