If you’re new to using social media to attract tech talent, all the platforms and possibilities can seem a little daunting. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Whether you're just kicking off your social recruiting strategy, or you're a seasoned pro, follow these simple principles to build your social media presence and help you engage candidates.
DO Establish Social Recruiting Goals and Objectives
Using social media to recruit tech talent becomes less daunting when you’re intentional about establishing goals and objectives. First, find out where your target candidates spend time. Tools such as TalentSearch provide insight into the social accounts that tech pros frequent.
Second, have a goal in mind. It could be a number of leads per week, posts published, articles shared or conversations started (see below for more tips on content strategy). Start small with a couple of simple, doable goals and build from there.
DON’T Focus on Number of Followers
It’s tempting to measure social recruiting progress by followers. Think again. For example, some early followers on Twitter will turn out to be spam bots. Check your followers’ profiles with an eye for attracting quality, not quantity. Learning more about who follows you (and why) can help you tailor your content.
DO Establish a Content Strategy and Schedule
Try using the 3-2-3-1 approach to investing time in social media. Every week:
- Post three pieces of fresh content. Invest 30 minutes per week in this effort.
- Start conversations with two new influencers. Invest 10 minutes per week in this effort.
- Share three links that others have posted on each social channel you’re on. This should take about 15 minutes per week.
- Comment on at least one group thread. Spend about 10 minutes per week doing this.
DON’T Be a “Drive-By Sharer”
Don’t just share something and then ignore resulting conversations. Successful social recruiting requires much more attention. Be sure to monitor comments and participate in any conversation the post may stir up.
DO Formally Block Out Time for Social Recruiting
To ensure you spend time on social activities every day, block time on your calendar. And be thoughtful about defining each appointment. For example, instead of putting “Get on social” from 8-9 a.m., schedule small timeslots that include specific details on what you want to accomplish.
DON’T Just Tell the Boss “I’m Spending an Hour on Social”
Social recruiting can be a great tool, but a lot of leaders fear it’s a productivity vampire. Sharing your plan with specific goals and time allotments with your manager can alleviate his or her worry that you’re just cruising Facebook.
DO Be ‘Profersonal’
There’s no need to have two separate social profiles for personal and professional needs. A recruiter should be transparent and also keep things to a single online profile. When recruiters attempt to have two profiles, 98 percent of the time, the professional account is incredibly dry and just spews spam.
DON’T Be Juvenile
It goes without saying that your social recruiting shares should be free of spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. But it's generally advised to also keep from using emojis, .gifs or excessive slang. Be friendly—but only to a point.
DO Proceed with Caution When Talking Politics and Religion
If you follow the advice to be “professional” and have one social media profile for friends and professional acquaintances, including tech pros you’re targeting, religion and politics is a tricky area. Our advice? Be careful about alienating and turning people away. Though you may be very passionate about a certain topic, weigh costs versus benefits by asking: “Is this statement so important to me that I’m okay if it costs me some followers?”
DON’T Stop Researching and Adapting
Social media is anything but a one-and-done proposition. Where your target audience is most active, the list of major influences and hot keywords and hashtags all constantly shift and evolve. Staying committed to continuous research and exploration is critical to staying current.
By keeping these do’s and don’ts in mind and taking an intentional, sustained approach, you’ll build valuable skills that will increase your social recruiting success.
