Tips to increase your chances of attracting the right talent

The golden rule that ‘you have to be where your customers are’ applies to recruiting as well. Your potential employees, like most millennials and Gen Zs, are on social media, and that’s where you need to be too. However, just being present on social media is not going to cut it. You need to design a social media strategy that will help you portray your company as a great place to work.

Here are six tips that will allow you to tap into the unique network of communities offered by social media and attract top talent. 

1. Develop a relatable brand on social platforms 

It is a known fact that social media offers recruiters an unprecedented reach compared to traditional recruiting methods. Studies show that 79% of job applicants use social media when they are searching for a job. If you, too, want to bet on social media hiring, the first thing to do is create a relatable brand on all social platforms. You need to weave an engaging brand story to get noticed by candidates. It is imperative that you speak authentically and be real. You can develop a relatable brand by being creative in your posts, giving a peek into what it is like to work for the company, and posting pictures to showcase the real people behind the brand, among other things. 

2. Feature current employees to promote your organisation's culture 

Your current employees are your best brand ambassadors. Having them on your social media is the best way to give candidates an insight into the company, whether it is the people, culture, or various employee initiatives. Encourage your talent to share their experiences working with the company -- what they like about the company culture, training programs they get to participate in, growth opportunities they have received during their stint or even the fun things they get to do. Make sure it is the employees telling their stories in their own voice and not a cookie-cutter template the HR puts out. This will help you keep it real and relatable for potential employees. 

3. Maintain consistent brand messaging across channels 

Candidates should be able to recognise your brand across platforms - whether it is your social media pages or your company website. You can do this by ensuring your brand messaging is consistent across channels. This is vital as it will help you create an identity, build trust, and leave a lasting impression on candidates. On the other hand, posting conflicting messages will only confuse candidates, giving a feeling that you don’t know who you are. Social media is a powerful tool. Use it to showcase your business philosophy, ethics, company culture, growth focus, and more. 

4. Create a hiring content strategy 

Just like your social media marketing needs a content strategy, so does social media hiring. This will ensure all the relevant information is put out for potential hires in a planned and systematic way. Ad hoc posts will not only fail to be efficient to catch the eye of job seekers but can also prove to be detrimental to the company's reputation. You can avoid this by creating a content calendar and planning what information needs to be sent out and when. Use this to post about career opportunities, hybrid work culture, star employees, etc. 

5. Talk about your social initiatives

The next generation really cares about giving back to the community. They want to do their bit and want to work for companies that help them do that. This essentially means that your social outreach activities can help grab the attention of candidates, help you stand out, create a positive impression on their minds, and make them more likely to join your company. However, for this to be effective, ensure the initiatives you choose to make a real mark. For example, sending a donation cheque to a charity will not appeal to them as much as the grassroots-level work you do to impact the lives of lesser privileged individuals.

6. Provide an easy way for jobseekers to reach you

Now that you have done the above to grab candidates’ attention, what next? How can they connect with you? It is imperative that you don’t leave them hanging or make it difficult for them to find you. If they have to search for you on social media, look for an email ID to send you a message or find a connection at your company, you have already lost them. You need to offer a seamless way for them to reach you. Ensure with every message that you post across the board, you leave a call to action button. With this, they should be able to reach the relevant HR personnel at your company with just a click.

The stakes are too high, and the impact is too significant to ignore social media hiring. With the talent war waging across industries, it is absolutely critical that companies leverage the power of social media to attract the crème de la crème of the available talent. Use these tips to increase access to a larger pool of qualified candidates, identify potential hires more efficiently, engage them personally and get the best people on board.