Use Social Media for Recruitment Success

In the realm of social media, many recruiters lean towards Facebook or LinkedIn. But X, formerly known as Twitter, is nothing to sneeze at. It’s a bit more chaotic, a bit more informal, and a bit more like wild space—but that can actually work to a recruiter’s benefit, if they know what they’re doing.

With its real-time nature, global reach, and incredibly diverse user base, X provides a powerful tool for HR professionals and recruiters to engage with candidates and promote their organizations’ culture, values, and open job positions. Its distinct features make it quite different from other platforms, and it can be used as a resource for recruitment professionals who are looking to expand their talent pool in a whole new way.

The Benefits of X

• Real time communication: X’s real-time nature enables recruiters to engage with candidates instantly, lowering response times and bolstering authenticity more quickly. This allows for timely communication and a speedier recruitment process.
• Global reach: X has over 330 million monthly active users, which means that it can offer a diverse and expansive talent pool across various industries. This reach allows recruiters to connect with candidates that they otherwise might not, stretching far beyond more traditional boundaries.
• Thought leadership: X prides itself on being a leader in global conversations. If you have opinions on your industry that you’re able to share, X is a great place to do so, positioning your business as one at the forefront. X is also frequently used by journalists, meaning that utilization of the platform could lead to public relations opportunities as well. It’s an easy place to demonstrate your expertise and become known for what you do.
• Amplified content, generated by users: The retweet function of X can be useful for recruiters. If they’re able to get a sense of what type of content their talent pool enjoys, they can leverage their networks and get in front of more eyes. Recruiters can also encourage employees, influencers, or brand advocates to share company updates through likes, quote-tweets, or retweets. 

Here are a few tips on utilizing X for recruitment.

Optimize Your X Profile

Your X profile serves as your “digital storefront”, which means you want it to be aesthetically on brand and up to date. Any relevant links or calls to actions should be there, and your photo should be consistent with your current branding. You might even consider having a separate recruitment profile from your company one. After all, you’re looking to attract a different group of people—buyers of your product and those who would make great employees for the creation of your product might be entirely different. A recruitment account would allow you to more directly target either active or passive job seekers, reaching exactly who you want to reach.

Utilize A Scheduling Software

There are tons of apps, like TweetDeck or HootSuite, that allow you to schedule tweets in advance. Which software you utilize doesn’t particularly matter, but finding one that you like and find it intuitive will be a huge help for your X strategy. Why does this matter? Because scheduled tweets allow you to be more strategic, share information at relevant times, and double or triple check what you’re posting (X doesn’t have an edit feature, and you don’t want to be embarrassed by a typo). You can even batch your work, scheduling out a series of recruitment tweets in advance and running them by management if need be.

Create Multimedia Posts

X isn’t text-only: you can also use videos, GIFs, or links. Create different ways to share your job opportunities to stand out and catch the eye of casual scrollers. It’s been demonstrated repeatedly that short-form video catches users’ eyes more than text. You can even repurpose older content with a simple retweet; you don’t need to reinvent the wheel with every share.

Leverage Chats

Different industries and organizations frequently host chats on X, where large groups of people come together to discuss a topic. Consider participating in your industry-specific chat to share your knowledge and cement your place as a thought leader. Also, job seekers likely pay attention to these chats—it’s an important place to be seen. You can also participate in more general chats for jobseekers, networking events, or recruiting groups.

Engage in Conversations

Constantly sharing about your open positions won’t take you very far if you don’t have any kind of relationship with your followers. Remember that on social media, relationships are key—and the best way to foster those relationships is through conversation! No more than 25% of your shared X content should be calls to action, like asking people to fill out an application or submit a resume. The other 75% could be content about your business, like sharing photos that reveal your company culture or content crafted by your employees. You’re not only trying to hunt top talent, but you’re also trying to farm them by focusing on long-term content strategy and building up a solid recruitment brand. Don’t be afraid to jump into conversations—that’s what X is for.

Research Hashtags

Hashtags aren’t a thing of the past. Although ever-shifting algorithms may have slightly lowered their impact, they can still be of importance when it comes to recruiting. Research which hashtags are relevant in your niche and make sure you’re using them to get your posts seen by your target audience. Keywords can be just as crucial—by using keywords and phrases that your potential recruits frequently search for, you can increase the chances of your tweets being discovered by potential candidates.

Avoid the Drama

One downside of X is that it’s frequently a breeding ground for in-fighting and public spats. Just like in high school, the best way to deal with drama is to avoid it all together. You don’t want to give your company a reputation for being argumentative, rude, or dismissive. Keep all of your interactions as optimistic and upbeat as possible; there’s a time and place for conflict resolution and X certainly isn’t it.

Claire Swinarski is a Contributing Editor at HR Daily Advisor.

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