Recruitment on social networks has become almost inevitable for companies. In fact, 82% of jobseekers today use social networks to find a job. Yet many companies still don't see them as an ally in the recruitment process. What are the reasons for this? How can we reverse this trend? What are the best practices for recruiting effectively using social networks? This is the analysis of Michelle Goldberger, a trainer in employer branding and social networks.
During training sessions, recruitment managers often say: "Yes, our recruitment team uses social networks to advertise job vacancies. But it's not very useful. There's certainly room for improvement...".
As to whether management supports these activities, their answer is not always clear: "We are asked to be present on social networks. But there's not always any support, no tools, no budget...".
And, strangely enough, other recruitment channels are increasingly overloaded with applications. Job boards, careers pages on company websites, specialist media, recruitment fairs... in short, all these "phygital" channels (physical + digital).
Recruitment and social networks: pitfalls to avoid
But that's not necessarily a good sign!
Few companies :
1/ Firstly, seriously study and make effective use of candidate personas. These are fictional characters created by marketing and HR to analyse the needs and behaviour of the candidates they are looking for.
2/ Secondly, be #CandidateCentric. In other words, companies that put the needs of candidates at the heart of the organisation, decisions and all marketing, communication, digital and other actions relating to recruitment.
3/ Finally, offer real added value through their presence on social networks and the publications accompanying job offers.
On social networks, there are many "editorial imperfections":
- Content written in an "old school" way, with the text used for the corporate site, or even worse for brochures, but never optimised for social networks.
- Publications without clear objectives and, what's more, not adapted to targets and social platforms
- Uninteresting content, with no added value, or even in the wrong language...
Often without a real strategy for their presence and employer brand, companies are unable to differentiate themselves in a tight market. That's not even mentioning reaching penurious profiles or offering a good candidate experience.
The first consequence of all this editorial "pollution" on social networks? Candidates have to sort through the publications, job offers and so on. The ultimate consequence? Because they can't quickly find what they're looking for, candidates and social network users easily lose interest and give up.
Recruitment and social networks: "miracle" solutions?
To solve this problem, many HR managers are tempted to rely on "miracle" solutions such as artificial intelligence, but there's still one piece of the jigsaw missing... What is it? It's an accessible resource that's right there in front of them: the teams! Including HR teams! But how do you get them to play a key role in recruitment?
[Training]
Are you wondering how to find and target candidates on social networks? What are the best techniques for managing your presence and optimising your job offer? Or how to write an effective job advert?
Find out more about it on the training course through practical exercises, see the programme: Recruiting effectively with social networks
"Full of good practical advice and tips to help us better understand social networks and our HR function in an area that is not our core competence."
Discover these 5 essential best practices to improve your recruitment!
1/ HR teams: use your own LinkedIn profile to boost recruitment!
"I don't need to use my LinkedIn profile. We have a company page, on which job offers are published." A classic, very often heard from HR during training courses. But it's far from the truth.
The individual HR profile can be the first point of contact between the candidate and the company. So it's important to make a good impression with a polished profile that highlights the recruiter and the company's values. And don't forget that no-one ever gets a second chance to make a good first impression!
What's more, social networks mean a human approach... If candidates are asked to be "themselves", then why not HR too?
Publish, network, recruit... and you'll learn to love it!
Example: publication on LinkedIn of a HR department advertising a job vacancy on its profile.
2/ Mobilise your staff
According to a Nielsen study, 83 % of Internet users trust their peers more than they trust a company's communications.
It is this need to make communication less institutional and more human that is driving companies to introduce employee advocacy programmes. Employees become ambassadors for their company, particularly on social networks. They are also known as "brand ambassadors". In this way, they help to promote the employer brand.
What's more, it creates recruitment opportunities! Employees have networks that are in line with their jobs and therefore with the profiles they are looking for. This is not necessarily the case for HR.
Finally, ambassadors' activities help to cushion the impact of the marketing/communications teams' actions and increase the scope of publications!
Example: publication on LinkedIn by a sales representative announcing an event, highlighting the company and colleagues.
3/ Simplify the recruitment process and be transparent
60 % of candidates do not complete their application on careers pages or job boards, because the forms are too complex, often badly designed and take a long time to complete.
Candidates often complain that recruitment processes are too slow and lack transparency. This can be seen on sites such as Glassdoor or on post-onboarding feedback forms.
When candidates don't understand the next steps, the company's expectations, the timing, etc., they can feel uncomfortable. Or even lose interest in the job and the company. And end up looking elsewhere.
Example: extract from a vacancy on the recruitment page of a company website with "5 clear steps".
4/ Follow up employees after recruitment
While many companies focus their efforts, budgets and time on recruitment, how many really care about the employee experience? And why is it important?
The success of recruitment via social networks depends partly on the satisfaction of your current employees, but also of former ones. Firstly, because an employee who isn't completely satisfied won't want to become or remain a brand ambassador, or won't put in the necessary effort. Secondly, because a frankly dissatisfied employee will undoubtedly let you know. Particularly via negative comments on social networks, LinkedIn in particular, and on Google, Indeed, Glassdoor... Which doesn't go down well with the employer brand!
Example: a company employee's rating and comments on Indeed.
To avoid this type of situation, there are a number of simple solutionssuch as :
- Feedback tools to measure employee satisfaction
- Organising events and meetings, particularly with employees during the onboarding period
- Reverse mentoring: a collaborative practice that enables older managers to exchange experiences and skills with younger generations.
[Also read]
5 best practices for effective onboarding
"To promote smooth integration within a team, reduce adaptation time to maximise performance, and so on. avoid leaving before the end of the trial period... These are the many virtues of onboarding, the structured process of welcoming and integrating new employees into the company. It begins as soon as the job offer is accepted and generally continues throughout the first few months of employment, or even until the end of the probationary period. But how do you go about it? "
5/ Personalise recruitment content
The world of social networking has transformed the way candidates, employees and companies communicate. Information, job offers and network contacts are all easily accessible. So it's hardly surprising that candidates have become 'consumers' when it comes to their job search. And even "clients" of recruiters.
For this reason, personalising job offers, approaches and content has never been more important, in order to touch the right candidate at the right time.
So how do you go about it?
The job advert should be as relevant as possible to the target audience. For example: describe the job using technical language, or even expressions specific to the profession. Use visuals, videos, cultural references and even music!
This extra touch can make all the difference in advertisements and the publications that accompany them. Because if candidates can identify with the job at a glance, it saves time for the company. The chances are that the right profiles will enter the recruitment process more quickly. So the company won't end up with too many applications that aren't relevant to the job. As a result, they won't have to waste too much time sorting through CVs or justifying rejections, among other advantages! A win-win situation for both candidates and the company.
Example: humorous video on Instagram in which the manager talks about the benefits offered by the company using the language of Generation Z.
Finally, in the face of candidate shortages and the war for talent, it is vital that companies modernise their recruitment techniques. It's time to think "out of the box". HR professionals will benefit from posting the right messages in the same places as their candidates on social networks. And even though more and more companies are recruiting via social networks, there's still a huge head start to be made for those who do it well!
