More than two-thirds (67%) of HR managers are utilising social media to recruit new staff, according to creative content agency Southerly.
For those using social media the most popular platform was Facebook, used by 73%. Two-thirds (67%) use LinkedIn, and half (50%) recruit on Twitter. Almost a fifth (18%) of HR managers are distributing recruitment-focused content on Instagram, and one in 20 (5%) uses Snapchat.
Additionally, 31% of respondents had paid social media sites to boost their content, with 65% of those who have paid for content doing so on LinkedIn, 65% paying for exposure on Facebook, 33% boosting Twitter posts, and 24% paying for coverage on Instagram.
When it comes to how companies use social media Southerley found that 43% of firms communicate directly with potential candidates, for example through the use of direct messages on Twitter or via Facebook Messenger. The most common platform for doing this was LinkedIn, used by 80%. However, 38% said that they never communicate with individual candidates over social media.
Overall, 53% of respondents claimed that using social media for recruitment was successful, with 10% admitting it was fairly or very unsuccessful. A very small minority (3%) said they could not tell if it had been successful as they were struggling to measure it.
Shelley Hoppe, CEO of Southerly, explained that as the economy has picked up jobseekers have become more discerning. “HR managers simply can’t afford to stick to the old ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to finding talent,” she said. “Content and social media are hot topics in marketing and these techniques can be applied to great effect in the world of recruitment. Forward-thinking HR managers are making the most of the various media, tools and channels available to engage with candidates in a fresh and informative way, and are seeing positive results across a variety of strategic metrics.”
Tom Holmes, founding director at HR technology consultancy Veran Performance, said his company has seen increasing interest in recruitment marketing. “The HR function is in flux at the moment and this is an area that HR absolutely must own, rather than hand off to marketing or brand teams,” he said. “There’s a real opportunity for HR managers to embrace new, dynamic techniques that will help them attract high-quality candidates who reflect the organisation’s values, which in turn will impact positively on recruitment and retention costs.”
