Do you need a big brand to successfully use Social Media for recruitment?

My job revolves around helping organistations streamline recruitment processes and get the most out of recruitment strategies. I am always reading about new ideas for attracting staff and through this I come across some interesting stories. 

One area that is of most interest to me through my own research is the increasing use of Social Media for recruitment. Social Media recruitment can be used effectively for either for ongoing recruitment or recruitment drives such as graduate programs.

For those who aren't already familiar, here are some interesting stats;

• LinkedIn has in excess of 3 million users in Australia and New Zealand and growing*
• 86% of Australian jobseekers are actively using social media*
• 8 million American credit Twitter as the source that led them to their current job*

These stats and figures sound good, my only concern is that it seems to be big business with big names that are getting the most out of Social Media.

Australia's largest telco, Telstra, has nearly 2400 followers for their Telstra Careers Facebook page. Unilever have over 80,000 followers for their global Facebook careers page. Considering their market positions and consumer numbers, these numbers could be a little modest.

So how can smaller businesses with smaller names in the market attract talent through Social Media?

Firstly it is important to address two key points;

1. Social Media is not free. To build pages on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook is no charge, but there is a time and resource investment required. You may also want to consider paid advertising with these mediums too.
2. What message are you looking to send with your social media strategy and who in particular do you want to target. LinkedIn and Facebook would target very different markets. More professional, highly skilled roles will be better placed on LinkedIn, while lower skilled/entry level roles will tend to work better with a dedicated Facebook page.

Now that we have addressed your key points;

Firstly be proud of your employment brand. It seems simple but like with selling anything, you need to really believe in your product otherwise people will see through you.

Ensure your profiles are well built targeting your audience. Your Social Media profiles lay the groundwork for the content you add later.

Ensure your profile includes;

• A brief rundown on your business including locations, staff numbers, products and services
• A history of who you are and where you have come from
• An outline for the future of the business (ie: what could a new employee be a part of)
• Employee benefits; ie: education, career progression, travel opportunities, salary etc.
• Some stories from your current staff. Remember the best advocates for your employment brand are your employees.

With a good profile getting prospective candidates interested in working for your company, it is now time to engage them. In any online environment – CONTENT IS KING.

What content can you use?

• Current jobs and opportunities within the group
• Photos and stories from staff events
• Stories and or surveys with current employees and why they love working for the business.
• Any news stories relevant to the business.

From here you are well positioned to use Social Media for ongoing recruitment and launch campaigns and recruitment drives with a strong online presence already in place.

I am keen to hear to hear more about businesses who successfully use social media as part of their recruitment strategy.  Feel free to share in the comments below.

*stats from jobvite.com