In todays fast pace world – it is important to consider which channels people use to consume information. By understanding how these channels work, you can apply them to your recruiting programs. Here are nine tips on using social media and new technology for recruitment.
- Look for new approaches – The world of recruiting changes constantly and in order to keep up, you must constantly be reading and benchmarking in order to discover the latest tools, sources and metrics. Use web sites like www.eremedia.com to identify the latest trends.
- Use Social Media – Don’t be afraid of social media. Once you become comfortable with it, it can be a powerful tool. It’s also important to harness the time that your organization’s employees spend on these sites, so that they do the majority of messaging and the identifying of prospects. Among all of the available social media tools, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube have proven to be the most powerful for recruitment and employer branding.
- Tie social media with referrals – Referral programs have always produced the highest volume and quality of hires but when the program is integrated into your social media effort, the results are even better. Make sure that your program is highly responsive or employees will not refer again.
- Use videos for recruiting and branding – “Authentic” videos depicting what it’s like to work at your organization can be extremely powerful. Instead of commercial productions, consider holding a “film festival” contest among your employees to create the most exciting three-minute video depicting the excitement at your firm. Post them on your corporate site, on your corporate Facebook page or on YouTube.
- Use the mobile platform – The mobile phone and the tablet computer are the most powerful communications platforms in recruiting. They work because individuals respond quickly to messages they receive on their mobile phone. They are also extremely flexible because you can send and receive messages in text, voice, e-mail, pictures, videos and they even provide access to your corporate careers website. Eventually, candidates will demand that every firm develop the capability to completely apply for a position using only their mobile phone.
- Remote video interviews – Offering remote video interviews are a cheap and effective way to assess candidates, while saving on travel costs. Being able to interview from anywhere on a mobile platform also makes scheduling your interviews amazingly easy.
- Online assessment – If you utilize online screening tests, employee personality tests, to weed out the weak candidates early on, you can reduce the time that your hiring managers spend on interviewing. Also consider offering online contests to attract and assess employed individuals that are not seeking a job but that love a challenge.
- Improve the candidate experience – Because social media allows unhappy candidates to instantly post negative messages about the hiring and interview experience, it’s important to treat candidates with respect. You should periodically survey a sample of applicants and candidates to ensure that the process treats them like customers.
- Remote college recruiting – You no longer need to spend numerous hours and dollars visiting college campuses. You can now use social media, contests, mobile phone communications, and online job fairs to identify and sell the very best interns and college hires that reside on any campus around the world. In addition, college students like the fact that your organization utilizes the latest technologies. Check out Hirevue, Interview Stream, Greenjobinterview, and Karmahire for examples of technology that enables video interviewing and online career fairs.
Written by TalentClick CEO Greg Ford, M.Ed. and Dr. John Sullivan
