While Facebook might not seem like an obvious choice for recruitment marketing, when you look at the numbers, it’s obviously a site that no talent acquisition team should ignore.
According to Pew Research Center, roughly seven in 10 adults use Facebook, making it one of the most widely used social media sites among adults in the U.S. Additionally, roughly three-quarters of Facebook users visit the site daily, including about half who do so several times a day.
With such a mass of the population using Facebook every day, the platform should be a critical piece of your recruitment marketing strategy. Facebook allows you to target users based on specific employment and industry interests, which means you can optimize your strategy to get your employer brand and job openings in front of the right job seekers.
So where do you start when it comes to using Facebook for recruitment? Let’s dive into some of your options and what makes them useful:
Start using Facebook for recruitment by posting your company’s job openings on your business page for free. This tool allows you to reach new users who may not know who you are, and who are actively seeking jobs on Facebook. You can do this manually, or use an XML feed to allow Facebook to pull jobs directly from your applicant tracking system.
Once they’re posted, Facebook users can see your position in the Jobs bookmark on Facebook or on Marketplace. If they already like your page, your jobs will show up at the top of the list when they visit these pages. And if they see a job they like, they can apply on any device.
In addition to attracting job seekers, recruiters can also track and review applications, contact applicants, and even schedule interviews through Messenger.
In addition to using Facebook’s job board, many companies have installed apps that live on their Facebook page to list their job openings.
Some examples of apps you can embed include CareerArc, Work4Labs, and Jobvite. Aside from pulling jobs into your page, these apps also create a more advanced employer branding experience. CareerArc does this by giving you a place to share employee culture information. Work4Labs offers opportunities for automated social posts from your recruitment team.
Unlike Facebook Jobs, a job app does not allow candidates to search and find your jobs on the Facebook marketplace. However, they are a great option for attracting job seekers who have already taken the time to learn about your brand by visiting your page. In fact, branded jobs apps serve as a mini career site within your Facebook page and allow those who currently engage with your company to explore your open roles. With this tactic, you are reaching an already engaged audience.
Besides the jobs-focused aspects of the site, you can use other features on Facebook for recruitment as well. Facebook’s most widely known product, Facebook ads, is a key tactic to help elevate your employer brand and reach new audiences. Facebook ads can be utilized at every stage of the candidate funnel: to help attract, re-engage, and hire.
If your goals include increasing your brand awareness, you can create a campaign utilizing engaging images or videos to create interest around the employee experience at your organization. Then, rather than ask folks to click to apply, your call-to-action can be focused on learning more about your company.
Are you looking to hire staff to fill immediate needs? You can easily create a traffic based campaign promoting your current job openings and encourage candidates to apply now. With Facebook ads, you can track their performance in real time and make adjustments based on what resonates with users.
Of course, in addition to all of these options, you should always have a strategy for the tried and true method of posting on your Facebook feed for free. Maintaining a regular cadence of posts on your page is a great method for promoting your employer brand. It gives active and passive job seekers a place to learn more about your company.
Create a Facebook content calendar of photos and videos providing a peek into a day-in-the-life of your employees, exciting news about your company, and occasionally calling out your job openings.
Using Facebook for recruitment can be as simple as one of these tactics, but it works even better when you implement a combination of them into your strategy. When used effectively, you can enhance the candidate experience.
For example, if you list your openings using the Facebook Jobs marketplace, post regularly on your organic feed, and occasionally boost your posts with paid ads, you can increase your reach among both active and passive job seekers.
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It takes more than luck to create a successful social recruiting strategy. Need help getting yours up to speed? We’d love to connect with you, or you can check out our social recruiting resources hub!
