Candidates are all around us. Passive or active, they’re all hiding out in the same place—social media.
Finding your ideal candidates on social media isn’t as hard as you’d think, it just takes a little bit of strategy, searching, and time a few days a week (or more frequent than that if you’re all in!)
We’re breaking down 20 ways to find candidates on social media based on each of the big 4 social giants out there. Next time you’re on the hunt talent, just follow these tips:
Twitter:
1. Search for candidates using keywords using the search bar function. Search “Marketing” or “Web Developer” or “Registered Nurse” to target your audience.
2. Research and reach out to 3 potential candidates a week on Twitter and start building a relationship with them. They may not be looking for a job at the moment, but when that time comes they will remember you and reach out to you.
3. Join Twitter chats where your target audience is hanging out, participate, and interact with chat members. You may find leads during the chat, and it’s a great time to share if you’re hiring for a certain position. For example, you could join #RNChat that is a Twitter chat dedicated to Registered Nurses. Even use that hashtag when you are posting your jobs on Twitter since it’s a pretty active hashtag. It’s a great way to search for referrals, too… This site is another good resource to find daily active Twitter chats and what time they are.
4. Twitter is all about interaction, so acknowledge people, tweet them, retweet them, show people you appreciate them. You’d be surprised how many people will remember you and become familiar with you through these interactions.
Instagram:
5. Of course, hashtags rule on Instagram. Search hashtags related to the position you’re hiring, and interact with the posts you see in that feed. Ex: #marketing #designjob #lawyer #accounting
6. Use hashtags on your own Instagram posts, like #Nursingjobs #[location]jobs #jobopening
7. Search hashtags like #jobtips, #employers, #interview, #training, #compensation, #hireme, #unemployed, #resume, #needajob, and #jobsearch. People who are actively looking for job leads on social may be using these hashtags to attract employers.
8. Post images on your own feed and use Instagram Stories to alert your community that you’re hiring.
9. Post a link in your Instagram bio that links to the job posting/application and put “Simply click the link in my bio to apply!” in your image caption
10. Make your Instagram bio work for you and share the positions you’re hiring for. An example bio could look like this:
NAME | Atlanta Recruiter | Now Hiring Web Developer, Graphic Designer, and Marketing Manager Positions! | Click link below to check out jobs + apply!
Facebook:
11. Join Facebook groups filled with potential candidates—but just join a few that you can dedicate your time to and be active in. You can search Facebook groups using keywords to find ones that are relevant to your audience. You can also search by location, so can really target where your candidates are.
12. Start your own Facebook group. Write in the group description what the group is about and what members can expect. Post relevant information, free advice, blog posts, but also keep recruiting and networking with potential candidates at the top of the list by sharing your open jobs.
13. Candidates are constantly perusing company pages on Facebook, so post pictures of employees, videos, culture, life at the company to really let them get a feel for what it’s like working there.
14. Keep your profiles, groups, and pages active. People trust brands more with they are active on Facebook and other social media sites. Having this activity and interaction with candidates gives you a strong competitive advantage than your competitor whose social media is a ghost town.
15. Schedule a live Facebook stream where you invite candidates to ask questions and you answer their questions live. Prove job search tips, insider culture information, etc.
Pinterest:
16. Create Pinterest graphics that link back to blog posts on your careers site. Getting your audience to go to your careers site (and apply!) is key.
17. Have a laser-focused Pinterest bio. Just like Instagram, you need to be descriptive in your Pinterest profile.
18. Join group boards and pin your blog graphics in those groups. Make sure ALL of your pins lead back to a post on your careers site or your company blog that relates to potential candidates. You can find group boards to join here.
19. Brand your pins so they align with the company, have a cohesive look, and that candidates will know “Oh, that’s a pin from XX company!” And they’ll begin associating the brand, with the content, and the jobs, and will learn what to expect from your posts.
20. Pinterest has powerful search capabilities, so you can search keywords that will populate pins containing those words. You can then interact with those pinners by liking, repinning, or even sending them a direct message! Dare to be bold.