A recent CareerBuilder study found that 43% of hiring managers have found something on a job applicant’s social media that caused them not to hire that applicant.
It’s an indication of just how important it is to use social media when you’re recruiting. You wouldn’t want to accidentally hire the next sorority letter girl (warning: language).
But aside from avoiding hiring a potential trainwreck, social media is vital to the recruiting process for other significant reasons. Here are four of them:
1. It increases the visibility of your job listing
With a job posting on social media, you can leverage the power of sharing. Your perfect applicant may not see your initial post, but perhaps her friend will. A like, retweet, or share could then put your position front and center for the exact people you want to hire. A suggestion from a close friend and acquaintance also carries more weight than a context-less job posting on a job board, which is great, free publicity for your opening.
According to a survey by Jobvite, recruiters found that social job postings were 51% more likely to generate employee referrals (and that candidates sourced from employee referrals were 64% more likely to be highest quality).
2. It allows you to get to know the candidate better
Tread lightly here, but a candidate’s social media profiles and how they interact on social media can tell you a lot more about them than a simple resume generally can. It may be a little creepy to stalk their Facebook profiles, but on a site like LinkedIn—designed explicitly for professional interactions—you can see more about their work experiences, specific skills they have, and professional interests. For instance, what groups are they part of? How much do they participate in conversations about their industry? Profiles like LinkedIn’s are a great way to see if a prospect’s experiences align with your business’s goals.
42% of recruiters have reconsidered a candidate based on what they saw in their social media profiles. These re-assessments have proven both positive and negative, and include such factors as professional experience, length of professional tenure, specific hard skills, and cultural fit.
3. It showcases your company to the prospect in more detail
A survey of top recruiters found that jobs posted to Facebook were 65% more likely to showcase the employer brand than those posted on traditional job boards or career sites (this number was 47% for Twitter).
Applicants are as likely to check out your social media profiles as you are of theirs. This means you have a great opportunity to show them a side of your organization they may not get from your official corporate website or press releases.
If your profile shares, not only the fun, new things your organization is doing, but also acts as a window into your culture, and showcases what things and skills your organization values, you have a much greater chance of attracting high-quality, best-fit applicants. This means you can’t go eight months without posting anything too! Try to keep your social media accounts fresh and active, and you’ll ensure a positive picture for future employees.
4. It’s easy to track the results
Tons of applicant tracking software solutions now have integrated social recruitment tracking functionality. This means it’s extremely easy for you to post job openings on social networks, find potential applicants, and track social referrals as well as applications made through social media. You’ll know exactly where applicants are coming from, and what source is bringing you the highest quality talent.
Have other reasons?
Did I leave anything out? Add other reasons social media recruiting is so important in the comments, below!
2 Comments
Jay Kuhns, SPHR
.: 4 Reasons You Need to Use #Social #Media … http://t.co/84fbqMHxPK by @rizzleJPizzle http://t.co/onDkMra1H4 #HealthcareHR
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