Employment expert Rob Wilson shares best practices for hiring employees through social media
A recent Society of Human Resources (SHRM) study found that 84 percent of organizations are now recruiting on social media, up from 34 percent in 2008. “Clearly, using social media as a recruiting tool is here to stay,” said Rob Wilson, President of Employco USA. “Knowing when and how to use social media effectively, and correctly, to recruit candidates can help hiring managers not only find and vet talent but also reduce costs.”
Here are Wilson’s five best practices for recruiting using social media.
- Build your reputation as a great place to work
More and more, candidates look for companies that offer a great culture. With talent shortages in key industries, nurturing and showcasing your company’s culture and how employees feel about working for you could be the difference in meeting your hiring objectives. “Workplace branding can help reduce a business’s cost to hire and its ability to attract quality candidates,” says Wilson. “Most job seekers today expect to be able to learn about a company’s culture not only through its website and social media profiles but also through third party sites like Glassdoor.”
- Use your company’s social media profiles strategically
In addition to having a careers section on your website listing openings, companies should also create profiles on popular social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Beyond posting jobs, companies should build relationships and engage with potential candidates by sharing interesting information about the company, its culture, events, news and photos. Wilson suggests companies build their network by connecting to current and former co-workers to start.
- Leverage your employees
Ask employees to share job openings through their social media. “While they many not have a candidate to refer, someone in their network might,” says Wilson. “Referrals are still one of the best ways to source talent.” In addition, create a culture where employees are encouraged to share why the company is a great place to work. Empower them to post photos on Facebook, Tweet or share insights on LinkedIn about the culture. According to a 2014 survey from Monster, 65 percent of respondents would consider an opportunity for a new job if they learned about it from a personal connection.
- Track results
Track and measure your results against your efforts. Experiment with your postings by changing words and images. Evaluate what is or isn’t working and why. Replicate your successful strategies and tactics.
- Minimize legal risk
In addition to attracting candidates, social media can be a great tool for vetting candidates. However, recruiting managers should be wary of potential legal risks when using social media for this purpose, warns Wilson. “You can learn a lot about a candidate from looking through their social media profiles, including things you wouldn’t be able to garner from an interview, such as age, marital status and other protected characteristics.” Wilson recommends that HR professionals and hiring managers are trained and knowledgeable about recruiting laws and what’s appropriate when using social media to vet a candidate.
“Social media is only one tool in the recruiting arsenal, and it may not be right for every business, but when it is used effectively as part of a broader recruiting strategy, it can help companies attract and hire candidates at a lower cost,” says Wilson.
For more on this topic, please contact Rob Wilson at rwilson@thewilsoncompanies.com.
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