Social HR: How To Use Social Media To Hire Talent

Did you know that a staggering half of all HR professionals plan to introduce virtual and social media-powered recruitment methods in 2023? 

(Image Source: Content Stadium)

As we push towards a new era of remote hiring, virtual onboarding and digital resumes, it’s only natural that both recruiters and job seekers have moved into an online realm when it comes to hiring. From LinkedIn’s digital CVs to #CareerTok, the options for recruitment have opened up on a number of social platforms since Covid-19.

In fact, nine in ten brands now utilise at least one form of social media to increase their recruitment engagement and promote career opportunities. 

Stick with us as we jump into a future of social media-powered HR and discuss some of the key benefits of social hiring in 2023. 

A Push For Social Hiring

In 2023 a business can source, approach and even hire a recruit completely through the realms of social media. With over 96% of job seekers using social media to conduct job searches, it’s no wonder that HR teams are jumping on board.

Not only is a job seeker's social page an accurate reflection of their character, but on a number of visually-powered platforms like TikTok, brands actively get a snippet of what a potential recruit can do.

In fact, in some industries, such as the media, TikTok-based resumes are even preferred, as a candidate can show off their editing skills and creative ideas with ease. 

Better still, social media recruitment is completely free. Unless you’re investing in paid campaigns, posting a job ad on a social feed costs nothing and can often reach a global pool of potential talent when done correctly. 

Let’s delve deeper into some of the key benefits of social-powered hiring.

Advertising Company Culture

Did you know that company culture is what attracts the top 20% of talent in an industry? The better your company culture, the more recruits you’ll have lined up. This is where social media comes in. Using your platform to promote your own company culture is a great way to show potential job seekers what they could experience if they joined your team.

“Employees today want realistic previews of the workforce filled with employee pros and cons. Smaller companies need to emphasize what makes them the most attractive option. Typically this is shown within their organizational culture,” says Nakisha Griffin, CEO of Neustar Security Services. “I encourage a work environment that is transparent on social media and showcases employees' voices about a multitude of topics.”

Sharing images, videos and events that promote your business as a positive place to work could be the difference between receiving ten applications and a hundred. Better still, if you choose to create a website for your company’s career program, it’s easy to insert social media snippets and links to your many platforms for increased engagement all around. 

A Global Playing Field 

Social media recruiting opens your position up to a global playing field. Just about every person in the world interacts with some form of social media, making it the best platform to garner attention, especially in the business world.

Whether you start your recruitment journey on LinkedIn or Twitter, the key here is to consider the platform your talent is most likely to engage with. For corporate business roles, this could be LinkedIn, however, for creative marketing roles, this platform could be TikTok. 

“Utilise all social media foundations, including Facebook. It's a great tool because a lot of companies do not recruit prospective employees from social media platforms like that one,” states JB Martin’s Melissa Bolton. “LinkedIn is great, and Indeed is okay, but if you are looking for a lower-skilled employee, Facebook is the key. That share button that people use is amazing. Trust me, you will get ample resumes that way.”

Take the company Verizon as an example of a business using Facebook as a hiring platform. Creating dedicated Facebook Career pages, the company have created a space to post reviews, visuals and job postings for an online audience of over 218,000.

(Image Source: Verizon Careers)

Verizon is one of many companies joining a growing trend on Facebook. Dedicated career pages such as Verizon Careers take advantage of Facebook’s page management tools to post jobs and share information about their company culture. Facebook pages include areas for reviews, photos, videos and more which Verizon makes the most of for its audience of 218,000.

The Magic Of Visuals

Social media prides itself on being a visual haven. Packed full of 15-second skit videos, high-quality photography and AR-powered filters, there’s plenty of room for HR teams to leverage some of the social’s visual success.

“The more you share, the more opportunities there are to get prospective talent excited about the firm. Also, visuals are key, so any opportunity to share photos should be used,” says the CEO of G/O Media, Angela Persaud. “If you state that your company practices diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) or that supporting your local community is a priority, the proof is in the pudding. Pictures from your last DEI or community event can go a long way.” 

Visuals can also be used to provide a more authentic and transparent view of your current business practices. Posting engaging videos, for example, could help demonstrate to a candidate what their role in your company would look like and help promote your brand.

Take Disney, for example. They have dedicated a large section of their YouTube channel purely to posting video content about their career opportunities.

(Image Source: Disney Careers)

From interviewing current employees to diving deeper into the offices, studios and parks new recruits could enjoy, it’s no surprise that their talent pool continues to grow.  

Giving Employees A Voice

Last but not least, social media gives employees the opportunity to have a voice within the company too. Not only are they able to get involved with company social pages, but they can also interact and share content on their own social feeds too.

“People trust people more than they trust organizations. For that reason, showcasing employee storytelling and recognizing employees via social media is incredibly powerful. Not only does it lend credibility to the messaging that is being put out, but employee content also generates more shares and engagement externally. Plus, when you feature employees, you boost internal pride and engagement as well.” says the CEO of Blu Ivy Group, Nicole Fernandes. 

Referral programs have also risen in popularity too in the last few years and have quickly found their way onto social media. In fact, 71% of current workers were more likely to share job openings via their social media platforms in 2021, compared to just half before Covid-19’s digital shift.

What’s Next? 

From TikTok Career pages to company culture posts, promoting your company in a social realm is a great way to garner engagement, raise interest and demonstrate what a recruit’s new working environment could look like if they hopped on board. 

As we step into a digital era of HR recruitment, one thing is for sure. Social media will be at the forefront of the industry’s evolution.