Are you using social media to find the next great team member for your organization? If you’re searching for new talent, you’ll want to be savvy about where to look for the best candidates – especially if you’re searching for someone in tech.
Why? It’s no longer enough to simply post a job listing and wait for candidates to call you. According to experts that track applicants, hiring practices and recruitment, more candidates are becoming “social job seekers” – using sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to find career opportunities. Among those candidates, all of them are using LinkedIn. More than three-quarters of the responding group also reported that they had found their current job on Facebook. (You can learn more about the study here.)
Tech professionals are even savvier than most about searching for job opportunities online, and using social media for professional networking. If you want to increase the odds that you’ll find the very best person IT for your job opening, then here are the best ways to use social media to find the most savvy tech candidates.
First, use social media to showcase your organization’s brand and build your reputation. Use all of your social media channels to post helpful information, testimonials and additional content that showcases what sets your organization apart. For example, you can use posts to highlight current employees, broadcast initiatives or upcoming events, and spotlight customer testimonials. Anything you can do to increase word-of-mouth will go a long way to build your reputation and attract talent.
Keep the momentum going by using your social sites to share job opportunities. This might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many organizations do a spotty job of posting the most current information about openings. Instead, why not make the most of every tool in your arsenal? Posting job listings and links to the organization website is free, easy and a great way to increase engagement on your page. These posts also increase the likelihood that someone in your network will pass along the information to the right person.
Perhaps even more importantly, your social networks are critical to build the professional relationships that can lead to great referrals. It’s not enough to stick with traditional networking these days. Always follow up on new meets by joining their social networks on LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, too. You can also reconnect with employees, freelancers and others to get great referrals and make yourself easier to find by job hunters looking for new opportunities.
Additionally, you can join Twitter to network directly with professionals. Use Twitter chats and hashtags to join the conversation between industry leaders and great tech people. It’s a great way to connect, and increases your visibility and reputation. (Visit the Twitter Chat Schedule for more information about the Tweet Chats scheduled. Search out your industry, and area of interest.)
Finally, don’t forget to use your social media channels to connect with Market Street Talent. You can find us on on Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Linkedin. We’re always updating our pages with helpful information – for both job seekers, and employers – and job opportunities. We invite you to join our professional network, and look forward to hearing from you!