In its informative article on the value of inbound talent marketing, ere.net mentions social media as crucial to attracting top-tier talent with an inbound marketing mentality. But just how can social media help you attract the best candidates for your open positions? As stated by the article author Michael Hennessey, through content sharing, engagement and transparency.
Content Sharing
As is the case with all inbound marketing, inbound talent marketing focuses on nurturing candidates by offering them valuable content until they’re ready to apply. The most obvious function of social media is as an ideal vehicle to distribute that content. Candidates want to know as much as possible about both your organization and the fields they’re about to enter. Sharing content from your website as well as success statistics and other benchmarks for the field in which they’re looking for a position establishes you as a trusted expert and a desirable employer.
Engagement with Candidates
Despite its importance as a content-distribution vehicle, social media is more than that, as its name suggests. Organizations can only be successful in recruiting if they both encourage and generate engagement with candidates. That includes not only answering questions posed in Tweets or comments, but actively monitoring brand mentions as well. Marketers have long touted the value of social listening, the act of finding out just what is being said about your brand on social media. By engaging in this practice, recruiters can find and engage with potential candidates who may not even have heard of their organization or a specific job posting before the contact.
Transparency
Finally, social media enables businesses to be transparent about their work environment and culture. Top-tier candidates are not just looking for the most convenient or highest-paying job; they want to know that their personality and work habits are compatible with their future employer. Social media enables recruiters to educate candidates beyond the actual job. By sharing behind-the-scenes videos, photos, interviews with employees, vision statements and other important indicators of organizational culture, they can let candidates know just what to expect if they actually get the job. Honesty is crucial here; if the content shared is misleading instead of transparent, your candidates will find out once they get to know your organization and jump ship.
In short, social media is a crucial part of inbound talent marketing and a well rounded strategy could be the deciding factor in attracting and placing your next candidate.
