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How to Use Social Media to Engage Current and Future Employees

Pretty young girl holding a phone with social media icons in abstract cloud

From being used as a marketing tool to assisting with customer support, businesses can use social media in many helpful ways. It is arguably one of the best tools for a company in this digital age! But if your organization is only using social media to connect and communicate with clients, you're just scratching the surface. Social media can also be used to communicate with current and future employees effectively.

While face-to-face conversations, e-mail, and phone/video calls will most likely never go out of style, using social media as a professional means of communication is certainly on the rise. Though some people may discount using social media to communicate due to its informality, that's actually one of the reasons so many others gravitate toward it. Additionally, using social media to communicate is often the fastest and most convenient option.

For these reasons, there is no denying that social media holds great power. Whether you're trying to recruit future employees or trying to keep up with current employees, it would be a mistake not to harness the power of social media to communicate with both audiences.

 

Social Media for Recruiting Future Employees 

You may think all social media is good for is mindless scrolling, but as the line between our work lives and personal lives continues to blur, there are more and more opportunities to leverage the power of social media in your business.

In fact, your business' social media presence alone has the power to either attract employees or send them running. Karolina Piwiec of Devskiller reports that 62% of job-seekers turn to social media to help them evaluate a company's employer brand prior to accepting any job offer.

To help boost your employer branding, Shahid Nazimi of Human Resource Executive suggests that employers should consider spending time on LinkedIn, using Facebook Live Video, and encouraging Instagram takeovers. Because every business is different, there is no one social media strategy that will work for everyone.

Just because Netflix and General Electric have successful employer branding strategies using certain social media platforms in a particular way, it doesn't mean you should simply copy these brands or their strategies. Nazimi advises figuring out what platform and content best fits your business's brand, goals, and candidate criteria.

 

Tips for Using Social Media to Recruit

No matter which platforms you decide are the best fit for your business; there are some general tips for recruiting future employees via social media. Social media can be used to help you find prospective employees, so make sure you're using it to show off what your business is all about. Always keep this question in mind: Why should someone want to work here?

For example, you could post a fun photo taken at a recent team outing showing what activities took place. Don't miss a chance to share your company culture. Or, using Instagram takeovers, you can let current employees share what it's like to work at the company in a relatable, authentic way. Potential job candidates will be interested in a behind-the-scenes look, which social media can provide.

Nazimi notes another way to use social media to communicate with future employees is through Facebook Live Video. Facebook Live allows companies to delve deep into a single topic and share their knowledge about it with their followers. Consider focusing on areas that will be the most relevant and interesting to future employees. Incorporating this social media strategy into your organization could be game-changing when it comes to attracting strong candidates for high-demand jobs.

Furthermore, Facebook Live can be used to highlight notable things like the company's comprehensive benefits package. You can also touch upon other perks likely to attract top talent such as flexible work hours, casual dress, and education reimbursement. Whatever you choose to post to attract talent, make sure that the messaging is always consistent with your brand's identity to foster loyalty among job seekers, just like you would any other audience.

 

Connecting with Current Employees

Facebook Live Videos can also be beneficial for connecting with current employees. Perhaps, many people have questions about health insurance or retirement plans. Instead of individual HR meetings, you can give a general overview via Facebook Live rather than diving into the specifics one-on-one.

You can also use social media to learn which benefits employees are most interested in. You can provide a space on social media to encourage employees to give the company feedback. Employee feedback is vital for estimating the company's allocation of resources, such as distributing revenue for the benefits that employees really want.

Beyond traditional social media platforms like Facebook, you can also check employee review sites for insights about how employees feel about the company. If your company is serious about being a remarkable place to work, encourage employees to leave honest reviews on websites like Glassdoor. When the reviews start to roll in, it is best to be receptive to any constructive criticism you receive.

 

From candid employee reviews to behind the scenes peeks, there is no doubt that social media is a powerful tool that can help companies communicate with current and future employees. Because of its informal nature, social media can serve as one of the most authentic lines of communication. When it is used properly, social media has the potential to boost your employer brand while enhancing company culture at the same time.

 

Artificial Intelligence in Talent Acquisition

 

About the Author: Sam Bowman writes about people, tech, wellness and how they merge. He enjoys getting to utilize the internet for community without actually having to leave his house. In his spare time he likes running, reading, and combining the two in a run to his local bookstore.

 

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