14th Jun 2011 - Using Social Media To Redefine Recruitment
Social media has taken hold of our everyday lives. The way we interact, who we interact with, what we communicate and who we communicate it to. In the last 10 years the impact of online recruitment advertising, from job boards to search marketing, has progressed significantly. Therefore it’s no surprise that social media has become a major factor in attracting candidates. Whilst some organisations are socially advanced, others are just starting out. If you’re doing things right in the first place you’ll have created a valuable network of industry followers, connections and contacts associated with your industry.
So what platforms are out there? Stacks, many of which are industry-specific but let’s focus on the obvious ones.
Twitter - can be used effectively to drive traffic to a specific location (linking to a campaign site, online application process, blog article, and job adverts).
LinkedIn - provides the opportunity to brand build, advertise, drive traffic and generate direct responses/inquiries.
Facebook - allows the opportunity to create a community and build awareness.
YouTube - provides the opportunity to create a visual experience whilst viral opportunities are also in abundance (you’ll need a pretty sharp mind or decent agency, though).
How do you measure success? We need to look further here than simply ‘did the vacancy get filled?’ If the recruitment activity has integrated within the wider strategy effectively you’ll have added to your network and strengthened your recruiting position for future needs. As with any online activity, reviewing statistics will help determine the success of the campaign and improvements for the future, so it’s worth considering the following measurements:
Output – What traffic, hits, likes and mentions were generated by the campaign?
Response – How many direct applications, tweets and re-tweets, referrals were made and who engaged with the brand?
Behaviour – What activity took place once you’d gained attention?
Sentiment – Was feedback posted that we can learn from, be it positive, neutral and negative?
Does this mean the end of recruitment agencies? Not for Ad Lib.
The industry has changed considerably through the rise of online job boards and social channels. Some people thought this was the answer to their prayers. However, new challenges emerged – not least the sheer increase in volume of candidate applications with little consideration to what they were applying for. And with hundreds of job boards touting for your advertising, knowing where to spend your money is not always an easy decision or guaranteed to return the results needed.
The social space has allowed us to engage deeper with the sector, and opened up opportunities and relationships that just wouldn’t have been feasible in a past life. It has also provided an amazing platform to develop our recruiting methods and services.
Social – we embrace you!
