52 Recruitment
SOCIAL RECRUITING
Robert Kenward , founder and chief cheerleader of TheHub . Jobs , reveals the importance of social media in the recruitment process
f the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago , then the best time to start recruiting is before you have a vacancy to fill . Every company needs to have a recruitment policy which is created and implemented way before they need to recruit , and one major part of that policy should be focused on ‘ social recruiting ’.
Every company has its own external communication channels , whether that be their website , social media and , of course , their PR ; social recruiting is how a company uses these communication channels to attract talent . But social recruiting isn ’ t just about sticking a job advert on a website or on social and sharing it , to do it properly a company should use their communication channels to create and convey their brand , a persona that will resonate and appeal to exactly the sort of talent that they ’ d like to attract before they need to attract it .
Every company has a reputation , and you can split this into two sides of the same brand : their consumer brand , which is how their customers and potential customers see them ; and their employer brand , which is how they are viewed by their former , current , and potential employees . A positive employer brand is critical to attracting the best talent to a
Left : Recruitment expert Robert Kenward company , especially in a competitive sector . There is also a third , employee brand , but that ’ s a story for a different day .
Many of the larger agencies in our sector are well known , they have a reputation , and everyone knows of them . But is your brand positive or negative ? What do you want people to think about your company ? What are people saying about you ? Not just about the work that you do , but how you are as an employer ? How are you known for treating your staff ? It ’ s a smallish industry and people do talk to one another .
When you do advertise a role , I ’ m sure that you will put it all over your social channels , but the first thing that any potential employee will do is to check out your website and peek at your social output to get a vibe for your company .
Careers page Having a careers page on your website is a bare minimum and a good first step in your social recruiting plan . Create a page that explains your values and culture , shows off your amazing and flexible home working policy and shows potential employees what it is like to work for you . It will give an insight into the team plus let potential new employees get a glimpse of life behind the website . Maybe a video to show off the offices , some images from the last staff event or even a case study from a team member www . conference-news . co . uk