Social Recruiting: Do’s and Don’ts with Chandlee Bryan

A 2012 survey produced by Jobvite says 92% of recruiters use social media to employ candidates. With many recruiters describing an increase in candidate quantity and a decrease in time to hire, it’s no wonder social recruiting’s popularity has steadily increased over the past couple of years. Guided by the expertise of Chandlee Bryan, co-author of The Twitter Job Search Guide, here are some do’s for social recruiting and managing social media. We'll be sharing the Don'ts tomorrow, so be sure to check back in!

Google your candidates

In the 2012 Jobvite survey, recruiters reported a greater satisfaction from candidates found through social media recruiting. This increase is largely due to the greater transparency social media provides. Bryan says, “Before social media, someone could apply for a job and then say he or she has a strong network, but there was no way to see it.” Now, it’s as easy as looking at someone’s LinkedIn page. Additionally, LinkedIn profiles will reflect whether a prospect is qualified, respected and has a passion for their work. 

Keep an engaged social media presence

Bryan describes the traditional job search process as similar to speed-dating. “You talk a couple times, an offer is extended, and all of a sudden you’re spending 40-50 hours a week with people you met just briefly.” With social media recruiting, there are many more possibilities for increased conversation and follow-up. You will be able to get to know candidates better before you hire them. Even if you aren’t actively recruiting, having strong social media engagement is important for customer service and brand image.

One example is Best Buy’s @twelpforce. Bryan says they were one of the first companies to recognize Twitter’s role in customer service. Right now they have over 3,000 employees who have answered complaints using the account. An active engagement such as this will pay out in greater recognition and positive reception of your company. It certainly wouldn’t hurt your ability to attract job-seekers either.

Know how to search

If you are looking to recruit passive candidates, it’s vital you know how to find the candidates you want. Take a look at similar job listings, figure out what the most essential key words are and find people whose profiles match. Job seekers can also use this to their advantage. “It is really important to have a sense of the words that employers are using to advertise their position when they try to recruit,” says Bryan.

Know the demographics of your audience

Research what social networking sites people in your industry use and focus your attention there. There are many ways to pinpoint this information; for example, Pinterest is composed of almost 80% women.

Manipulate the demographics of your audience

Measurements of overall social network usage can only go so far. It is also important to consider your own company’s following. One tip that Bryan gives is to create alternate accounts to target certain demographics. For example, “If you were looking to attract more recent graduates you might want to have a college account specifically on Twitter or in Pinterest where you specifically answer questions or engage people that are in the demographics that you want to reach out to.” However, be careful when dealing with protected class information.

Know your company goals

Not all companies need to put a ton of effort into social media, even while recruiting. Bryan says, “It depends a lot on what your company goal is. It might be that we need to hire more people so we need to have a Facebook account with general information but that’s all we really need.” On the other hand, if you are a startup or a business moving towards rapid growth, it’s definitely worth spending time on, especially if you want candidates to look highly upon your business.

Join us tomorrow for the Don'ts of social media recruiting!

Need help dealing with the logistics of social media? Seeking more professional development? OpenSesame provides a number of social media classes, with several for social recruiting specifically.

Chandlee Bryan is a co-author of The Twitter Job Search Guide and founder of Best Fit Forward, a career coaching service. She can be followed on Twitter (@chandlee). For more about Chandlee, please see her LinkedIn page.