According to the LinkedIn press centre, 1-in-20 of all LinkedIn profiles are held by recruiters.
Additionally, Oracle’s Chief Finance Officer Jeff Epstein was headhunted for the position via his LinkedIn profile.
And with 80% of companies using LinkedIn as a recruitment tool, it’s clear to see that social media (at least from LinkedIn’s side) is a great tool for any recruiter or human resources department to find their next employee (or for employees to find their next position).
But what about the other main networks and platforms? How could you use them as part of your employee needs, current and potential?
Because of its instant conversations and weekly chats, there are a ton of ways that Twitter could be used as a recruitment tool. Think of some of the ways you operate your HR team or recruitment agency offline:
- You check resumes.
- You make phone calls.
- You place job ads.
- You interview.
- You cold-call potential clients (more from a recruitment agency point-of-view).
Now, flip these around and see how Twitter could replace them (or work alongside them).
- You see how people act online and what they’re discussing (resume checking).
- You have conversations with folks you’re interested in (phone calls).
- You share a link to your latest offerings (job ad placement).
- You talk and get a feel for people directly (interview).
- You use Twitter Search to look for keywords of company hiring needs then make contact through your tweets (cold calls).
Same needs, different approach. You also have a ton of weekly chats that you can participate in – there’s a great and ever-growing resource on Google Docs if you need to find one in particular.
A different platform with a frequently different mindset, Facebook is still a great outlet for your HR needs. And as the platform continues to evolve into a business-friendly one, it’s a platform that offers a lot from a recruiting angle.
- Build a company Facebook Page and have a dedicated tab for your latest positions.
- Use your page to show the culture of the company and why people would want to work there.
- Set up a dedicated Facebook group purely for job-hunters. Make it a resource on best practices for interviews, career progression, etc.
- Go to Facebook Search and type in “jobs” – you’ll find a huge amount of companies and people on various pages, groups, etc, sharing and looking for work. Use these existing resources to find your next superstar.
- Build a Facebook widget that can be added to a user’s profile and shared with others. Update this with your latest jobs, news, careers, etc, and update interested parties as soon as your position goes live.
There are also a bunch of other ways you can use Facebook as both job hunters and employee seekers – these are just some of the immediate ones.
Website/Blog
This should be a given, but you’d be surprised how many companies don’t advertise their latest positions on the company website. Instead, they’d rather rely on external ads and agencies to do the hard work for them.
Fair enough – but wouldn’t it be better to be the source of information about your company to a job seeker as opposed to them getting third-party reviews? Again, there are a few ways you can start to use your site now.
- Like your Facebook Page, have a dedicated tab or area that not only has all your latest positions, but also positions recently filled. This shows interested parties that, while they may have missed out this time, at least you’re occasionally looking for their skill sets.
- Add an HR blog and have your employees tell their stories. We all love stories – it’s how we connect best. Have your people share why you’re great to work for is a huge way to humanize your business.
- Offer an HR newsletter sign-up to alert folks when you have a position coming up. By giving them “first refusal”, you’re immediately building rapport because you’re looking out for those that are really interested.
- Have a client services section, that shows what roles and what companies your new employees would be part of. Seeing the scope of project can help make someone’s mind up if they’re unsure of career growth and fulfillment.
Again, these are just some of the ways your site (or blog) can be adapted to be more beneficial to potential employees.
You don’t need to stop there, either. These are just the main outlets you can use.
Think of other ways to share your HR needs. It might be a YouTube channel where you give insights to the company. Or it could be a niche community or network you sponsor that’s tied into your current and future needs. And with Google+ about to set business accounts live, candidates finding you through social search could be about to step up to another level.
The main point is, you want the best. So are you making sure you’re presenting yourself as the best?
image: mhartford
