If you’re still relying on job boards to recruit, you’re missi
ng out on a potentially lucrative means of securing top candidates for clients or own business. Social recruitment has become a significant means of advertising jobs and finding candidates, so if you’re not capitalising on social media, it’s time to start.
LinkedIn: Not only does LinkedIn allow you to develop a company and individual profile, selling the skills and expertise of your talent, it also presents lucrative networking opportunities across a spectrum of professionals.
When using LinkedIn to source candidates make use of the search filters to identify potential candidates through job title, company and sector – this will help you narrow down the best candidates for your clients and roles. Reach out to potential candidates through InMail messages. While not everyone is looking for a new role, most are happy to discuss a potential opportunity, and even if a role isn’t right for one person you may get a direct introduction to someone more suitable.
And remember to complete your profile fully! Nothing says ‘unprofessional’ like a half completed LinkedIn page, so take time to complete all sections. Include links to your website, add your contact number, and provide information about the sector you hire for.
Explore digital communities: Go to where people from the sector you recruit for collect, share information and network digitally. The tech and digital marketing sectors have a wealth of active online communities where you’ll find professionals specific to your clients and roles.
Great sites to start with include GitHub, Stack Overflow, Moz, GrowthHackers and Inbound. It’s not enough to expect potential candidates to come to you anymore, so be prepared to explore new avenues of engagement.
Professional Twitter accounts: It’s predicted that there will be over 16 million active Twitter users in the UK by 2018. That’s a large potential audience for you to reach, but targeting is key to securing followers and engagement. Start off by following organisations and industry bodies relevant to the area you recruit for, they are more likely to take an interest in what you share, as will their followers – your potential candidates.
Strategically use hashtags to reach key audiences, share links to any blogs or insight you or your company has produced, and remember to engage with followers by liking and sharing Tweets. Twitter should be used as more than an opportunity to shout about the roles you're managing, and active engagement with other Twitter users is the only way to make successful use of the platform.
Facebook: If you’re looking to boost your own workforce Facebook can be a great way of selling the culture of your organisation – often the make-or-break when it comes to a new role. Upload photos of team days out, share insight and blog links, shout about your talent’s successes, and highlight any awards.
Cultural fit has become more important to employees, so being able to present your company’s lifestyle, culture, and mission will help attract and retain people with similar values.