Revolutionize Recruiting: Part 3

Relevance on Social

Written by Jaclyn Kohlhepp & Diane Thielfoldt

Is your employment brand, purpose and culture influential and appealing? How well are you communicating your employee value proposition (EVP) to potential hires? Now is the time to think about the social platforms you will use to boost appeal and how you will use them.

In today’s job market, being relevant on social media means more than just having a presence. It’s what you say, how you say it, when and where you say it. Utilize targeted messaging, communicating to job seekers what they need to know about working at your company and what makes your workplace unique. Create thoughtful opportunities for job seekers to engage with captivating photos, contests, polls, live-streaming and online chatting. Well-done social media allows job seekers to see themselves at your company.

Millennial and Gen Z will search social media to learn out about your company. They want to see your values and hear your voice. They are looking for a multidimensional view of what life is like at your organization. Use social media to give them the answers. They want to see how they will fit in. They want to hear how you talk about work; the challenges and opportunities, the industry issues and trends– will they be included in those critical conversations? Will they be invited to contribute and be part of the solution? Gen Z wants to make an impact – how likely is that to happen?

The emerging generations are also curious about your commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. In 2020, Glassdoor and The Harris Poll reported that 76% of employees and job seekers when evaluating companies and/or job offers, said diversity in the workplace matters; as does a sense of belonging. Communicating a sense of belonging will prompt prospects to apply; letting candidates know their contributions will make a difference and that they can have an impact will expand your talent pool.

Engagement! Job seekers expect social media to be engaging. A relevant social media presence, offers multiple opportunities to capture candidate’s attention. You might invite candidates to tune into a live, online employee panel to ask questions about “life” at the company. Images of team members volunteering outside of the workplace, extends your culture beyond the walls of your workspace.

Need Problem Solvers! Entice applicants to apply by talking with them about current projects or problems you need solving. Amazon created a hugely successful online hiring campaign highlighting their company-wide effort to become carbon neutral by 2040. You can use social media to talk about projects in your community, highlighting the team members who brought them to life.

Short and Sweet! Gen Z, the mobile generation, has been described as having an attention span shorter than a fish – approximately 8 seconds. Millennials utilize multiple devices throughout the day creating competition for their attention. Your social media touches must be short and to the point to pack any punch. Use photos or videos in your posts. Use fewer words and more images. Use emojis and strong key words to quickly capture attention and convey meaning.

Always On! Provide opportunities for prospective employees to engage with you 24 / 7. We know Millennials check multiple platforms throughout the day including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. Gen Z is more likely to use Snap Chat, YouTube and Instagram and they are the largest consumer of TikTok. Is Tik Tok part of your recruiting strategy? Should it be?

Bottom line -- schedule your posts on different platforms at a variety of times to increase your visibility and opportunity for interaction with candidates.

Kohlhepp is the founder of JTK Consulting, LLC (jtkconsultingllc.com), a consulting firm committed to helping organizations solve people problems using innovative and sustainable recruitment and engagement solutions. Connect with her @ jackie@jtkconsultingllc.com.

Thielfoldt is co-founder of The Learning Café (thelearningcafe.net), a consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations develop, engage and retain the talent of every generation. Reach her at DianeT@thelearningcafe.net