Using Facebook as part of a wider online presence is a practice commonly adopted by many businesses. Recruiting with Facebook works along the same lines, however as well as fans the aim is to attract attention from active job seekers and crucially, passive candidates.

As the most widely used social network in the world Facebook is second to none in terms of exposure, recruiting with Facebook offers companies access to around 1.6 Billion users worldwide – 76% of which log in at least once a day.

When used as part of an overall employer branding scheme, Facebook is an excellent way to connect with potential employees. Companies successfully recruiting with Facebook include Starbucks, Playstation, Levi’s and McDonalds who currently maintain a combined 94 million fans.

Engaging Content

Recruiting through Facebook requires the basic principles of successful social networking. In order to attract attention you must deliver regular, engaging content such as photos, videos and written posts for people to ‘like’ and share.

Company Culture

By adding content that people will ‘like’ they will then continue to receive updates from a company, including of course any posts related to job opportunities. The knock on effect of establishing that initial fan is an introduction into a wider social circle of ‘friends’ with common interests.

Asides from generating traffic, engaging posts give potential candidates an exciting insight into company culture. Recruiting with Facebook means that employers can show off their ‘personalities’ to prospective candidates.

By posting behind-the-scenes insights, photographs of office events, company videos etc, fans are given a window into a company culture they’d otherwise not have access to. This kind of transparent authenticity is appreciated by job seekers and passive candidates alike.

Passive Candidates

It’s vital for an employer to not only post content but to respond to their fans. Cultivating a strong fanbase requires active, two-way engagement from the company – which means taking part in discussions, answering queries, responding to complaints etc.

Generating discussions further benefits employer branding by promoting the company as a leading voice in their respective field. Job seekers relish the opportunity to engage in discussion, whereas passive candidates may be naturally drawn in by engaging topics.

Unlike posting on job boards or corporate websites, recruiting with Facebook serves to both engage active job seekers, and to attract the attention of passive candidates. Those who, for example, aren’t actively searching for work but are drawn by a relevant discussion or those who receive a referral via a Facebook friend.

Turning Fans into Applicants

Having created a corporate Facebook page and maintained it with fresh and engaging content, the next step to recruiting with Facebook is to turn fans into applicants. In order to do so it’s important to add links to online job applications.

Statistically, images receive more attention on Facebook than links therefore the ideal method of posting a link to an online job application is to post it alongside an image. For example, a photograph of (tagged) team members with a headline titled ‘Join Our Team!’.

Other than posting for specific jobs it’s common to pepper content with invitations to open applications. When strategically placed next to, for example, an image of the view from the office with the title ‘Jealous?’ it’s easy to win someone over on the spur of the moment.

Building a Talent Pool

Recruiting with Facebook is a relatively time-consuming method of hiring but one that pays off in the end. The engagement between employer and talent overtime builds a potential pool of candidates to choose from when a position opens.

Apart from lowering the time to hire, recruiting with Facebook also gives employers a stronger chance of hiring candidates who possess both the personality and skills to fit into a team, which in turn can lead to stronger engagement and staff retention.

Key Points to Remember

If you’re thinking about adapting your Facebook page to generate more candidates, keep the following points in mind:

– Post engaging photos and videos for your audience to ‘like’
– Regularly update your status with exciting news and competitions
– Offer behind-the-scenes insights to your company,
– Post links to online job openings alongside pictures
– Engage with your audience

Any tips or suggestions on recruiting with Facebook? We’d love to hear them – please leave your comments below.

Image Reference – Flickr Stephane Delval