Everyone is using social media these days…

It’s a hugely important part of getting new business, engaging customers and increasing brand awareness.

And the recruitment sector is certainly no different.

In fact, 93% of recruiters (including ourselves) use social media sites, such as LinkedIn, Twitter and even Facebook to find and screen job candidates.

Why? We invited David Shindler, employability commentator, author and professional development coach to share his thoughts…

Be a Social Magnet To Attract Job Candidates

The day of the job advert in print media is going the way of the dinosaurs.

The Internet has been the equivalent of the comet that hit the earth billions of years ago.

It makes perfect sense today to use social media and online engagement tools for candidate attraction in a world of mobile distraction.

Here are 3 reasons for being a social magnet that can give employers a competitive advantage.

1. Faster recruitment

Technology is speeding up the recruitment process and helping employers to get an advantage in the so-called war on talent.

Julie Bishop of Jobhop is one of a new breed of recruiters who is evangelising the power of social – employers actively engaging with their candidate community, connecting with their potential employee market before they get job vacancies and before potential candidates want a job.

As she says:

“The fast rockstar employers have read the candidate’s online profiles, had a Skype chat and booked in an interview, not once did they ask for a CV. The fast rockstar employer knows that there’s no time for a CV, if they don’t act immediately then their competitor will.”

2. Increased engagement

Advertising vacancies through recruitment agencies and job boards is being supplemented by marketing through relationship building and brand awareness.

For example, PWC hold virtual events with a live chat facility, M&S are using Whats App to engage young people with their brand, and Lloyds Bank has an online career profiling game called Discover What Matters.

Great content allows employers to tell their story, create fans and build loyalty to engage potential candidates.

That content works best through the different online media used by job seekers via their mobiles – visual, aural and written (YouTube, podcasts, blogs etc).

3. Meeting candidate needs

Today’s graduates are interested in wellbeing and finding meaning through work.

Job candidates are increasingly going to be looking at potential employers and establishing the extent to which they provide a healthy environment where all employees are supported to develop and use their skills and abilities to their full potential.

The good researchers will look at retention rates and any published staff surveys. When choosing a particular employer, they may consider how much support it gives to its employees.

Young job seekers have no time for inauthentic rhetoric that doesn’t match the reality and attempts at spin.

Social responsibility matters as Volkswagen is finding out.

Employers exhort job seekers to do their research on them – so they better make sure their corporate brand aligns internally and externally.

Social has introduced greater transparency and access to knowledge for job hunters – just take a look at the employee reviews on Glassdoor for a wake up call.

Are you being social enough?

If you’re an employer reading this, it’s important to ask yourself…

Are you building a community of potential recruits through online engagement?

Could you be taking greater advantage of Social to attract your job candidates?

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Good luck being social!