Finding suitable employees is becoming increasingly difficult. In some cases, there is a real battle for the best applicants. It is therefore advantageous for companies to approach talented people at an early stage and to retain them. The best way to do this is through networking - especially virtually. The future is digital and modern recruiting is hardly possible these days without digital support. Due to digitalisation and demographic change, the internet is becoming more and more important, and in society especially social networks. Digitalisation does not stop at the HR sector either. Unlike in the past, almost no one looks for job ads in daily newspapers anymore. Today's generation is digital and almost always online. Most of them are on social networks several times a day. Companies also need to explore new avenues and should embrace social media for recruitment.

In our blog post, you will learn about the benefits of social media recruiting and how to best recruit employees through social networks!

What is social media recruiting?

Recruiting new employees via social networks is called social media recruiting. It is a recruitment marketing strategy and refers to the process of recruiting via social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as career networks such as Xing and LinkedIn.

In contrast to classic recruitment via job fairs or similar, social media recruiting is characterised above all by the two-way interaction between employer and applicant. Interested parties have the opportunity to respond directly to job advertisements and job offers and to ask questions to which they can, in the best case, receive a quick and uncomplicated answer from the recruiter. The resulting personal contact can later be advantageous for both the applicant and the employer in the selection process, because there is already a mutual bond.

What are the methods of social media recruiting?

Companies have different methods that can be used in social media recruiting. These are mostly the same as on other recruiting channels, with the difference that they take place in the social networks. These include, on the one hand, targeting applicants and, on the other hand, presenting oneself as an attractive employer.

Active sourcing

Behavioural patterns in the job search have changed considerably and many talented people no longer apply themselves but expect to be actively contacted by companies. Active sourcing involves targeting suitable candidates in order to attract them to open positions. Every user directly or indirectly discloses data and information about themselves in the social networks, for example personal interests or professional experience. Headhunters can use this information to select potentially suitable employees. Skills and certificates, for example, can also be stored in career networks. Social networks are particularly suitable for active sourcing, as they offer the opportunity to get an authentic impression of potential candidates, as they pursue their private interests on the platforms and do not necessarily want to impress an employer with their profile.

By the way, active sourcing can be used not only when a specific vacancy is to be filled. You can also find users who are generally a good fit for the company and create a so-called "talent pool" with suitable candidates who can be consulted as soon as further positions need to be filled. This is a forward-looking strategy and makes the future recruitment process easier and faster.

Content marketing and employer branding

However, it is advantageous for companies not only to rely on active sourcing, but also to present themselves to the outside world as an attractive employer. With regularly published content such as texts, pictures and videos, users can be made aware of the company.

It is important that the content is tailored to the target group. If you want to make sure that your posts are played out to a specific target group, you should place advertisements on the social networks, because you can precisely define the desired target group. This so-called "social profiling" allows you to reach potential applicants without having to address them directly. Even users who are not actively looking for a job can become aware of the company and the vacancies and apply if they are interested.

Referral marketing and influencer marketing

Recommendations are a very effective tool in marketing and so also in social media recruiting. Users are usually more likely to rely on recommendations from private individuals than from companies. Recommendations for an employer can, for example, come from employees and co-workers or former employees who speak positively about their job and the company on social networks.

Influencers can also help with recruitment via social media by not only promoting the company's products, but also presenting it as an attractive employer. Influencers usually enjoy similar credibility as the users' friends and families, while bringing a very wide reach.

What are the advantages of social media recruiting for employers and applicants?

Social media recruiting is, of course, an additional expense for companies in addition to traditional recruitment methods. But there are enough reasons why it is worthwhile. The biggest advantage is the possibility to reach the target group more personally and to get in touch even before the application. This can lead to two-way interaction and communication. You reach your target group where they spend their free time and thus get to know them more authentically. Based on the user profiles and information, potential applicants can already be pre-selected. Since social networks are mainly used by millennials and Gen Z, companies can reach young talents here and build an image as an attractive employer. In addition, companies can benefit from virality on social media, namely when posts achieve a high reach.

Another advantage is that you reach the entire applicant market - not only those who are actively looking for a new job, but also the passive market. These are the people who are basically willing to change jobs but are not yet actively looking. But these in particular are often the most interesting, because the best people are rarely unemployed.

What are the challenges of recruiting via social media?

As nice and easy as it has sounded so far, social media recruiting is of course not exclusive. As with any new method, there are a few challenges to overcome. There are usually a lot of users and different target groups on social networks and the right one has to be found and precisely defined before it can be addressed in a targeted manner. It should be noted that most users are on social media in a private context in their free time and should therefore be addressed in the appropriate way: Ideally entertaining, creative and personal, but also quick and direct. However, it may also be that the company's target group does not use social networks, in which case you should refrain from social media recruiting.

Basically, companies should regularly maintain their social media profiles and present themselves as a unique and strong employer in order to attract users' attention and interest in the company as a strong employer.

Which platforms are best for recruiting employees?

There are now very many different social networks and not every one suits every company. So for successful social media recruiting, the first step should be to choose the right platform for the strategy. However, it does not have to be an either-or decision. If capacities allow, companies can recruit employees via several platforms. When choosing the right network, the target group should play an important role - i.e. what type of social media user the typical customer is. The easiest way to determine this is by age. A very broad age group is represented on Facebook, but most users are between 20 and 50 years old. Therefore, the network is particularly suitable for recruiting experienced workers aged 30 and over, while platforms like TikTok and Snapchat can be used to target mainly young talent under 25.

Platforms like Instagram and Facebook are used by most users in their free time, so short and entertaining posts should be published here. This works best with pictures or videos to draw attention and control the corporate image. Company pages can also post free job ads on Facebook, for example. On Instagram, the Story function is particularly suitable, as these achieve a very high level of engagement. It is important to note that the platforms thrive on interaction. Comments and questions should therefore be responded to quickly and personally. In addition, it is helpful to link your applicant portal visibly in your profile or to make it quickly and easily accessible through swipe-up links in Stories. If you want to actively contact candidates, the tone can be a little more relaxed. Platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat are suitable for publishing image videos about your company. However, these should be tailored to a younger target group.

Things should be much more professional on career networks like Xing and LinkedIn - but professional does not have to mean stiff. What is important here is that the company profile contains all the important information and is regularly maintained. Of course, you can meet significantly more potential candidates on career networks than on social networks. Therefore, it is advisable to check the profiles of potential candidates very intensively and to really only contact the right ones. You should write to the candidates personally and individually - not with standard texts - and get in touch with them regularly. This way, companies can build up a strong network, even if there are no vacancies at the moment.

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