{"id":999881333,"date":"2024-07-11T13:59:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T13:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/?p=175711573"},"modified":"2025-06-18T05:48:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T11:48:40","slug":"18-expert-tips-to-get-started-in-social-recruiting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/hiring\/recruitment\/18-expert-tips-to-get-started-in-social-recruiting","title":{"rendered":"18 Expert Tips to Get Started in Social Recruiting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You’ve been told time and time again how important social media is to recruiting and sourcing candidates. If you’re not convinced yet, here’s even more fuel for the fire: Identified<\/a>, a professional social scoring analytics firm, estimates that its clients who efficiently use social media for recruiting have lowered hiring costs in one year by as much as 25 percent.<\/strong> Sounds great, right? But what if you don\u2019t have a social media presence? Or if you do, how do you know you\u2019re recruiting effectively<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re on your own, here’s what HR and recruiting experts recommend to start:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips for Expert Social Recruiting<\/strong><\/u><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Import Your Existing Contacts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It’s easy to launch social tools and quickly get connected to your existing network. \u201cThe great thing about Facebook and Twitter is that you can import your contact list to find people in your network already on these networks,\u201d says social media consultant Richard Dedor<\/a> (@RichardDedor<\/a>). Once imported, your existing contacts are your base for social recruiting efforts. \u201cThe contacts you already know are the best tool for meeting the contacts you\u2019d like to know,\u201d said Keren Doueck (@viralworkforce<\/a>), Founder of Viral Workforce<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Tap into Well-connected Employees for Advice and Networks<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTake the most networked of your employees and talk to them about how they build and manage their network. Try to enlist them as an advocate for the company to attract new candidates. Ask them what would be the appropriate way to engage their network to get referrals,\u201d says Dan Arkind, CEO of the applicant tracking system JobScore.com<\/a>. \u201cWhat you\u2019re trying to figure out is how to appropriately message them.\u201d You can\u2019t just ask your rockstar contacts to connect you with everyone they know, says Arkind. Instead, ask to sit down at their computers and look at their social networks. Identify key people and strategize ways to approach them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Encourage Top Employees to Join Talent Communities and Promote Your Company<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You want all your employees who are active in social media to help your efforts. If you have a great company culture, that won\u2019t be a problem. If not, consider enticing them them with financial incentives, suggests Lauren Smith (@Laurn_Smth<\/a>), Marketing Director for Ascendify Social Recruiting<\/a>. While all employees’ social participation is desirable, focus initially on the best. \u201cThose people are likely to be harder workers (to look good in front of friends), more loyal (to stay with friends) and a better fit culturally (because it\u2019s made up of their like-minded friends),\u201d Smith says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Build Detailed Public Profiles<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Create a well-written profile with lots of keywords and contact information. It seems simple, but the social landscape is strewn with half-written profiles with non-existing or outdated contact information. \u201cNothing makes social recruiting harder than not having a way for candidates to reach you,\u201d says Kes Thygesen (@RolePoint<\/a>), Co-Founder and Head of Product for RolePoint<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Humanize Your Professional Profile<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You’ll focus lots of social recruiting time on passives, so it\u2019s important that you \u201chumanize\u201d your profile, says Zach Dearth (@BostonZachD<\/a>), Recruiting Manager at Randstad Technologies<\/a>. When you reach out to someone via a social network, the first thing they’ll do is look at your profile. \u201cIf your profile is professional and you can portray that you are an expert in your field, this person is going to feel much more comfortable working with you,\u201d says Dearth. You can add human elements without compromising professionalism with a friendly picture, some personal notes, or links to other platforms like your blog and Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Have a Recruiting<\/em> Presence, Not Just a Sales Presence<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Prospective hires will “Google” your company for information about what it\u2019s like to work there. \u201cHighlight what your company is, what you do and stand for besides the business – and that the company is a great place to work,\u201d says Justin Sherratt (@JustinSherratt<\/a>), founder of Sortbox<\/a>. Your everyday social communication will help build that brand perception, but it should also exist as basic information on your company\u2019s \u201cAbout\u201d page. Your recruiting presence should also be visible where the talent spends their time. On Dice, businesses can build their own brand page \u2013 check out IBM<\/a> and Walgreens<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Hang Out in Your Industry’s Niche Network<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Choosing that first social network depends on where your candidates are, and it may not be in the obvious places. \u201cWhether it is finance, construction, engineering, or as specific as workers with specific credentials, skills, or certifications, social recruiting is one place where one size does not<\/em> fit all,\u201d says Evan Lesser (@ClearanceJobs<\/a>), Managing Director of ClearanceJobs<\/a>. \u201cNiche networks do what Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn can\u2019t do \u2013 they speak the same language as its members and are designed to fit the unique traits of their audience.\u201d To determine that niche network, ask your industry\u2019s rock stars where they hang out online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Use Monitoring Applications to Listen <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Even if you already know where to begin, continuously tune in to key conversations in your space. Simply follow key search terms using any of the endless number of social media monitoring applications. \u201cAs a result of listening, you will have learned quite a few things: where potential candidates might be found in your industry, what they are talking about, and who else, if anyone, is trying to engage them,\u201d says Becky Carroll (@bcarroll7<\/a>) of the Petra Consulting Group<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Help Others by Sharing Content<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSocial recruiting should ideally be about people helping people. The more you genuinely help people, the more visibility you get. The more visibility you get, the more you are able to help people,\u201d says ClearanceJobs’ Lesser. This is core of social media and social recruiting, and it’s how you build and feed your network. \u201cBy building your personal brand on a network, you gain the trust and respect of its members, and your hiring messages will then hold more weight,\u201d Lesser reiterates. \u201cDon\u2019t feel pressure to always develop original content,\u201d says Ascendify\u2019s Smith. \u201cSimply retweeting articles and videos that might be relevant to your followers is a fast and easy way to stay active and even garner more followers. Often times, people will follow you as a \u2018thank you\u2019 for retweeting their content.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Start on Networks You\u2019re Already Familiar With<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not connected to any group and just want a friendly starting ground, begin with groups with which you already have an association, like a high school or college alumni association, advises Andrew Scarano, VP at TCI-SEARCH. Even if the group isn\u2019t your core audience, Scarano noted, \u201cIt isn\u2019t who you know. It is who do the people you know know.\u201d Sometimes you\u2019ll be surprised at your discoveries. Karen Biscoe, Founder at Green Search Partner<\/a>, was able to identify a strong engineering candidate from her online poetry group. \u201cSomething about his prose made me think, \u2018Ahhh…the structure of his lines sounds very engineered…hmmm, I wonder,\u2019” she said. Tip <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

11. Tackle Only One Social Channel at a Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPick one social networking site and focus on building up your connections. Trying to tackle all of them at once will be too overwhelming,\u201d suggests Shana Farnsworth, Delivery Manager for Randstad Technologies. Sarah White (@imsosarah<\/a>), author of the HRTech Blog<\/a> suggests the same, \u201cFocusing on one social solution will make it feel less overwhelming and allow you to really engage and appreciate the tool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12. Be a Professional Online Stalker<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMore often than not, if you pick up the phone or send an initial intro email, it won’t get answered. But if you find a way to connect outside of that, you have a better chance,\u201d says Patricia Kenyon (@RecruiterPattiK<\/a>), Corporate Recruiter for Volt Workforce Solutions<\/a>. \u201cThis is where the professional stalking comes into play.\u201d To connect with key people, join their groups online, comment on their blog post, or respond to a comment they\u2019ve made. Then intentionally run into them at networking events and comment on your online connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n