How to Attract top Talent via Social Media

---

You might be the best manager in the world but you are only as good as the talent you have working for you.

Where do you find it and how do you keep it?

With social media becoming mainstream in our lives, many companies have also leveraged on and integrated the use of social media in recruitment. Using video technology to interview a candidate for a job halfway around the world, trawling Linkedin and other job search portals for suitable candidates and promoting job openings on all social channels are some ways that organisations are using social media to recruit. No two companies are the same when it comes to social media because social media is people based. While there are success stories, advice and guidelines on hiring and attracting top talent online, there are also horror stories prevalent across the Internet, leaving recruiters worried about whether they are doing it right online.

Here are our tips on how to recruit, engage and hire top talent via social media:

1. Use Linkedin to source for candidates

70 percent of hiring managers say that they have successfully hired using social media.

First, ensure that you have a current and appealing Linkedin page. For organisations to make the most out of this social platform, you will need a big network of connections, hence it is always important to connect with prospective candidates and clients in your industry or sector. Connect with everyone you talk to, meet and exchange emails with. A good company profile allow you to add content that other working professionals might find helpful and you can also advertise job openings available on it too. You may also wish to create showcase pages highlighting your areas of expertise, services and products. These will boost posting of updates about your company.

 2. Creating a Facebook Company Page

It is a good platform to showcase your company culture. Update people with news about your company, share content, allow your employees to contribute content and give others a chance to engage with your organization. Potential employees wants to know what working at your organization is like, so having your employees contribute to the page gives them a glimpse of office interactions from their perspective. Start by adding a good cover picture, with a phone number and a short description about the company. Complete the “About” section thoroughly with information on the products and services your company provides. Share image-based, video-based and text-based content regularly – at least twice a week and assign someone to monitor the page so that you can respond to comments as soon as possible.

 3. Twitter

The secret of using Twitter for recruiting is to grow your followers. Post relevant content everyday for your target audience with the addition of appropriate hashtags to increase organic traffic. Follow people in your target audience and they will likely check out your bio to see who you are. If your bio looks interesting to them and your tweets are relevant, they will likely follow you back. Retweet and ‘favorite’ people’s tweets several times and you will get their attention to check out your bio. Engage people in conversation by @replying to tweets. This will also make people curious about who you are and what you do. You goal is to spark engagement, so use #hashtags to group similar content and attract people to it. Try posting your own content and also share industry news alongside posting job vacancies on Twitter.

 4. Youtube

Youtube might not be the first thing that comes to mind as a tool for recruitment. However, Youtube ranks behind Facebook and Google and is the second largest search engine online. Using videos is a good way to tap into the massive online audience. Youtube videos can be used to showcase your company culture, display employee’s testimonials and build up your brand. Create an introductory video of less than a minute to introduce your video channel to new visitors. Most candidates would rather view a 2 minute video about “a day in the life of an employee” compared to an ‘about us’ page as people can understand what working in your organization is like and get a glimpse of the personality of your workplace. Creative hiring campaigns have also involved showcasing awards, employees achievements and perks and benefits of working at the organization. Make sure you have a link to your Youtube channel on your website, career portal, blog and other marketing collaterals.

 5. Instagram

Instagram is a huge visual display of quality photo-sharing and is a good platform to build and develop your company brand. Post pictures of your team. Tell the world who the people are who helped to make your company successful! Capture the serious side of the everyday job and also show the fun side of your employees too. Snap pictures of company events (Taco Tuesdays?), your awesome communal area and other pictures to give an idea of the type of company culture at your workplace. If you have a company mascot, you could also use it to emphasise your product and gradually allow your audience to identify your brand and build connections with it. Instagram is also a good platform to post inspirational quotes which are popular and inspirational to the masses.

CONCLUSION:

Now it’s time to say goodbye and wrap up your post. Remind your readers of your key takeaway, reiterate what your readers need to do to get the desired result, and ask a question about how they see the topic to encourage comments and conversation. Don't forget to add a Call-to-Action!

Congratulations! What a lovely image post you've created.