In a very real sense, social media has changed the world (mostly for the better) in recent years. What began as a simple way for friends and family members to stay in touch over the internet and organise their media libraries in one convenient place, has morphed into a global market sector worth billions. YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are now household names across the globe, even amongst those who might not even own a computer! It’s also started to change the way companies hire their staff. All potential employees will doubtless have some kind of online presence and this is an incredibly useful tool for rooting out potential employees and expanding the profile of the company. Thousands of businesses across the world are using social media to hire new staff. Here we’ll explore how and why your company should be doing likewise.
The Pros
It has been proven that businesses which use social media experience a far less significant turnover of staff. This is primarily because social media networks allow companies to find staff members who are more suited to the job, not just professionally, but personally as well. Most of the top-tier companies are now using social media as their primary source for new employees as it not only works as a means for hiring new staff, but as an incredibly cost-effective marketing campaign. Whilst you’re looking for the best possible people, you can also use the time to expand your company’s brand and get your name out there. There is also the opportunity with social media to build a more tangible and emotional connection to your employees by building a more attractive and personable company brand. The most obvious boon however is the sheer reach you gain from using social media. Social media is fundamentally changing the way business gets done, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
The Cons
To be completely honest the cons are few and far between but they are there. The primary con of course is the potential for fraud. It is quite simple for an outside source to hack into potential staff members Facebook, Twitter or Linked In account and sabotage their personal information. The ‘casual’ nature of sites such as Facebook could also prove a liability as employees might think that their privacy is being ‘invaded’.
Perhaps the first social media site to exist primarily to create connections between employees and employers, having a Linked In profile is fast becoming an absolute necessity if you wish to be taken seriously in the business world. On your LinkedIn Page you can upload your CV, your previous jobs, interests, personal details and (perhaps most importantly) a list of skills that other members of the website can choose to ‘endorse’. For many companies and recruitment firms, Linked In endorsements are incredibly useful tools for gauging whether or not an applicant’s claims can be backed up by their fellow professionals.
Facebook/Twitter
The undisputed daddies of social media; more than 60% of recruiters now use Facebook and more than 50% use Twitter. Although Linked In dominates the social media market when it comes to recruitment, the fact that it’s specifically geared towards professionals means that its reach is rather limited. For example, at last count there were 225 million registered Linked In users but Facebook has a staggering 1.15 BILLION. Of course this is only an estimate. The figures are undeniably impressive though and of course Facebook cannot just be used for recruitment, but can be an invaluable tool in expanding your brand and audience awareness.
Top Tips
- Know your target audience and stick to it. Decide early on which social networking site best suits your needs and focus all of your energy on it. Being a ‘jack-of-all-trades” is not recommended.
- Be creative. Everyone and their dog will be using the same tactics so try to think outside the box.
- Always return messages. By having an open dialogue with your audience and potential employees, you’re encouraging growth and will come across as a ‘people focused’ company.
- Start early. Don’t delay and let your social media profile be the last thing you decide to focus on, if anything, it should be the first thing you focus on as it can be linked to all other aspects of your recruitment campaign.
This guest post was written by Crispin Jones. Before starting work with the team at www.depoel.co.uk, Crispin worked for several SME’s and has witnessed recruitment through social media at it’s finest, and at it’s worst. He actually found his current business partner through twitter, and would highly recommend for businesses who can’t afford administrative costs to give social media a go.