According to Glassdoor, 86% of all job applicants use social media for their job searches. It makes sense for companies to leverage that by being active on social media. Unfortunately, the days when it was enough to post an open position on social media to attract new talent are long gone. Companies have to stand out from the crowd and follow a long-term social media strategy to get the attention of potential employees and convince them to apply. That’s where social recruiting comes into play.
Social recruiting is a method of using social media platforms to advertise jobs, find talent, and demonstrate company culture to potential recruits and it has a lot of benefits.
A best practice example for a sustainable social media recruiting strategy is Scout24, Germany’s leading online platform for residential and commercial real estate. Scout24’s social recruiting strategy is designed to attract talent and win them over before they even submit their application.
Communicate your company values
90% of professionals research a company’s culture and values before accepting a role. Take advantage of that and tell your own story instead of letting others tell it for you. Social media is the perfect channel to give some insights into how your company is run. Let potential applicants peek behind the curtains of your company for a better understanding of your company culture.
One of Scout24’s main values is that the whole company is one team working for a common goal. When returning to the office (voluntarily) after the lockdown in 2020, the C-level executives surprised employees with new team t-shirts to show that they all stand together in this moment of crisis.
Show, don’t tell
Another one of Scout24’s key pillars is diversity and inclusion. Posts like the following about Scout24’s international recipe collection show that diversity plays a significant role. By asking for favourite recipes from people’s hometowns, Scout24 shows interest in employees’ backgrounds, celebrating and fostering diversity instead of hiding it.
The post shows off a diverse staff, illustrating that people from various nationalities and cultures are working together. It also gives colleagues a chance to share and interact with each other on social media.
60% of people report that benefits and perks are major factors in considering whether to accept a job offer. Social media offers a great way to share those little goodies that can make the difference between someone accepting or declining a job.
Scout24 is doing a great job showcasing its additional benefits. For example, one of the perks is that employees are allowed to bring their dogs to work. For dog owners, that’s a huge bonus. They don’t need to pay extra for doggy daycare or, even worse, leave their beloved pets behind every morning.
Through initiatives like this one, the company encourages employees to speak about their experience and how they are enjoying the benefits offered. It’s tangible and lively content that humanises the company.
Keeping people healthy
Surveys suggest that the company benefit employees want most is healthcare. Showcase healthcare benefits on social media to incentivise job seekers. It shows how much you care about your employees and that you are willing to invest in them.
Scout24 offers various health checks, massages, eye inspections and back-strengthening classes. This shows that they take an interest in keeping employees healthy and happy.
Turn employees into brand ambassadors
The best advertising for your company is happy employees. Encourage your employees to post about their experiences and feature their authentic content on your social media accounts.
Scout24 often features employees on social media, introducing them and their work in short interviews. Employees sharing honest opinions adds powerful social proof to your social recruiting efforts. It also helps job seekers get to know different departments and figure out whether they can imagine working there, and it’s an innovative way to inform candidates about open positions.
Reuse social content about your company culture, benefits, open positions, employees, etc. on your website. The social recruiting content on your wall gives potential applicants an overview of your company, helping them tailor their cover letters while adding an interactive element to your careers page.
Scout24 uses #WorkingAtScout24 for all careers-related content. Establishing a recruiting hashtag helps your audience navigate your social media posts and find what they’re looking for.
A hashtag makes it super easy to report on your social media recruiting activities as well because every post and video you have published is marked with it. You can also aggregate the posts on a social wall using this hashtag. The social wall will collect and display them automatically and in real-time.