The Use of Social Media in Recruiting and Hiring

In today's fast-paced digital world, social media platforms have become an integral part of our lives. From staying connected with friends and family to finding and applying for jobs, social media has changed the way we interact and find opportunities. The same is true for recruiters and companies looking to hire the right talent. Social media has opened up a whole new world of opportunities for recruiters and employers, making it easier to find, connect, and engage with potential candidates.

According to a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), nearly 80% of organizations use social media in their recruitment and hiring processes. From identifying potential candidates to evaluating their fit for the company culture (it happens), social media has proven to be a valuable tool in the hiring process. Let’s explore how recruiters and companies are using social media to find talent.

Identifying Potential Candidates

One of the primary ways that recruiters and companies are using social media in the hiring process is to identify potential candidates. Job seekers are increasingly using social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and even TikTok to showcase their skills, achievements, and professional interests. This makes it easier for recruiters to identify potential candidates who have the right skills, experience, and passion for the job they are trying to fill.

By developing a good strategy social media platforms enable recruiters to find professionals in their industry and connect with them directly. This saves time and effort compared to traditional methods of finding candidates such as job boards or the dreaded career fairs and networking events. Social media platforms also allow recruiters to see a candidate's online presence, including their public profile, their interactions with others, their posts, and their comments, giving recruiters a better understanding of the candidate's interests, skills, and qualifications.

Connecting with Candidates

While it is not everyones cup of tea, social media provides a direct line of communication between recruiters, hiring managers, and potential candidates. Recruiters can use social media to reach out to candidates, build relationships, and engage with them in a professional setting. However, recruiters do need to be mindful of their approach here as not everyone wants to be contacted on their personal social accounts. My personal advice, always give them an additional way to contact you (email, phone, etc.) and candidates, don’t be afraid to let a recruiter know you’d prefer this conversation be moved to another forum.

While not just about direct engagement with candidates, recruiters can use social media to create a swath of content. Popular ones include, sharing job openings, showcase exciting projects, or interacting with the broader community they work in. They can use social media to answer candidate questions, provide information about the hiring process, or one of my favorites debunk common HR and hiring myths. This helps to create a more personal and engaging experience for candidates.

Screening Candidates

While certainly a hot topic in many areas, social media can also be used to screen candidates before inviting them for an interview or during the hiring process. By reviewing a candidate's online presence, recruiters can identify red flags such as inappropriate posts, behavior, or harmful outtakes.

However, it's incredibly important to be mindful of legal and ethical considerations when using social media to screen candidates. Discrimination has no place in 2023, and that needs to be held to the highest standard. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has guidelines in place that prohibit employers from using certain information obtained from social media to make employment decisions (please check your own state laws). Employers must ensure they are only using information that is relevant to the job and not making decisions based on protected characteristics such as race, gender, or religion.

Building a Strong Employer Brand

Today's job market might be one of the most competitive on record. To help, many companies are focusing on building a strong employer brand which is crucial for attracting top talent. Social media is a powerful tool for companies to build their employer brand and attract talent that aligns with their mission and values. Companies can use social media to share information about their company culture, values, initiatives, and workplace environment. This helps to increase the number of applicants and the quality of applicants, making it easier for recruiters to find the right fit for the company.

By sharing company culture, values, and initiatives on social media, companies can showcase their brand and create a positive image. One of my personal favorite ways companies can use social media is to promote employee testimonials, highlight employee achievements, and showcase their workplace environment. This helps to create a more personal and authentic connection with potential candidates, making them more likely to apply for a job with the company.

Improving Hiring Efficiency

Social media can also be used to radically increase hiring efficiency. Generally, this is done in a combination of three ways. The first is a massive increase in potential candidate reach. It truly allows employers and recruiters to reach a larger pool of candidates and passive job seekers. The second is speed, pure speed. Most social sites make searching a breeze, unless you’re looking for an incredibly niche skill-set. This allows recruiters to search, scan, review, message, in a matter of minutes. However, all roads eventually lead to the last point, cost-effective. Social sites are almost entirely free, compared to some SaaS services — unlimited searches, unlimited messages, free to post content, free replies — unless you want to pay and run targeted ads. 

By using social media to improve a company's hiring efficiency, you then start to rollover into things, like employer branding, candidate engagement, and some of the other areas we touched on above. It is an incredibly powerful tool, that when used correctly, will help not only a recruiter but the company overall.

In Conclusion!

Social media has become a valuable tool in the hiring process for recruiters and companies. From identifying potential candidates to building a strong employer brand and improving hiring efficiency, social media has opened up a world of opportunities for finding and connecting with the right talent. Nearly 80% of organizations are using social media in their recruitment and hiring processes, making it easier to find professionals in their industry, connect with them directly, and engage with them in a professional setting. It is important to be mindful of legal and ethical considerations when using social media and laws can vary from state to state. By leveraging the power of social media, recruiters and companies can find the right talent faster, more efficiently, and cost-effectively.

Tell Us… what's your social media recruitment story? Has a recruiter or company ever reached out to you through your personal social accounts, how’d it go? Tell us in the comments!