Social recruiting is an effective method of targeting qualified talent via social media and achieving a greater reach. It enables companies to reach passive candidates and position themselves as an attractive employer in order to attract the best talent.
We explain how social media recruiting works, what goals can be achieved with it and why it plays a central role in modern HR strategy. We also present the latest trends in this context.
What is social recruiting?
Social media recruiting is, by definition, a modern method of recruiting staff that uses social media and networks to recruit talent. It's about reaching potential candidates not only through traditional job advertisements, but also through platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, etc., as well as specialized online communities and forums.
Social recruiting is more than just posting jobs on social media channels – it includes building relationships, promoting employer branding and actively interacting with the target audience.
The special thing about social recruiting is the interactive, personalized approach. Companies come into direct contact with potential candidates and have the opportunity to present their corporate culture, values and working methods transparently through various content and formats - from videos to blog posts to story formats.
Especially in industries and Occupations where there is a shortage of skilled workers, the approach has established itself in recent years as an efficient method of recruiting staff.
These are the goals of social media recruiting
The goals of social recruiting go beyond simply filling vacancies. They are multifaceted and aim to optimize the recruitment process in the short term as well as strengthen the HR strategy and employer branding in the long term. The most important goals of social recruiting are described below:
1. Expanding the talent pool
One of the key goals of social recruiting is to create and expand a broad talent pipeline. Social networks enable companies to reach not only actively searching candidates, but also passive talent who are not currently looking for a job but may be considered for future positions. Through continuous interaction and targeted communication, companies can build relationships with potential candidates and integrate them into the talent pool.
2. Faster and more efficient filling of vacancies
Social recruiting helps speed up the recruitment process. Since candidates can be approached directly via social platforms, response times are shortened and communication is simplified. This results in positions being filled more quickly, especially in areas where quick decisions are required.
3. Improving candidate quality
By using social media, companies have the opportunity to gain deeper insights into the qualifications and personality of candidates. Profiles, posts and interactions on social networks often provide information about whether a candidate fits the company culture and has the required qualifications. This improves the quality of applicants and reduces bad hires.
4. Increasing diversity
Social media allows companies to reach out to candidates from different regions, with different cultural backgrounds and from a wide range of disciplines. This promotes diversity within the company, which can have a positive impact on creativity, innovation and work culture.
5. Strengthening employer branding
Another important goal of social recruiting is to strengthen the employer brand. Companies present themselves as attractive employers on social media and provide insights into their corporate culture, values and working environment. This not only makes the company better known, but it is also perceived positively, which helps to attract qualified talent in the long term.
6. Increase reach through viral effects
Social networks offer the advantage that content can be easily shared and distributed by users. This leads to a so-called viral effect, where job advertisements, company news or employer branding-related content can achieve a wide reach. The multiplier effect is a key strength of social recruiting, as it increases organic distribution and visibility.
7. Data-driven optimization of the recruitment process
By analyzing data and metrics provided through social media platforms, companies can continuously improve their recruitment process. Recruiters receive detailed information about what type of content works best, which audiences respond most strongly to job openings, and which networks deliver the best results.
8. Candidate retention and care
A key goal of social media recruiting is to retain candidates in the long term. Through regular interaction and targeted content, companies can cultivate relationships with potential employees and ensure that they remember the company, even if there is currently no suitable position available. This can be particularly beneficial for positions that are difficult to fill or in specialized industries.
9. Optimizing the recruitment budget
Social media allows companies to use their recruitment resources more effectively and direct their budget to the most successful channels and campaigns. By targeting their audience precisely and making data-based decisions, they can increase the efficiency of their recruitment efforts and minimize costs by using exactly the platforms that deliver the best results.
10. Increasing transparency and authenticity
By using social networks, companies can offer a transparent and authentic representation of their working practices and culture. This includes publishing employee stories, project insights and authentic reviews that build the trust of potential candidates and convey a realistic picture of the company. This transparency helps to improve the fit of applicants and promote employee satisfaction in the long term.
These social media channels are particularly promising
One Study by the University of Bamberg has found out which social media channels candidates most frequently use to search for jobs.
Accordingly, the career networks Xing (25.8 %) and LinkedIn (19.9 %) Not surprisingly, the most frequently used option is Facebook (11.9 %), WhatsApp (10.6 %) as well as Forums and blogs (9.8 %). The video platform YouTube (7.7 %) is used more frequently for job searches than Instagram (6.6 %), Twitter (4.2 %) or Snapchat (3.7 %).
The study does not mention TikTok – the channel that, according to estimates, is used by over 60% of people from Generation Z (born between 1995 and 2010). This network should be kept in mind, especially in order to reach young talent. Little attention is paid to Pinterest, there are many creative minds here. The platform can therefore be an insider tip for finding web designers, content creators, 3D artists, etc.
Otherwise, according to the survey, the trend continues to be towards career networks. Candidates will use predominantly private social media such as Facebook and Co. less for parts of the application process in the future, if the forecast results are to be believed.
Trends in social recruiting: These approaches are on the rise!
The world of social recruiting is constantly evolving, and innovative trends promise to make the recruitment process even more creative and dynamic in the coming years. Here are some of the most exciting approaches, some of which are already in use and could become more important in the future:
Gamification: Candidates must solve playful challenges to qualify. This could, for example, take the form of online games or interactive tasks that test certain skills. The game elements can sometimes be integrated directly into social media ads or posts or on external sites that are linked.
Employee-Generated Content (EGC): Another trend is the increased use of employee-generated content in social recruiting. Here, employees create authentic content about their everyday work, such as personal posts, videos or "day-in-the-life" reports. This content often seems more authentic and engaging than traditional corporate messages and helps to convey a realistic picture of the company.
Influencer Recruiting: While influencer marketing is already established in the consumer goods industry, influencer recruiting could become increasingly important. Companies work with industry influencers or well-known personalities who act as ambassadors for the company and specifically address potential candidates. These influencers can promote the company in their network and thereby attract new talent.
AI-based recruitment: The use of artificial intelligence in recruiting is another emerging trend. AI can not only be used to create personalized job offers and display them via social media ads, but also to implement chatbots and automated application processes. AI algorithms can also be used to analyze the social media profiles and behavior of potential candidates.
Read also: AI in nursing: 5 examples of how it can counteract staff shortages
Get started with social media recruiting campaigns – here's how
What characterizes a good social media recruitment campaign? There are several points you should pay attention to:
- Target group-specific approach: Based on a target group analysis, you trigger on the appropriate channel with perfectly tailored ads/content.
- authenticity: “Real” insights into your company are trust factors that also strengthen your employer brand. Your employees can also act as brand ambassadors.
- Call to Action: Whether on the landing page or in the ad – always motivate potential candidates to take action (read the job offer, send in an application, etc.).
- Measuring success: Track predefined KPIs (reach, click rate, etc.) and continuously optimize your campaign based on the evaluations.
- automation: Tools can be used to automate various aspects of your campaign, saving you resources.
To create really efficient ads, let yourself be inspired by Best practice examples for successful social media recruiting campaigns get inspiration, get support from a professional agency or use tools like flynnethat take a lot of the work off your hands and get your campaign up and running with just a few clicks.
