Facebook, it's where the talent is
Facebook is a social media behemoth. With its user base at over 900 million, it’s a pretty sure bet that the talent you seek is on Facebook. In fact, its quite likely that Facebook is where they spend most of their time when online. Facebook is a hugely effective resource for both active and passive recruitment. Not convinced? I’ll try harder!
Facebook is all about interaction. Or, a Like is worth a thousand views
It’s not without reason that companies are trending towards directing consumers to their Facebook pages rather than their official websites. A Like on Facebook ensures interaction, as the user will receive notifications when you make updates, and is then prompted to share and comment on your new post. This kind of dialogue works wonders in marketing and can do the same for recruiting.
Unlike your typical website that a potential candidate may bookmark or visit from time to time, a Facebook Like allows you to stay on their radar. Think of a Like as a far more effective mailing list. Liking a page on Facebook is quicker, easier and far less intrusive than signing up for a newsletter, thus people are much more likely to do it. Once they’ve become a fan of your Page, you can stay at the top of their list of potential employers by posting frequent updates and photos that showcase how awesome your corporate culture is. Which is much more effective than sending out newsletters that are more often than not destined for immediate deletion.
It’s really, REALLY, big
Yes, I know I already said that, but it bears repeating. Not only is Facebook big in the sense that it has a ton of users, it’s also a huge part of those user’s lives; they don’t call it Crackbook for nothing (I wish I was kidding). This makes it a great place to look when you’re trying to find a very specific candidate. Statistically speaking, your ideal hire is spending their time on Facebook, a lot of their time. It’s unfortunate, but quite likely, that the person you’re looking for has a job already, so you’re much more likely to find them on Facebook than updating their LinkedIn page or checking job boards. Facebook is the perfect place to roll up your sleeves and recruit actively.
Facebook has huge reach
“Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.”
And the interface that they’ve created does this superbly. Facebook has an extremely active community, that is of great benefit for passive recruiting.
Example: Angelo Liked your page a while back when he was looking for potential employers. You’ve stayed on his radar by posting regular updates and photos of fun company events. Angelo isn’t looking to switch jobs, but his University buddy Stella is looking for a change in career paths (she posted about it on her wall!). He knows that your company is hiring (as you always update your page about job opportunities) and that Stella would be a perfect fit. Angelo lets Stella know about your job post. Position filled! Angelo has done the recruiting for you. The invested nature of the community that Facebook cultivates means that even if your job post doesn’t reach a potential employee directly, it can still reach them indirectly.
At Jobcast we believe that Facebook is one of the most useful tools in today’s recruitment arsenal. It’s an easy, affordable and effective way to increase your talent pool and maintain a connection with your talent communities. This is why, as you may have noticed, we have so many awesome posts about Facebook in our blog archives. It’s also why we chose Facebook as the flagship social network for our recruitment app. Okay, I’m off to Like some pictures of cats doing ridiculously cute things and spy on my friends.
Links we Love
Some useful links, I especially recommend the second one, but I’m biased!
