Many hesitate to use Facebook for recruiting purposes because of its reputation as the “social” network, where you don’t mix your personal and professional identities. However, recent statistics have shown that it can be used as a powerful tool for recruitment. Facebook’s recent Timeline changes and settings updates have also made it easier to use the site for professional networking.
The site has over 845 million users who are using Facebook not only to socialize, but to network and find jobs. With such a tremendous number of users, there are greater possibilities for networking on Facebook than on LinkedIn, Twitter and Google Plus combined.
Over half of Facebook users log in to the site daily. Other social networking sites are not visited regularly and therefore are not updated as consistently as Facebook, which has led to a common problem on LinkedIn - the user only updates their profile when they are actively searching for a job. This makes LinkedIn a good place to find active candidates, but very difficult to source passive candidates.
The average visit to Facebook is 20 minutes and Facebook gets one of every five page-views on the Internet. Since people spend a greater amount of time on Facebook than on any other site, users see job postings more often, thus providing recruiters with a quicker response. All of these facts simply serve to reiterate the potential benefits of recruiting on Facebook. Why not go fishing where the fish are?
So, how do you get started?
Your first step should be to make a Facebook Career Page. Here are some tips on getting started on your page with the Timeline layout, which goes live Friday, March 30.
• Activate your timeline. First you will want to preview your new Facebook Page. Between now and March 30, your Timeline Layout will only be visible to your page's admins until you publish it.
• Choose a cover photo that best represents your company. Facebook is not allowing any sort of call-to-action on cover photos because it turns off fans.
• Rearrange your apps. Previously located on the left column underneath the profile pictures, apps have been relocated to the right side of the About section. Photos permanently take the first place slot, but the other three top tiles can be of your choosing. If you use one, make sure to place your Job Posting App as one of the top three to ensure visibility and easy access.
• Pin your most important post to the top of your Timeline. You can choose to pin posts to the top left spot of the Timeline feed, which will stay there for seven days. You should utilize this option to show off a special status update, a photo, a job opening or whatever else you choose to highlight in a given week. This allows you to control the first thing your fans see when they look at your Timeline Page.
Now that you have it set up, what kind of content do you post?
• Post video job descriptions where candidates can hear the job qualifications straight from the hiring manager. If you can, also do a quick interview with the person who is currently in the position (or in the department), and ask them questions about their job, why they like working at your company, and what skills/personality traits the ideal person for your opening would have.
• Post pictures that show why your office is a great place to work. People like looking at pictures - so take some of your employees at work and at company events. If you have something that makes your office unique, show it off.
• Post jobs no more than 20% of the time. Job postings don't always apply to everyone who "likes" your Facebook page, but videos, pictures, and articles, which explore your employer brand, do.
Once you have created your page, gained followers and sparked engagement with your fans, be sure to use your Facebook Insights to track how your users are responding to your content. This allows you to analyze and tailor your social recruitment strategy and find quality talent on Facebook!
