Social media is everywhere these days, and can seemingly be put to any use. Sometimes, however, it’s not intuitive what exactly that use is – especially when it comes to finding candidates for a new position at your company. Moreover, while social media can bring a wealth of benefits to the candidate search, especially if you are looking for someone to fill a very specific role, it’s not always easy to use.Never fear, though. We’re here with some best practices for using social media as a recruitment strategy. We’ll discuss both the dos and don’ts of relying on social for finding employees, so you can confidently do so (and don’t so, if you see what we mean) in the future.

DO Leverage the Power of Social Media

First and foremost, do use social media in addition to internal hiring and job boards. Many hiring managers are intimidated by social media or don’t want to break away from old patterns, but that’s a mistake. More and more candidates are searching through social, especially as job boards become saturated and unreliable. If you want to find great employees that are a good fit for your company, ignoring social is a bad move.

DON’T Confuse the Use of Various Platforms

All social is not created equal. LinkedIn is your best tool for finding specific candidates, while Facebook is excellent for getting the word out and getting referrals, as its users love to comment. Twitter is best for building an audience and earning devoted followers who will pay attention to job postings, while Instagram is ideal for cultivating employer brand, but not so much for posting jobs. Know the difference, or you might waste time and alienate your audience.

DO Craft Messages That Appeal to Passive Candidates

When you only target job seekers NOW, you exclude one very important audience: passive candidates. This is a detriment to your company, since passive candidates represent some of the top talent you’re likely to find. You can tell, because they’re employed; someone already wants them. Make your ads gentler, and be open to getting a better candidate even if it means waiting a few more months to wrap up their affairs. You might be surprised by who applies if you take this approach.

DON’T Flood Your Channels with Advertisements

Yes, it is okay (advisable, even) to advertise your job openings on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. However, those ads must be targeted, otherwise you’re essentially spamming your followers, which is less likely to lead to applications and more likely to earn you unfollows. Instead, spend enough time cultivating your feeds to know who your audience is. Then use advertising sparingly, targeting an audience detailed enough that only the likeliest audience will see it.

DO Use LinkedIn Correctly

LinkedIn can quickly become overwhelming and stop paying dividends if you don’t use it right. It’s not for placing all your job postings or ads; it’s for running advanced searches on candidates to target them by position, geography, experience, and education. Use it accordingly.Using social media to any purpose can be counterintuitive, difficult, and demanding. However, as with everything else, it becomes much easier once you put systems in place. Follow these tips, and you’ll have a better chance designing a social media approach that works.

Are you an Employer?Request Talent

Are you a Job Seeker?Apply

Questions? We're here to help.

• Explore our Resource Center
• Learn how we help job seekers
• Find an office near you
• Download: Employer Recruiting How-To Guide
• Download: Talent Interview Prep Guide