2021 undoubtedly presents itself as a talent short market, and with many businesses offering similar benefits, flexible working arrangements and salaries, these businesses have to be strategic to attract top talent. One such underutilised tool is the effective use of social media. So, what can employers do to utilise social media to attract talent to their organisation?
Build an online presence for your business and stay active
To get the most out of your social media, you need to build an online presence and stay active with your posts. Social media is a hungry beast! Inactivity is more harmful than having no account at all, so it’s worthwhile to have a long term plan that is regularly monitored and evaluated. You want to ensure the information you are posting is consistent, shares a uniform message and properly represents the organisation’s values. It is important that prospective employees view the organisation in the best possible way. This may be done by continuously circling back to the organisations ‘why’.
Share behind the scenes information and highlight your business’ culture
When job seekers are looking to move from one employer to another, ideally they want to have an understanding of the organisation’s culture. Social media is a great tool to give job seekers a ‘behind the scenes’ look into your business through various media such as blog posts, podcasts or videos. Also, publishing events such as celebrating employee birthdays, award’s nights, work anniversaries or team building days, can showcase what your business has to offer. An organisation’s culture is a powerful determinant in an employee’s decision to remain or leave the organisation.
Involve your current employees to widen your reach
In 2021, the majority of your organisation’s workforce would have an account on at least one social media platform. Encourage your staff to share current vacancies on their personal social media accounts. This will not only widen the reach of your social media presence but will provide you with the opportunity to access a quality calibre of referrals and your employee’s will have a sense of engagement, as a bonus!
Engage prospective candidates through video
One of the most effective tools on social media and underutilised in a professional context is video. The use of video can give prospective employees an authentic view of your business. There are many creative ways you can engage prospective employees with video, such as interviewing current employees about their experience working for you, highlight a current vacancy you have or even livestream an event from your office. If you decide to use video as a marketing tool, it may help to focus on a ‘day in the life’ of your business, so that job seekers have an understanding of the culture. Your content will become more engaging and offer a ‘real life’ insight into what it is like to work with you. This will not only help you stand out from the crowd, but will increase the prospects of attracting a job seeker with who can best fit your working culture.
Respond to comments and messages
Timely, concise and honest responses to comments and messages received through social media make a good impression on customers and potential employees. Interaction and engagement are key to social media performance; a two-way flow of conversation can provide a sense of approachability. This can be an important factor in an organisation’s efforts to recruit using social media.
