Today, more and more job seekers are turning to Facebook to find new job opportunities, and strategic human resource leaders are responding in a big way. By leveraging the power of Facebook, recruiters can extend their reach to potential candidates who use the network to find jobs. Whether they’ve decided to create a career focused Facebook page or added a careers tab on their already existing company page, recruiters are building communities for interested applicants to learn what it’s like to work for for them, engage with fellow users and stay updated on current open positions. The best communities even provide a “one-stop shop” for candidates, allowing them to apply without ever leaving Facebook.
If you’ve decided to finally jump on the social recruiting train starting with Facebook, you’re one step in the right direction. When it comes time to decide what avenue your Facebook page should take (career focused versus corporate focused), use this guide to formulate the decision that's right for your organization.
Career-focused Facebook Page
PROS:
- Narrow focus. This makes it easier for whoever is managing the page. Instead of sharing potential posts with your social media manager or marketing department, you can completely focus on publishing employment content.
- Less navigation for visitors. All employment information is displayed upfront and center without requiring visitors to click through tabs to find it.
- Post jobs consistently. With a career focused page, you don’t have to worry about spamming your fans who are not interested in employment. Feel free to post your open positions as often as you’d like without being intrusive.
- Targeting active, interested candidates. By creating a space that caters to candidates who are already actively seeking your open positions, you're setting up a great foundation for a successful hire from the get go.
CONS:
- Missing out on passive candidates. This isn’t a great strategy for reaching passive candidates because it may be harder build up a following; and therefore, your page won’t reach a larger network (where your passive candidates may live).
- Divided budget. This applies to small companies who are just starting to get their feet wet in social promotion. Instead of dividing your budget between two pages (career-focused and corporate-focused), it may make more sense to dedicate all your resources to one entity.
- Time investment. As a recruiter, you have a lot on your plate. If you plan to regularly publish content and police comments, make sure you have the time to commit (without going crazy). If you’re more concerned about posting your jobs, you could also look to a third party aggregator.
Corporate Facebook Page with a Careers Tab
PROS:
- Capture passive candidates. Maybe you stumble upon one of your fans who has great skills and seems qualified to fit your open position. If they are already interested in your product or service, they may be open to taking a job!
- Combined budget. Again, this option may be better for smaller companies who are just starting out on the social scene. Combining your resources makes it easier to get things going.
- Off hands, off mind. If you already have a corporate page or are looking to create one, you probably have someone who is taking the reigns in terms of content generation and page maintenance. That means you don’t have to deal with the posting logistics and generally will be able to invest less time.
CONS:
- Divided focus. Without a dedicated careers page, employment content could get lost among all the other stuff—campaigns, product updates, marketing pieces, etc. Plus, your publisher may have little experience with employment content and
- Buried careers tabs. If your corporate page has multiple tabs, it may take some digging for visitors to find your space dedicated to careers.
- Conservative posting. Because not all of your fans are interested in employment, you may have to be mindful of how often you’re posting open positions. Some users feel spammed when their inundated with invaluable information.
Remember the Goal
Whatever path you choose, it’s all about creating a community that entices quality talent to keep coming back. That means providing a visually stimulating experience with great content, beautiful photos, compelling video and an engaging experience. Make sure your whole workforce is onboard as well. Ask that all of your employees “like” the page and share job openings with their friends and before you know it, you’ll have a community of talented people ready and eager to work for you. And that’s what recruiting on Facebook is all about.
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