There are many good reasons to employ a social media strategy to support a talent acquisition program. Although the above-referenced quote attributed to Willie Sutton is in dispute, he would understand this opportunity, as social media is where the people are. A lot of people are engaged on social media platforms, many of whom are searching for new career opportunities. This is especially true for LinkedIn. It is common to see messages from my LinkedIn network announcing job openings within their companies. Sometimes these messages appear to be coordinated through Human Resources, other times not so much. Likewise, job seekers are using LinkedIn to get their message out. Other social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter offer opportunities for recruiting activities as well. However, the most compelling reasons may be to maintain control of one’s brand message and competitive advantage.
In many ways, brands have little choice but to use social media for recruiting and selection purposes.
Their employees are already engaged over various platforms, especially LinkedIn, representing the brand one way or another without supervision or direction. Furthermore, the competition is probably using social media to recruit their employees. There is competitive pressure for employers to be active on social media to achieve their recruiting goals.
When a brand has established a viable social media strategy that is properly resourced, the team can formulate a plan to generate followers and keep them engaged. Some obvious ways to engage prospective employees may include:
- Company news: new products, promotions, new technology, etc.
- Industry news: what’s going on in the industry and how the company is adapting.
- Employee news: promotions, new corporate initiatives, training programs, benefits, other kinds of recognition.
- Messages from key executives about the health of the company and prospects for the future.
The whole point of a social media strategy is to engage customers who will purchase the company’s goods and services and potential employees who may want to join the team. The messages should be compelling enough to capture the interest of the followers. They must be posted with regular frequency to keep the followers engaged.
Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search
JimWeber@NewCenturyDynamics.com
Author of: Fighting Alligators: Job Search Strategy For The New Normal
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