Today, the average Facebook user spends almost seven hours a month surfing the social media platform. From navigating their News Feed to checking out their favorite brands, visitors are spending more time interacting with their social network. Even when it comes to landing that next, big job opportunity, people are turning to Facebook as a reliable employment resource. So if you’re not leveraging Facebook for recruiting, you could be missing out on some great prospective talent. To begin investigating the platform’s recruiting capabilities, we’ve created a quick guide to get you acquainted with the basics.
One of the most powerful ways to exploit Facebook’s visibility is to create a community where interested job seekers can learn about your company’s career opportunities and culture. The easiest way to do this is by creating a Facebook Page—either dedicated to your company or your career opportunities. Both have their own advantages, but the most important thing is that you take the first step. Formulate a plan to maintain your page before actually creating one and make sure you’re ready to dedicate a certain amount of time each day to managing the page. Job seekers will quickly stray if it stays stagnant for too long.
Whether you decide to create a company page with a careers tab or a fully devoted careers Facebook page, you need to develop a strategy first. Here is a list of queries to get you started.
How can you express your company culture?
What kind of content will you share?
How will you continually engage your audience and potential candidates?
How will you showcase your open positions and will there be an application system?
These are all questions that not only need definitive answers, but also require a plan. Keep track of your ideas, topics and themes from the beginning to maintain consistent messaging throughout the life of the page.
When it comes to finding talent, it’s all about discovering candidates who are the right fit. While it’s critical for candidates to have the skills and past experience, it’s also just as important that his or her character matches up with your company’s values and interests. If your company is all about creating autonomy, then you wouldn’t want to hire someone who enjoys a lot of guidance. Your Facebook page is the place to share that kind of information. Post photos of your workspace, testimonials from current employees, and a quick summary of your company culture. If a candidate feels drawn to your company’s attributes, there’s a better chance he or she will make a valuable addition to your team.
To make sure you’re showing up in fans’ News Feeds, it’s critical to maintain a constant stream of engaging content. Don’t be afraid to ask questions that create discussions. The more engagement fans have with your posts, the better chances your updates have of appearing in your network’s News Feed. When you’re ready to start strategizing and creating content, the possibilities are really endless. Stay organized by creating an editorial calendar where you can assign each day’s post.
Company Insights. Post photos of your workplace, videos of your recent events, exciting company updates and random candids from the day. Anything that will give your fans a taste of what it’s like to work for your company.
Employee features. Spotlight excelling employees. Post a photo of the employee and provide testimonials of their success, highlighting your company’s growth potential and showcasing first-hand reviews of the work environment.
Internally generated content. If your company operates a blog or resource center, your Facebook page is prime real estate for sharing your articles. If you’re page is solely focused on career opportunities, make sure the content stays relevant to job seekers. Post links to your stories and never forget to ask for reactions or opinions. It’s all about engagement!
Industry relevant content. If you’re always reading up on the latest industry news, don’t be afraid to share your discoveries. Something you find valuable or interesting will probably be just as relevant to your potential job seekers.
Job seeker related content. The same goes for general employment news or job seeker tips. If you have great insight on building a resume; are curious about your audience’s first job; or just want to share an inspirational quote, providing valuable resources to your fans will help develop a loyal following.
Of course, the most important piece of content on your page will be your current openings! Every position you're looking to fill should be posted straight to your wall, so fans can easily like, comment or share. If you want to create a dedicated jobs space where candidates can apply within Facebook, there are several resources you can turn to.
One of the most valuable aspects of posting jobs on Facebook is the ability to expand candidate reach with very little effort. By dedicating a “share” button to each of your open jobs, users can easily send opportunities to their friends and family. Not only increasing your jobs’ visibility, but also taking advantage of the powerful referral. The person who decided to share the job most likely saw the recipient as a good fit for the position. A good start to any hiring process.
Depending on your effort and the amount of time you decide to invest, Facebook company or career pages can be a vital tool for your company’s talent acquisition. With a solid posting strategy, engaging content and a clear employment story, you can start capitalizing on the recruiting capabilities of Facebook.
