What is social media hiring?

Social media hiring or social media recruiting is the use of social media platforms at various stages of the hiring process. Social media is used to pick out and interact with prospective employees without having to engage with them in person. It is used to share job listings, network and vet potential candidates.

Social media has become a guiding factor for the decisions made by many individuals across the globe. In the business sphere, social media is providing opportunities for recruiters and job seekers alike. Recruiters have many social media platforms at their disposal for recruiting candidates based on the niches that they require. It can also be used to review and assess the received applications.
How Is Social Media Used in Recruiting?

A centralized form of communication

Social media makes interactions between the recruiter and the candidate convenient. Recruiters can post job listings, receive and review applications,etc all from one location. Not only can recruiters address personal queries through private messages sent by applicants, they can also deal with frequently asked questions through the comments section or forums.

Online communities for niche industries

Candidates involved in niche industries can connect with each other on social media.They tend to independently form communities and networks where they can keep themselves updated on recent happenings in the field. They can share useful tips for those engaged in this field and address issues or concerns that people in the community are experiencing. Social media hiring practices involve identifying and using these communities for the company’s benefit.

For fields that require specific skill sets or niche knowledge, these online communities can be a gold mine for recruiters. These groups can also help identify the top talent within them, reducing the effort on the part of the recruiter. Identifying these groups can also benefit the company as they can establish their brand in the community attracting talent and improving the company brand image.

Acquiring Passive Candidates

Passive candidates refers to individuals who are not searching for a new job or are content with their current one. Despite this they may be interested in shifting to a new role and might occasionally check job listings. Social media hiring takes advantage of this interest and can promote a company directly to these individuals.

By engaging with social media, a company can place itself in view of these candidates and increase the chance that they will choose to apply to their job postings.

Which social media platforms are in use?

LinkedIn is currently the most well known social media hiring platform. It is widely used by both job seekers and job providers. It is ideal for professional networking and provides various analytics for users as well. It can help recruiters identify passive candidates and the demand for specific skill sets. It offers tools for posting jobs and accepting applications while making talent poaching convenient. Available job postings can also be promoted on searches via their post boosting service.

LinkedIn, as a social media platform for professionals offers a concise overview of an applicant’s work history and qualifications. Applicants can also highlight their passions, referrals and certifications on the website. With 810 million members all around the globe and nearly 90% of recruiters reporting that they have hired someone off of LinkedIn, professionals in all industries should look into utilizing it in their hiring endeavors.

Facebook

Facebook is a social media platform that is indispensable for recruiters due to the wide reach it can provide in terms of diversity and volume. Recruiters can follow and engage with potential hires, create and share content regarding events and opportunities and promote the company all in one place. Social media hiring on this platform is facilitated by the existence of a job board on the website.

It provides a look into a candidate’s behavior and attitudes as well as their interests and dislikes. It can help recruiters connect with candidates via groups and pages and post job openings for recruitment. Facebook also provides options for post boosting so that job listings can reach a wider audience. It also lets recruiters filter profiles based on location, liked and disliked pages,etc. This helps search for specific skill sets or applicants who are local to a particular location.

Twitter

Twitter has become prominent in the professional domain due to its prevalence as a source of news and events. Members of the platform engage in dialogue or share opinions on recent events while interacting with their areas of interest.

In the field of journalism, Twitter is seen as a haven for discourse as everyone from major companies to politicians and celebrities can interact with each other. Therefore people can be held accountable on a public forum for their actions. This is important for recruiters as they can avoid controversial individuals or look for candidates that can deal with issues in public relations.

Social media hiring in practice can also be used to increase employee engagement by having online campaigns directed at them. For example PepsiCo’s social media accounts have campaigns that generate employee testimonials by encouraging employees to share their experience working for the company.

Youtube

Youtube is a social media platform that is useful for recruiters searching for competent workers in the audiovisual domain. It is an excellent platform for animators, editors, visual effects artists, etc to showcase their craft and skill. Website users’ channels are a portfolio of their work while also showing its relative success or lack thereof. Candidates who are not owners of channels can also showcase their talent in the employ of other content creators. Thus is a top location to scout for candidates for content generation.

It is also a great place to start diversifying a company’s online presence. This can include videos and podcasts for new along with media aimed at recruiting candidates..

Instagram

Instagram is a platform that affects the social media hiring process more indirectly than directly. While hiring can be optimized through the use of geolocations and hashtags, the real benefit from Instagram is the ability to moderate the company’s online presence.

Instagram is extremely popular amongst Generation Z and Millennials who form the majority of the current workforce. These generations place a greater emphasis on the online presence of corporate entities. This is because they often choose the companies they would work at through social media. It is where they consume media and interact with the world on a regular basis. An ideal recruitment plan involving Instagram would involve a team moderating the page and direct messages of the company profile while implementing various campaigns that boost the company brand image.

Benefits of using social media hiring

- Reach a wider pool of candidates: Social media allows recruiters to reach a wider pool of potential candidates, beyond those who are actively searching for a job or have applied for a specific role. This can be especially helpful for businesses in niche industries or for positions that require specific skills or experience.

- Get a better understanding of candidates: Social media profiles can give recruiters a better understanding of a candidate's interests, personality, and work experience. This can help recruiters determine whether a candidate is a good fit for the company culture and the role they are applying for.

- Cost-effective: Social media hiring cuts down on costs which are normally incurred in traditional methods of hiring, such as infrastructure for job fairs or costs for print advertising. It also allows recruiters to target specific groups or locations, making the task of reaching potential candidates more cost effective.

- Speed up the hiring process: Social media can help speed up the hiring process by allowing recruiters to quickly review and screen candidates. It also makes scheduling interviews and other follow-up interactions smooth by providing a means for communication. A good social media image can also speed up hiring by giving the company an edge in attracting competent applicants.

- Generate referrals and networking: Social media platforms that allow for hiring practices also help recruiters by catalyzing the generation of employee referrals and testimonies. Social media hiring involves platforms that allow for networking among professionals which can be utilized by the recruiter to streamline the hiring process.

- Candidates for ultra-specific roles: By leveraging the reach offered by social media hiring, recruiters can find candidates to fit highly specialized positions or fill roles that require a niche set of skills or traits. By identifying niche networks on social media platforms, recruiters can easily find individuals that fit their specific needs.

- Enhance employer branding: Social media can also be used to enhance a company's employer branding and attract applicants. By showcasing company culture, values, and employee experiences on social media, recruiters can attract candidates who align with the company's mission and values.

To conclude,
While social media hiring has many benefits for recruiters, it is important for them to use it effectively and ethically. This includes respecting candidates' privacy and being transparent about the recruitment process. It's also important to use social media in conjunction with other recruitment methods, to ensure a diverse and qualified pool of candidates.

In summary, social media can be a powerful tool for recruiters looking to find and attract skilled and competent applicants. By focusing on the insights offered by social media platforms, recruiters can optimize the hiring process and find the best fit for their company.