Also known as social hiring or social\nrecruiting, social media recruiting is now a coveted strategy in attracting\nboth active and passive job candidates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Firstly, social media recruiting simply refers\nto the use of social media channels to recruit potential candidates. Different\nsocial media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as\nwebsites: like Indeed.com, forums and blogs, can be used to attract, find and\nhire wanted talent (TalentLyft, n.d.). Case in point, an Adweek report suggests\nthat 92 percent of recruiters use social media to find the best suited\ncandidates for the positions required (Clarke, 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More importantly, because of the great\nincongruence between the talents that companies are searching for and that\nwhich is being offered in the market, social media recruiting provides a\nplatform through which talent can be easily identified and a connection\nestablished directly (Clarke, 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LinkedIn is one of the top social networks\nwhen it comes to finding skilled candidates as 87 percent of recruiters report\nusing it. This is because it is a platform specially made for professional\nnetworking so people share their resumes and companies can post jobs. It is\nfollowed closely by Facebook with 55 percent and then Twitter with 47 percent. However,\nmore platforms are being used like Instagram (Clarke, 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nprocess involves activities such as <\/strong>(SmartRecruiters,\nn.d.):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tweeting links to available positions and\nalso using appropriate and relevant hashtags; industry-specific hashtags<\/p>\n\n\n\n Contacting ideal candidate using direct\nmessaging on Instagram or Facebook<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sharing videos on YouTube that best\nshowcase the company\u2019s culture and core values<\/p>\n\n\n\n Job seekers, particularly the young ones,\notherwise known as millennials, are fans of social media platforms and can\neasily be reached in such platforms. They are also the group that is looking\nfor online information and so to find the best talent among them, social media\nis fundamental in establishing an online reputation and advertising the jobs as\nwell as presenting corporate values (Clarke, 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Along with members of large social media\nsites, such as Facebook and Instagram, there are talented people who are more\nengaged on sites that fill both social media and professional needs. As such,\nin order to have a prominent and effective recruitment presence online, you\nmust be active online and then establish yourself as an authority in your\nrespective field (Clarke, 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Passive candidates are not actively\nseeking new positions or applying for new jobs but make up 70% of the global\nworkforce (Kappel, 2018). They are usually more qualified than the active\ncandidates and as such already have jobs. This makes it difficult to find them\nas you will not find them on job boards but social media provides a way to\nreach them (Kappel, 2018). For instance, referrals through social media are a\ngreat tool that expand the candidate pool; employees already know about other\ntalented individuals and so can directly reach out to them on social media or\npost something they know will attract other top talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Owing to the diversity of social media\nusers, these platforms are filled with people with a myriad of distinctions:\ndifferent backgrounds, diligences and genders. This then provides the perfect\nenvironment for finding any type of talent or candidate (TalentLyft, n.d.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, in a case where the candidate persona\nyou are looking for is very particular and narrowly defined, then advanced\nsearch filters can be used for more specificity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Social recruiting is considered to be\neffective when it mimics or carries out like a conversation. Because of its\nnature, social media allows candidates to connect with your company in a\nlow-key, low- pressure environment which makes for a more personal and\nauthentic communication and connection with the candidates (TalentLyft, n.d.). Additionally,\nmillennials want emotional connection and to feel like they are working for the\nright company, without having to make a compromise with their beliefs and\nethics (Clarke, 2020). As such, there are many companies that are changing\ntheir work environments to make it so that the employees feel empowered and\n\u201cthat they can show up to work and be themselves, as the lines between work and\nlife continues to blend together,\u201d according to the President of workplace\ncommunication training company Fierce, Stacey Engle (Snook, 2020). This process\ncan be easily facilitated and accelerated through social media recruiting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This method makes it easier for employees\nto refer candidates (TalentLyft, n.d.). For instance, they can share\ninformation widely and faster by just clicking once to \u2018share\u2019 certain\ninformation like a video that highlights and outlines the company\u2019s core values\nand culture, or a link stating positions that are available. The information is\nshared with their family members, colleagues and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The process of finding candidates through social media is very cost effective in comparison to the traditional methods of recruitment like TV, newspapers, specialised publications, paid websites and radio ads (TalentLyft, n.d.). Posting videos showcasing the company\u2019s culture, sharing links for open positions are actions that cost nothing yet reach a large number of people in a short amount of time making social recruiting very beneficial and efficient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Brandy Awuor<\/p>\n\n\n\nBenefits of social media recruiting:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n