Social Recruiting – What You Need To Know

Buzz buzz buzz – Social Recruiting is all the buzz.

But is it more than a fashion trend to catch your attention? Will it really help you to hire? What do you really need to know about social recruiting?

 

So what is social recruiting?

 

It’s called having a conversation –

 

Social recruiting has been around since before there was a term called social recruiting. It’s basic human nature to talk about opportunities to your friends and people you like. And there’s an obvious head start in terms of cultural fit if you are reaching like-minded people through your network, so yes, social recruiting is an important way to acquire new talent.

 

Sometimes offering an incentive –

 

But let’s face it, those conversations often take a back seat to discussions about life, the family, football, politics, the weekend plans. And so the referral bonus was invented to incentivize employees to be thinking about who they know who would be a good fit within the company, to have these conversations with the people they know, and to network with the goal of finding new hires.

 

A new opportunity –

 

Referrals are a good approach, but this still only brings in a small percent of the talent companies need. With the formidable business opportunities presented by the information superhighway, the next iteration of social recruiting was to take the referral program on the road. Internal and external recruiting professionals embraced social media and voila, the term “Social Recruiting” was born.

 

What does social recruiting mean for your hiring needs?

 

It’s just marketing and networking –

 

Just like when marketing any product or service, the more channels you have to spread the word, the better. And with every marketing effort there is an analysis of return on investment. Social channels are an amplifier of your marketing just as they are an amplifier of your recruiting and networking efforts.

 

But it’s a great tool –

 

Branding the company has long been a sales & marketing strategy, and it certainly applies to recruiting. Presenting an employer brand is an amazing way to attract talent and importantly to attract the kind of people who will fit well in the company culture. Social recruiting taps social media and more widely online marketing efforts to get your company and its employment opportunities in front of more people, and cultivate professional relationships with passive and active candidates.

 

But is it a good hiring tool?

 

Social recruiting is the practice of using social media or networks to attract, source, engage with candidates. The end goal is of course to hire talent. As part of the larger marketing and branding efforts, social recruiting is an important part of attracting the largest pool of qualified candidates who will fit well in your company. As an amplifier of marketing and branding efforts it is pretty hard to beat for the investment required, the costs being fairly low, the reach being very extensive, and the timeliness offering the possibility of being immediate.

 

So what do you really need to know?

 

It’s buzzy –

 

Social recruiting is just a buzzy way to highlight that your brand can be marketed across social media to leverage your recruiting efforts.

 

It’s marketing & networking –

 

Buzzy or not, someone in the recruiting department ought to be doing it. And better yet, your marketing department should be coordinating with HR to build your brand in the eyes not only of customers but of future employees as well. It is an ideal venue for spreading marketing messages that promote the company’s culture, work/life balance, and unique opportunities that attract talent.

 

It’s not the end-all –

 

Social recruiting is not a replacement for your internal or external recruiter. It doesn’t do way with job boards. It isn’t plug and play, there’s a driver or drivers putting in the time and thought to make it happen. It isn’t a one-time effort only brought out on the day you decide to hire. It is not a be-all and end-all for hiring.

 

It’s an important tool –

 

It is an amazing and efficient tool that allows your company to build a strong image of your company, create a pipeline or pool of candidates who know and appreciate your company. Social recruiting amplifies your brand ambassadors/recruiters reach and effectiveness.

 

Want to know more – ask us!

About the Author:
Anna Mathieu, Marketing Communications Manager, brings together in-the-trenches recruiting experience as well as years of marketing and sales success in a variety of industries from software to real estate development. She thrives on evangelizing the Redfish brand and communicating Redfish’s expert recruiting services, to drive bottom line results.

 

Redfish Technology – www.redfishtech.com
Building Growth-Mode Tech Companies with Hand-Picked Talent

Founded in Silicon Valley in 1996, Redfish Technology is a leading provider of high tech professional and executive talent. Partnering with growth mode companies, small and large, Redfish staffs executive functions and builds out the teams below. Redfish experts provide advice and perspective on hiring, career building, and job search – check us out on the web.