Social media has come a long way since the time of Tom being your only friend on Myspace. Today, we use platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to learn, discover, and even advance our careers.
With 79% of all applicants using social media during their job searches, these channels are a powerhouse tool for employers wanting to optimize their talent acquisition strategies. Not only can you use targeted campaigns to attract top talent in your area, but social media also enables you to engage passive job seekers, enhance your employer brand, and share why your current team members already love working for you.
To help you navigate this space effectively, we’re diving into five social media recruiting best practices you can’t afford to ignore. These strategies are proven ways to build stronger pipelines, boost engagement, and hire your dream applicant, who might just be scrolling through your content right now.
Your employer brand is essentially your reputation as a workplace. Candidates want to know not just what your company does, but why it’s a great place to work. And with 60% of candidates stating that how an employer represents its culture on social media influenced their decision to apply, your company must put its best foot forward on these platforms.
Start by sharing authentic stories about your employees, your culture, and your company values. Highlight day-in-the-life posts, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and team achievements. When candidates see real people thriving in your organization, they’re more likely to imagine themselves fitting in.
Visual content is particularly compelling here. Share images and videos that convey your business’s unique personality on Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn. Think photos from team events, short clips of employees sharing their career journey, or even spotlight stories featuring employees’ personal achievements.
Remember, consistency is key. A strong, consistent presence across platforms reinforces your employer brand and builds trust. Candidates are more likely to engage with and apply to companies that feel transparent, authentic, and appealing.
While organic posts are great for building culture and engagement, paid social campaigns allow you to reach the exact candidates you need fast. Social media platforms offer highly sophisticated targeting options, allowing you to zero in on precisely the type of talent you want and need.
LinkedIn is the go-to platform for professional recruiting, letting you target candidates by industry, job title, experience, and specific skills. Facebook and Instagram enable interest-based and location-based targeting, while geofencing allows you to reach candidates in specific geographic areas, making it ideal for local hiring drives.
Retargeting is another effective tool. Candidates who have visited your careers page or engaged with your posts can be served follow-up ads to keep your job opportunities top of mind. Paid campaigns can increase the likelihood of attracting qualified candidates who may not be actively seeking new opportunities but are still open to them.
When done right, targeted paid campaigns make your recruiting efforts more efficient, reduce cost per hire, and help you fill roles faster.
Your employees are your best brand ambassadors. When they share job openings or company content with their own networks, it instantly builds credibility, deepens candidate trust, and optimizes your talent branding strategy. Candidates are three times more likely to trust an employee over a CEO.
Encourage employee advocacy by creating shareable content, such as graphics, video clips, or stories highlighting your culture and open roles. Recognize and reward employees who actively participate; it doesn’t need to be complicated. Even simple shout-outs on internal communications or small incentives can go a long way.
Some companies take this a step further by creating ambassador programs, where select employees receive training and support to represent the company online. The result? Authentic content reaching a much wider audience than your corporate account could achieve on its own.
Not every candidate consumes content the same way, which is why it’s crucial to diversify your social media content formats. Different types of content can engage candidates at various stages of the recruiting funnel.
Short-form videos are extremely popular right now. TikTok or Instagram recruiting reels are ideal for quick glimpses into your company culture or “day in the life” snippets. Video testimonials from current employees can also resonate with potential candidates, providing an honest perspective on what it’s like to work at your organization.
Written content isn’t out of style either. Q&A sessions, blog posts, or LinkedIn articles that highlight career development opportunities, team achievements, or thought leadership can help attract candidates who are evaluating the company beyond the job description.
Content marketing for recruiting, such as blogs, thought leadership articles, or eBooks, can spark engagement, offer career guidance, and provide value to potential applicants. The key is to experiment and track what resonates most with your audience. Diversifying content not only keeps your social media feeds fresh but also ensures you’re connecting with candidates across different preferences and platforms.
This is one of the social media recruiting best practices you should never, ever ignore.
Social media recruiting isn’t a do-it-once and forget-about-it process. Establishing and continuously monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) is critical for measuring the effectiveness of your long-term efforts.
Common KPIs include engagement rates, click-through rates, application submissions, and cost per hire. For instance, if video posts are driving higher engagement but fewer applications, you might pair them with a stronger call-to-action directing viewers to apply.
Social media is constantly evolving, so your recruiting strategy should evolve accordingly. Continuously analyze performance data, test new content formats, and adjust targeting methods. The more you refine your approach, the better your ROI on social recruiting efforts will be, and the stronger your candidate pipeline becomes.
Social media recruiting is a crucial component of modern talent acquisition. By focusing on these five social media recruiting best practices, you can strengthen your employer brand, reach the right candidates faster, and engage talent in meaningful ways:
Ready to enhance your recruiting strategy with social media? ProIQ can help. Our expertise in digital talent advisory solutions ensures that your company not only reaches top talent but also converts them into loyal, high-performing employees. Start leveraging social media recruiting best practices today, and watch your candidate pipeline grow stronger than ever.