#Hashtag Your Way To A Bigger Candidate Pool

As employer branding gurus, we know the importance of leaving our organization’s fingerprint on every piece of content we put out there. It’s pretty easy to do when you have a blog post (like this one), or a video full of branded images and messages to help get your company flavor across.

But what about on social media – where every character is counted against you?

Enter – the hashtag

 I‚Äôm sure by now we are all pretty well versed in the art of hashtagging for social posts. But just in case you came late to the party here is it:

“the pound sign (or hash) turns any word or group of words that directly follow it into a searchable link. This allows you to organize content and track discussion topics based on those keywords.”

So there you have it – random words with pound signs in front of them busting open the possibilities for audience reach.

Traditionally these “keywords” include common phrases, objects and feelings. But what if you could use this virtual branding tool to put your company’s stamp on your social media posts to attract actual candidates to your profiles?

Spoiler alert: you can – with an employer branded hashtag

Hashtags are one of the best ways to market your content to candidates.

 There is just one problem ‚Äì you don‚Äôt have one yet.

Lucky for you, this post is coming in hot with strategies to get your employer hashtag off the ground! Here are a few ways that you can come up with the perfect employer hashtag:

1. Play on your culture: This is a good time do a little self-reflection – what makes your company stand out? What is your company known for? Being authentic and original is one of the best ways boost your employer brand and come up with a hashtag.

   For example, at Kinetix it is no secret that our team loves music – Steven Tyler and ZZ Top are even featured on our “About Us” We like to celebrate our style so we took what rocks about our company and put it in one of our employer hashtags (#RPORockstars). Let potential candidates know who you are and what makes your company a great place to work.

2. Let your people pick: Looking for a fresh employee engagement activity? Ask for their help – no one knows what it’s like to work for your company better than your own employees!

   Ask your people to submit their ideas and put it to vote, this will give everyone a chance to show off their creativity. The big bonus? Your people will be more aware of the hashtag and will use it with pride.

3. Don’t stress over picking just one: Hashtags are like puppies – having more than one is never a problem. The best part about social media is that you can experiment with post engagement — allowing you to test the effectiveness of each hashtag.

   Maybe one employer hashtag is more appropriate for a post than another. Maybe both work great with a post! We like to use different hashtags for different occasions, like #BleedOrange or #KinetixCan. Mixing it up keeps your posts fresh and engaging for candidates.

All of these social savvy candidates are just waiting to be drawn in by something worth clicking on! Why shouldn’t it be your employer hashtag?

Got a great hashtag in mind already? We want to hear it – post yours in the comment section below!