3 Ways Recruiters Can Use Social Media to Find Candidates

Online Recruitment SoftwareAs a recruiter in 2016, you are well aware that competition for top talent is fiercer than ever before.

What steps can you take to find and attract the best candidates? Are there ways you can think outside the box to improve your success rate?

As one of the leading online statistics companies, Statista shares a variety of information on the number of social media users worldwide. Here is a short excerpt that shows just how powerful social media has become, and why this will continue to be the case over the next few years:

“This statistic shows the number of social network users worldwide from 2010 to 2015 with projections until 2019. In 2018, it is estimated that there will be around 2.55 billion social network users around the globe, up from 1.87 billion in 2014.”

In other words, job candidates are all over social media. From Twitter to Facebook to LinkedIn, you won’t have to look far to find people who are seeking a job.

Of course, you only have so much time to go around. For this reason, you can’t afford to take a scattergun approach. Instead, you need a targeted social media strategy that allows you to find, attract, and communicate with qualified applicants. Another great hiring strategy is using an free online recruitment software. Recruiteze is leading way. Click here to start recruiting easier and faster.

Important Social Media Recruiting Statistics

The following social media recruiting statistics may be all you need in order to change your approach:

  • 60 percent of job seekers have used their mobile device to look for a job in the past year. (Glassdoor)
  • 59 percent of recruiters rated candidates sourced from social networks as “highest quality.” (Jobvite)
  • 94 percent of recruiters are active on LinkedIn, but only 36 percent of candidates are. (Jobvite)
  • Job seekers prefer Facebook to other social networks, with 83 percent saying they are active there. (Jobvite)
  • 21 percent of candidates say they found their favorite job through a social platform. (Jobvite)

When you take these statistics into consideration, it’s hard to deny the fact that social recruiting is worth your time, money, and resources. Furthermore, it’s easy to see that candidates feel the same way about social. A large number of job seekers use social media to find open positions and connect with the appropriate party.

How to Use Social Media

Now that you understand the importance of social media in an overall sense, it’s time to learn more about using this to your advantage.

Below are three ways recruiters can use social media to find candidates. Even if you only implement one of these strategies, it goes without saying that you will have more success with this strategy.

  1. Focus on Your Target Audience

You know better than anybody else what type of candidates you need to find. There is no gray area as to who you are looking for. This should work in your favor, especially when using social media sites.

For example, you can use the LinkedIn search feature to find candidates that suit your exact job requirements. Maybe you are only interested in senior level managers. That’s easy enough. Or maybe you are only seeking workers in a particular area. Once again, you can narrow down your choices to ensure that you are only in touch with your target audience.

  1. Get Personal

As you get started with social media recruiting, you will spend most your time reviewing profiles and deciding who to put on your short list. There is nothing wrong with this approach, but there is something else to remember: it will only take you so far.

At some point, you need to get personal. And in the case of social media, this means making some type of direct contact.

Sticking with the LinkedIn example, get into the habit of sending personalized connection requests to candidates. This is the best way to start a conversation. Some people may be interested, while others are not. Even so, this gives you the opportunity to open the lines of communication.

LinkedIn also has a variety of recruiting tools to help your cause. Since this is the biggest and best professional network, since it is a platform for bringing professionals together, it is likely to be the first place you start.

For example, LinkedIn Recruiter is described by the company as follows:

“It’s easy to find the perfect hire with LinkedIn’s most powerful search tools at your fingertips – including guided search and advanced recruiting filters.”

Along with this, there are several other points of consideration, some of which are based on the fact that personal connections are of utmost importance:

  • Prioritize candidates who are most likely to engage.
  • Create a search based on your ideal candidate.
  • Track your team’s activity, including results.

The more candidates you find the greater chance there is that one will be the right fit for the job. But remember, unless you make a connection, you will continue to spin your wheels. The other party needs to know that you are interested, and it is your job to show them that.

  1. Interact First

Online Recruitment SoftwareDo you have your eyes on a particular candidate or candidates? Maybe you jump right into the action, reaching out and asking if they are interested in the open position. Or maybe you take a different approach.

By first interacting with a candidate, you can get a better idea of what they are all about. On Twitter, for instance, you could retweet one of their messages to open up a conversation. Or you could send a direct message to share a piece of your own content.

This type of interaction will open your eyes as to who the person really is. If you like what you see, you can then move on in hopes of eventually moving the person to the interview stage.

Push Forward by Answering these Questions

You now have a better idea of how you can use social media to find qualified candidates. But that doesn’t mean you are ready to go just yet. You should answer these 10 questions, as they will help you formulate the perfect strategy:

  • Are you active on social media?
  • Which social media platforms do you have a presence on?
  • Are you familiar with the finer details of each platform, including how it can be used for recruiting?
  • Have you made a list of the goals you want to achieve by recruiting on social media?
  • How much time have you spent on social media recruiting in the past?
  • How much time do you have to devote to social media recruiting?
  • Are you willing to spend any money to achieve your social recruiting goals?
  • Do you have an idea of what the ideal candidate looks like for each position you are hiring for?
  • What are the primary challenges of social recruiting in your industry?
  • How can you improve your chances of social recruiting success?

These questions are not always simple to answer, but the information you compile will go a long way in helping you better understand what social media recruiting has to offer, where you fit in, and how to ensure that you reach peak performance sooner rather than later. Peak performance is also achieved quicker when you use free online recruitment software. Keep reading to see how Recruiteze can help.

What Next?

The nice thing about social media recruiting is that it doesn’t take much time or money to get started. Sure, you need to be devoted to this strategy, but you don’t need thousands of dollars or a full day in order to get on the right path.

Here are some basic steps you can take to get started:

  • Choose social media as your primary recruiting method for one open position.
  • Focus on no more than three social networks at a time.
  • Don’t bite off more than you can chew, such as by reaching out to hundreds of potential candidates to start.

Just like most things in business, social media recruiting is a matter of trial and error. For example, you may have the most success with LinkedIn early on, while also learning that Twitter does not drive results.

As you find out what works and what doesn’t, you can adjust your strategy accordingly.

More from our guides on social recruiting:

Conclusion

Online Recruitment SoftwareRecruiters should always be looking for a competitive advantage. Along with this, it’s a must that you stay current with the latest trends. And social media definitely fits into this category.

When you use social media to your advantage, when it becomes a big part of your recruiting strategy, it can grow with you over each passing day.

Have you experimented with social recruiting in the past? Do you have anything else to add? Be sure to share your advice in the comment section below.

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