Everyone is spending more and more time on their smartphones these days, and social media is a key driver of this trend. It’s estimated that the average Facebook user spends over 2 hours a day on the platform, so it is certainly a good place to grab a candidate’s attention.
With such a captive audience available, it is imperative that staffing agencies utilize social media for recruitment, as well as marketing.
Read on to find out how recruitment agencies can use industry-specific social media strategies can connect recruiters and candidates.
Exploring the trend
With the exception of LinkedIn, it is safe to say that the majority of social media platforms were not created with recruitment in mind. However, Facebook and Instagram have become so omnipresent in people’s lives that they now have a role to play in the hiring process too.
Glassdoor statistics indicate that 4 out of 5 job seekers will utilize social media during their search, which could explain why 84% of organizations are already recruiting via social channels.
It appears to be a relatively successful method too. Recent research by The Harris Poll found that around 70% of the employers surveyed had experienced success when hiring through social media.
Even companies that choose not to actively recruit through social media will use it at some point during the recruitment process. In fact, the same survey discovered that two-thirds of employers will research candidate profiles on social media when considering them for a role.
Social media also acts as an effective channel of communication, giving agencies a quick route to connecting with potential candidates. At the same time, it can significantly boost online visibility, recognition, and trust – all of which are pivotal to driving revenue growth through the successful acquisition of new clients.
Every staffing and recruitment agency is unique and as such will require a tailor-made social media strategy that can be tweaked in line with a fluctuating labor market. The objective is to extend the agency’s reach while striking the right tone with their target audience – something that requires a great deal of thought.
Here are some top tips for building an up-to-date social media recruitment strategy that is both dynamic and efficient.
Find the right place to engage with your target audience
Being ‘active’ on all the major social media platforms does not guarantee success when it comes to connecting with candidates. A clear strategy is required in order to achieve high levels of engagement.
Firstly, recruitment agencies must understand their target demographics’ social media habits. From there, it is a case of creating relevant content and posting it on the appropriate platform. Each demographic uses social media differently – for example, two-thirds of 18 to 29-year-olds use Instagram regularly, compared to just 8% of people over the age of 65.
Market research is the best way to learn about target audiences – customer surveys and competitor analysis are among the most effective methods.
The multitude of data behind social media channels can provide valuable insights into audience age, gender, socioeconomic background, and more. This can be used to guide a social media strategy – for example, LinkedIn is likely to be a more effective channel from which to communicate with older professionals, whereas Instagram and Facebook will be the best place to connect with younger individuals on the lower rungs of the career ladder.
Mindscope’s analytics dashboard allows users to dive beneath the surface to assess the means by which candidates are being sourced (including social media). The ‘Candidates by Candidate Source’ report helps identify the most effective recruitment channels so that agencies can allocate resources accordingly and form strategies for the relevant platforms. With clear targets in place, it is much easier to come up with an authentic and engaging approach to candidate interaction.
Simplify the recruitment process
After discovering a staffing or recruitment agency through social media, candidates will generally head over to the relevant website or job board to find out more and apply for roles. A recent study by Indeed suggests that as many as 90% of qualified candidates are lost due to excessively complicated application processes – it is essential that recruiters keep things simple.
Mindscope’s marketing division has created an advanced job board that does exactly that. When applying via the Mindscope job board, a candidate’s information will be automatically parsed from their resume. This ensures that they don’t have to re-enter details that are already included on their resume – not only does this save valuable time, but it also keeps applicants engaged with the process.
Integrate with key social media platforms
Recruiters can boost the effectiveness of their social media channels by integrating them with the Mindscope applicant tracking system to connect front-end and back-end user experiences.
Through Mindscope’s Facebook Jobs integration, users are able to combine their existing candidate database with one of the largest candidate pools in the world. Recruiters can upload job postings directly to Facebook from their ATS dashboard, and when candidates apply for those positions through Facebook, their details are parsed into Mindscope to create a new candidate record, before immediately moving them into the hiring pipeline.
Mindscope can provide agencies with a comprehensive solution that unlocks the marketing and recruitment potential of social media platforms. For more information on how Mindscope’s recruiting software can transform your approach to staffing, get in touch.Â
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