Social Media Recruitment: How to Implement It, What Are the Advantages and Best Methods

What would you do with an extra hour of work time? If you ask recruiters, the answer in over 30 percent of cases is "active sourcing" – a key aspect social recruiting.

This discipline is already highly valued in HR marketing. Find out in this article what benefits and challenges await you in social media recruiting and the best ways to implement it.

In social recruiting, social networks are used to find suitable candidates for a company. Recruitment on social media channels is part of HR marketing.

Why is recruiting via social media so important?

On a scale of 1 to 10, how easy is it for your company to find a suitable candidate? 10 would be ideal, but the days when you can pick one out of five suitable applicants are unfortunately over.

This makes it all the more important to change the face of recruitment. Social recruiting and active sourcing are a promising part of this. This is also shown by the Social Recruiting and Active Sourcing Study from 2020, in which the top 1,000 companies from Germany were surveyed on this topic.

Key findings include:

• Career networks, along with job boards and search engines, are among the top three channels candidates use to search for jobs.
• One in every two candidates use career networks to be found by companies.
• Two out of ten candidates have changed jobs because a company approached them directly, even though they were not actively looking for a job.

In social recruiting, you can focus on one of the following three methods. A combination of all of them can also be powerful!

For example, directly approached candidates can then get a quick picture of your company if you also use social networks for employer branding.

Job postings and career pages

With social media channels, companies are able to reach a larger audience for their job advertisements. This is done by posting job ads on social networks, linking to them, or creating entire career pages.

Since social media allows you to zero in on candidates via targeting options, job ads can also be advertised or published as part of paid campaigns.

Interested candidates thus become aware of the job posting and can apply.

Employer branding

Another method of social media recruiting is employer branding. Here, a brand as an employer is built up around the company and communicated. The goal is to show how attractive the company is so that candidates will want to apply and work there.

Social networks are very suitable for employer branding. For example, entire teams can be presented and insights into everyday working life can be provided. And don't forget that employee advocacy (where employees share news about a company on their social network) is also a form of employer branding!

Active sourcing

Active sourcing is a relatively new form of recruiting. Here, the company does not wait for applications from suitable candidates, but sets out on its own search. The main advantage is that candidates are "sourced" even though they may not be actively looking for a new job.

The first step is to identify qualified candidates. This requires data, which is available primarily on social media platforms. AI is also used here to optimize sourcing.

Subsequently, selected candidates must be contacted. The winning approach here is to study the candidate's profile and choose a personalized approach.

Social recruiting is not an easy game, but it can be enormously beneficial.

Advantages

Do these advantages make social recruiting attractive for your company?

Proximity to the target group: You reach your target group in a place where they like to be and in their free time.

Accurate targeting: Less "wasted" candidates reduce your recruitment costs. Social media platforms allow for a targeted approach.

Reaching younger candidates: With social media recruiting, you can reach Generation Z where they're most active.

Measurability: How successful is this type of recruiting? You can determine that very accurately with analytics.

High reach: With social media recruiting, you increase your reach.

As a social media recruiter, you face some challenges. This is what is required of HR management:

Know your target group: What does your target group expect and accept on X social platform(s)? What are no-gos that could leave a negative impression?

Effective communication: Creativity, personality and speed are required. How can you stand out and be noticed?

Cross-departmental measures: Social media counts as marketing and PR. Can you coordinate well enough to give HR space on these channels?

Growing competition: The competition never sleeps. You're not the only one vying for candidates. If you want to succeed, you'll need to stand out from the crowd.

Continuity: Employer branding must have a hand and a foot. Continuity pays off, creates trust, and helps you stay true to your mission and values in the long run. Pro tip: always keep your profiles up to date.

These methods for employee recrutment will help you stand out from the crowd.

In addition to a clear strategy, defined processes, areas of responsibility, and how to communicate on social platforms, these tips will help you with social media recruiting.

Knowledge pays off

Don't just post your job advertisements. Be sure to promote them to achieve greater reach.

Make it personal

Employer branding doesn't necessarily mean you have to post glossy posters of smiling employees at work. Such images can also come across as distant.

**Give insights in video format as well. Show what a typical workday looks like, conduct an interview, or introduce entire teams.

Quality over quantity

In social recruiting, don't forget that candidates often receive a lot of requests. Many are already annoyed by irrelevant inquiries. Therefore, show that you have studied the candidate's profile and make the direct approach as individual as possible.

Make sure that your message:

• Is of interest to the candidate.
• Matches the candidate's skills.
• Has a personalized touch that is obvious to the candidate.

Take a quality over quantity approach to active sourcing.

The best talents are not always actively looking for a job. With social recruiting, you can still reach them and win them over with the right approach. Social recruiting also pays off for your image as an employer and gives you greater reach.

Successful social recruiting also works on platforms you may not be familiar with.

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