As more and more users spend an increasing amount of time on social networking sites such as Facebook, company recruiters have recognized that there is a great opportunity to utilize this new channel to connect with prospective candidates. After looking through several company Facebook fan pages focused on recruiting, there are some companies that are successfully leveraging the platform to effectively source new talent for their organization. Below, you will find what I think are the best practices of company Facebook fan pages for recruiting.
1. Provide a balanced mix of communication about the company and overall industry. Let’s face it, everyone knows that much of the discussion will center around your company. But, it is also helpful to show candidates how your company fits into the entire landscape of the industry. This gives candidates perspective and invites them to begin thinking about how they can help your company become more successful.
2. Post photos and videos of interns and employees demonstrating what working at your company is all about. Pictures and moving pictures are worth a thousand words. It’s one thing to tell a prospective candidate how great your intern program is, it’s quite another to show these employees engaged in awesome team building activity.
3. Respond to posted questions (positive/negative). The best responses are timely, informative, concise, and direct. If a question has been posted on your wall for more than one day, you are missing an opportunity to engage candidates and quite possible damaging your employment brand in the process.
4. Highlight what makes your company unique. Don’t just recycle the information that is on your company careers website. Reward fans of your company page by providing relevant insight that may compel them to apply for an opportunity at your company or tell others about your company.
5. Provide a direct link to an employment application. This is all about capturing prospective candidates at the peak of interest. Don’t make interested candidates have to search for how to apply for opportunities at your companies. And, make sure you check that the link you do provide actually works. Broken links are bad!
6. Utilize more than one voice to respond to posted questions. On a Facebook fan page, you can name multiple group administrators. Invite current employees to join your fan page and empower them to answer questions that are relevant to their areas of expertise.
If you are a company with a Facebook fan page that is being used for recruiting efforts and you aren’t doing these things, get started. You will find candidates far more engaged and satisfied when you take these simple steps to improve their user experience.
–The SenSay