Leveraging social media platforms for talent acquisition

Social media has become an integral part of living today. The number of social media users stands at 4.8 billion worldwide. Another startling fact is that the world collectively spends 11.5 billion hours on social media platforms daily. These mind-boggling figures are sufficient to infer that the power of social media cannot be ignored.

The rising power of social media

Social media platforms initially started as channels for building personal connections. However, today they have evolved into platforms that are used for expressing interests, discovering trends, conducting research, eliciting feedback, and finding employment opportunities.

Social media has taken over various domains like the educational sector, business sphere, advertising, and more. It is now a powerful medium of communication that can reach people beyond geographical boundaries. 

The global reach of social media, coupled with its surging user base, has made it an invaluable resource that can impact different areas of work and life.

Why social media platforms are relevant for talent acquisition

Social media has made a strong presence in the domain of talent acquisition and completely revolutionised recruitment processes. LinkedIn has emerged as the most popular platform for job seekers and recruiters. And, with good reason!

The platform has over 900 million users from more than 200 countries. Data also shows that 61 million people use LinkedIn for jobs. The platform has a whopping 117 applications submitted every second. Eight people are hired every minute through LinkedIn.

Therefore, a business needs to have an effective strategy for hiring candidates through social media platforms.

Best strategies for leveraging social media platforms for talent acquisition

Build a brand page: Job seekers search for a company through its brand page. Therefore, make sure that your brand page is complete. Use your brand page to communicate your company culture to your audience. Content showcasing your organisation as a great place to work attracts job seekers organically.

Make sure your recruiters have a social media presence: Corporate accounts help establish what your brand is about. However, it is important that your recruiters have personal accounts on social media platforms and establish one-on-one connections with candidates. Adding a personal touch boosts the candidate experience.

Join the right social media groups: There are numerous users of social media, and navigating through them and reaching the right candidates can be a tough ask. You can simplify this task by joining the right groups or forums and actively participating in relevant conversations. It is also important to use the right hashtags to attract your target audience.

Encourage employee participation: It is likely that most of your employees will have social media accounts on various platforms. Encourage your employees to share the job openings on their accounts. Employees can also serve as crusaders for your brand by sharing their positive employee experience with your brand on social media platforms.

Benefits of hiring through social media platforms

Offers access to a wider talent pool: Searching for candidates on social media platforms is beneficial because it helps brands access a vast talent pool. Posting your job opening on these channels lends wide exposure and helps reach several candidates in a short time span. However, you must use effective strategies to attract the right talent.

Allows showcasing company culture: Social media platforms offer ample opportunities for brands to showcase their company culture. Engaging posts, reels, videos, etc., highlight your company culture to job seekers. Make sure that you create posts aligned with the needs of potential candidates.

Fosters diversity and inclusion in hiring: Social media platforms offer a wide range of tools and strategies to target specific groups of job seekers. LinkedIn offers automated targeting and advertising, while Twitter can be used for employee advocacy, etc. These tools can be leveraged to attract specific groups. Hence, social media channels can help in building a diverse talent pool.

Provides detailed data about candidates: One of the greatest benefits of using social media platforms for hiring is that they provide more details about the candidate than what is available in applications. Social media posts by the candidate reveal details about the candidate’s personality that can help ascertain whether they are the right cultural fit.

Facilitates transparency: Social media platforms facilitate open interactions between employers and candidates. This helps employers engage directly with the candidates, resolve their queries in real-time and build trust.

You can leverage these benefits by building effective social media strategies for talent acquisition. It is beneficial to partner with experts to achieve the desired results. 

Careernet is a leading Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) partner that leverages the power of social media to recruit the best talent for your organisation. Our professionals work with you to understand your hiring needs and create comprehensive solutions including customised social media strategies to achieve your hiring goals.

Resources:

• www.searchenginejournal.com
• www.innovatureinc.com