If you’re having trouble finding talent to fill your open positions, start putting everything your company is doing on social media.
Why?
Because 58% of job seekers are using social media to search for information about potential employers, according to a new study by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerArc.
The survey was conducted between July 21-25 and garnered responses from 2,040 adults, 1,254 of whom were employed.
Of the respondents, 54% of passive job seekers and 68% of active job seekers with work experience said they search for information about potential employers on social media.
In addition, 65% of active job seekers have discovered job opportunities on social media and 63% have applied to job opportunities they found on social media. As for the passive job seekers, the numbers were 50% and 38% respectively.
Not surprisingly, Gen Z and Millennials were the most significant users of social media when seeking opportunities. However, 45% of all job seekers say social media is very important to their job search.
How can social media help with hiring?
Not only do they look for job postings, but many check out your social media channels to learn what it would be like working for your company. They look at postings for clues about your company culture and work environment, as well as charitable outreach, before applying for a job or accepting an interview invite.
Social media is a great way to promote your company branding to a much larger talent pool.
Here are five ways TechTalk and Indeed suggests employers take advantage of social media:
- Post photos/videos that show off your corporate culture. Show people what a day in the life of your employees looks like. Let them see the inside and outside of your facility via photos and videos. Also, post photos and videos of events that represent your company culture. Job candidates want to gather as much information as possible on your company and its culture. So, show them what it would be like to work there. Pictures of team events, company outings, celebrations, employee appreciation events, etc., are just a few ways to show your company culture. This gives them a visual representation of the experiences of current employees.
- Consistency is key. If you don’t post every day, then try to post multiple times per week. This shows people you’re an active and engaging company – not a boring old fuddy-duddy company. Posting on a regular basis also tells people someone is on top of your social media. So, if they have any questions, they’ll feel free to ask because they see you’re active and engaged.
- Post infographics, interviews and white papers. Help educate people on your industry and what you do in that industry to improve it. Use this to humanize your leaders, make them more likeable, and show off expertise. It will allow like-minded employees to see what you’re accomplishing.
- Add a little personality to your posts. Not everything has to be serious and academic. Sure, you want to help people learn about your company, but there’s nothing wrong with entertaining them while they’re learning. Jokes aren’t always the best route to go, although everyone loves a good “dad joke” occasionally. But it’s important to be friendly, personable and approachable. That way people will feel comfortable reaching out to you.
- Encourage people to share your posts/content. The more people who see your posts and share your regular content, the more potential candidates you can reach when you do post a job opening. When you do post a job opening, always encourage people to share them with their friends and family. You never know whose son, granddaughter, cousin, best friend, fiancé or neighbor is looking for a job. But TechTalk suggests encouraging people to share even when you don’t have an open position as it will build brand awareness among potential applicants.
In the Great Resignation era, you want to take advantage of every communication channel you can when trying to find new talent. Plus, social media doesn’t cost anything and frees up HR’s time for more pressing things like one-on-one interviews.