Social Media

5.1 Different platforms have different audiences and are geared to different types of interaction. The first step is therefore to research which channel fits your target audience(s); put simply – who are you are trying to reach, where do they visit and how do they engage with. Start small and build a presence. At a minimum build a company page. With the rise of job sites which encourage feedback and engagement, (for example, Glassdoor), it becomes more important to have a positive presence and the facility to respond to any criticism. Millennials especially, are most likely to research potential employers through social media.

5.2 Different social media is considered below. They are powerful tools and it is worth emphasising:

Don’t try to use all the popular tools that are available. It is just not necessary, and it is better to focus on those that best fit your organisation.

Don’t start to use social media if you cannot give it on-going attention. It’s great to capture people’s interest but they will notice if the communications stop and will form judgments.

Don’t publish in haste, everything has the potential to be scrutinised, shared or held against you. If in doubt hold back.

Key sites

Facebook 

Facebook has the largest reach of all social media platforms. It has a broad demographic, although its primary use is for social interaction. You may have a company site, but this needs to be expanded to include employer branding specifically. Your ‘wall’ should be full of content, (news features, stories), and you must regularly post images and updates. If possible, video adds richness. An option is set up Facebook live sessions and closed groups which allow you to reach key audiences and to interact directly with them.

LinkedIn 

LinkedIn is aimed at professionals and is geared to work related interaction. Create a company page to showcase your brand; the organisation, its values and culture. Add news, blogs etc to your page to create richness. There is freedom to customise the company page and there are plenty of tools to assist in developing high quality content and to develop a careers section. Adverts can be produced and targeted to key audiences. Encourage your employees to have their own pages that tie in with brand messages and assist them to ensure consistency and high-quality content.

Twitter 

Twitter is a conversation tool and its use for recruitment needs to be considered in this context. Because it is an open platform, the potential audience reach is uncapped and largely unmanageable. It is most powerful if you research how best to hit the target audience and use hashtags effectively; there are tools which help with this. Create links to other social media and your own website. Then write content which is engaging and relevant; including, organisation culture, information and news items. It is not advisable to simply advertise vacancies. To work effectively you need to be set up to respond to tweets and to regularly post content – it is a conversation after all. Do not under-estimate the demands that this may create. Old tweets just do not work and may say something about the organisation that you would not choose. Twitter also provide some analytics which can help you track how successful you are.

YouTube 

The popularity of home-made video seems relentless and tends to appear high up in search engine results. To make best use of, will need some investment of time if not money; creating a company channel on YouTube and investing in solid video content. A spotlight on working for an organisation is a good way of providing realistic expectations, highlighting organisational culture and values. Big budget productions are not the essence of the channel so there is no need to invest heavily; home-made can appear more authentic.

Google+

Is emerging as a route for recruitment and engagement but as yet for niche markets due to user uptake. It will work well for the passive market. An advantage for its use is that it will improve your search results in Google.

Others; Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest

Some large companies are using these other platforms to promote their organisational culture. Some have been used innovatively, for example using Snapchat to get candidates to produce a short video to accompany a CV. They offer opportunities to be creative and fit well where innovation is a strong characteristic within an organisation but, as yet, do generally not form part of a core employer branding roll-out. New and interesting developments are emerging all the time. For example, PathMotion, offers a platform that enables candidates to learn about employers by talking directly to their staff in a private forum. It is a great way for applicants to self-select whether the organisation is right for them. Not every development will fit every organisation, but it is important to be open to new opportunities.

5.3 Employee storytelling is more authentic and engaging for many social media users. Consider your employees as “brand ambassadors” who can generate content on social media. Consider developing internal programs that encourage employees to share their knowledge and expertise in online communities where you recruit. By increasing their visibility in certain professional circles and establishing themselves as experts in those communities, your employees can expand their own professional networks while helping you identify and attract talented prospects.

4.6 Job Sites

6.1 There are thousands of job sites. These can be:

Job boards, that restrict searchable opportunities to that board.

Others, that enable the reader to search many job board, career sites etc. Some, such as Indeed and Glassdoor allow members to see company-specific ratings and reviews.

Those attached to an organisation or professional body that allows recruiters to target a niche audience. These may be useful when trying to reach a passive audience who may look through current opportunities whilst using the site for another purpose.

6.2 The choice of a job site needs to deal with practical issues; cost, applicant reach and reliability of the functionality. You should also consider; what the choice says about your organisation and the ability to shape the content to reinforce your brand values. For example, career pages attached to professional associations may offer a great opportunity to showcase your organisation, reach hard to fill applicants and post employee video. Have a conversation with website owners and explore what is possible.