Should I Use Social Media for Recruiting?

Marcianne Kuethen

May 21, 2015

In the past decade, social media has taken the world by storm.  Websites like Facebook and Twitter have become household names, and connecting with past friends, colleagues, and classmates has never been easier.  While websites like this are often used in a personal/social setting, when it comes to recruiting, using these sites can be a very resourceful tool in finding and connecting with qualified professionals.  A recent article published on Jobvite.com states that 93% of recruiters will review a candidate’s social profile before making a hiring decision, and employers have reported that using social media to source candidates has improved candidate quality by 49 percent. Yet many employers are still wondering, Should I use social media for recruiting? If you’re still skeptical or fearful of using technology, I’ve gathered a list of very helpful articles on why and how using social media can keep you on the cutting edge of finding the right people for your team.

• Why Social Recruiting: The main thrust of this article can be summed up by this sentence found in the first paragraph:  Job recruiting has always been about networking; social media simply injects modern technological networks into the tried-and-true formula.  The writer gives a solid answer to the employer who poses the question, “Why should I use social media in my recruiting efforts?”

• Tips on How to Recruit with Social Media: So now that we know why social recruiting is beneficial, how do we start?  This article offers 7 strategic tips for effective recruiting on social media.  These tips include how to get started, how leverage the resources through social media that you already have, and how to grow your network.

• Social Media Recruiting: If you’re a visual person, you’ll love this article.  Basically, it states that 92% of companies are using social media for recruitment.  Then, a brightly colored infographic goes into why it’s working, what is important to remember when using it as a recruiting tool.

• Status Updates: This article go into how to post effectively on LinkedIn.  It gives 11 tips on how to create posts that will not only attract candidates to your positions, but will help build your company’s brand and presence on LinkedIn.

• Twitter Analytics: This article goes in-depth into Twitter.com.  On this site, you can post “tweets”, advertising job openings or opportunities with your company.  A cool thing Twitter has is what they call an “Analytics Dashboard” that will share 3 things:  1) Impressions, or the number of times users see the Tweet on Twitter; 2) Engagements, or the total number of times a user has interacted with a tweet (this includes all clicks anywhere on the tweet) retweets, replies follows and favorites; and 3) Engagement Rate: the number of engagements divided by the total number of impressions.  It also talks about how Twitter can give you a break down on who is following you, and give you data about their top interests, location, and what they look at most.

If you’re still asking yourself, Should I use social media for recruiting, know that the hiring process is time-consuming and challenging, especially in the competitive talent market we’re currently experiencing. But with these tips, you can find better candidates and feel more knowledgable about the ones you decide to hire.

What’s one key issue that can prevent you from getting the candidate you really want? Click here to find out.