Social media can be more than an entertaining pastime. It can also be used effectively for recruiting. While most social media efforts by businesses are aimed at potential customers, HR marketers can use the platforms to strategically boost recruitment efforts. 

Why You Should Recruit on Social Media

Most potential candidates exist on social media — and not just on LinkedIn. A reported 37% of U.S. workers say they’re interested in a new position but not actively looking. For that reason, 82% of businesses recruit passive job seekers through social media. Today, 92% of employers find talent on social media, and 79% of people use social media when looking for jobs. 

All of these recruitment efforts are on social media and utilize features like direct messages and targeted advertisements. There are also job posting features on some social media platforms like LinkedIn. However, Facebook got rid of Facebook Jobs in February of 2023. New features and ways of using social media are seeing recruiters and job seekers alike getting creative.

Social Media Recruitment Through Storytelling

The power of storytelling in marketing is well-known. With shortened attention spans and an influx of media from every angle, it takes some finesse to capture your target audience. If you can effectively tell a story about your company culture, you can evoke emotion, prompt engagement, and gain the trust of potential candidates. 

Find the Right Platform

It’s no secret that short-form video content is doing well currently. However, you need to do a deep dive to figure out what platform to use and what style of content to produce. Find out where prospective candidates for similar companies hang out, as well as where similar companies are posting culture-centric content. 

Take note of what this looks like, how often it’s posted, and how much engagement it prompts. Whether you use TikTok or Instagram ads for job postings or make photo posts on Pinterest with a link to your job listing, it should be unique to your company’s needs and the needs of your ideal candidates.

Show Company Values

Storytelling is a fantastic way to showcase what your company cares about. For example, you can even highlight that you are using sustainable marketing to look for candidates. If your ideal candidate cares about environmental efforts, this can be a big selling point.

Get Company Wide Input

It’s also crucial to get everyone involved. Interdepartmental collaboration in marketing shows that everyone is on the same page, and this is even more important when trying to highlight a cohesive company culture. Even if some staff members don’t want to be directly involved in social photos or videos, getting their input on what would be exciting to showcase in the company can open up opportunities. For example, financial departments may alert you of a fundraiser for the company that could make for perfect storytelling content.

Cater to Your Ideal Candidate’s Needs

Just as you would in traditional marketing, you should craft HR marketing social posts to satisfy the needs of your target audience. The difference is that your ideal audience member is someone that you hope will work for your company. Of course, they should also like the products or services you offer — but that’s not the main goal. 

Do some market research on the candidates you would ideally like to hire. Ask yourself questions like: 

• What would the ideal candidate value in a workplace? 

• What benefits do these candidates expect? 

• What is a competitive salary for the roles available? 

• What lifestyle would the ideal candidate like to lead? 

• What types of employee relationships would your ideal candidate like to maintain? 

It’s often helpful to come up with an ideal candidate profile if you haven’t already. Use this to guide your social media content along with the aforementioned tips, and you will have more prospective candidates' eyes on your company as a potential employer.