NOTE: This content was originally published on JazzHR's blog - JazzHR is an award-winning Applicant Tracking System (ATS) that helps organizations save time, make the best hires, and reduce recruitment costs.

Once upon a time, being active on social media during work hours was looked down upon. Now, employees are encouraged to stay active on their social media accounts throughout the day. It’s used to promote content and marketing campaigns, and it should come as no surprise that social media platforms have become a great recruiting tool for hiring managers. Here’s why and how to use social media to find talented applicants:

1) It’s one of the first places potential recruits will look.

Most people are on at least one social media platform, and when they hear about an opportunity, they immediately look to social media to learn more. A company’s social media accounts are a snapshot of the company as a whole. If an applicant likes what they see on social media, they will be more likely to take the next step and complete the job application.

2) Social media allows for employee evangelism.

Social media lets all employees be brand advocates. It shouldn’t be only media outlets tweeting about your company, after all, employees know the company best. Happy employees are the ones who should be promoting and encouraging other people to work for your company.

3) If you don’t have an account, no one can find you.

Let’s face it, if your company doesn’t have some sort social media presence, how will you find young social-savvy recruits (the future of your organization), and how will they find you?

How to use each platform:

Twitter is great for sharing job postings, images, linking to articles in which your company is mentioned, and more. Unlike many other social media platforms, Twitter is great for posting multiple times a day since the feeds are constantly refreshing. Using social media management tools such as HootSuite or SproutSocial allows for automatic posts to be sent throughout the day. In addition, having your employees tweet designated posts each day shows that employees are engaged and are promoting the company. Twitter also allows for one-to-one engagement which is a great way to directly connect with recruits.

Instagram is great for building and showing company culture. Have employees share pictures of events going on at the office (happy hours, team building events, team meetings, etc.) and post them with captions explaining the image. Using consistent hashtags and following along with trends (ex: using #TBT for throwback Thursday, or #FollowFriday), allows for users to easily find images and keep up with your company.

Facebook ads are always an option to recruit talent, posting in Facebook groups may give you more success. Facebook groups on certain topics allow for lively discussions and connections you may not be able to have on other platforms. Sharing job openings and links on Facebook lets thousands of people see your posts, and also allows others to share the same links. While Facebook may not be your first thought for talent, it never hurts to try.

Of the major social media platforms, LinkedIn is the one known for being the professional site. Potential employees and hiring managers alike use LinkedIn as a recruiting tool. The LinkedIn Recruiter program helps companies find the most qualified talent on the network. With access to over 400 million profiles, and the ability to send private messages, you can target applicants who aren’t on other platforms. In addition to the LinkedIn Recruiter, there are career pages and job postings. Once a potential employee finds a job that seems interesting, they can click to the company profile page to fid out more about the organization. LinkedIn is the all in one recruiting tool for both hiring managers, and those looking for jobs.

If you haven’t started using social media as a recruiting tool, now is the time to get started. Start using some of these tips, and you’ll be sure to find and hire great talent.

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