With ever-shrinking candidate pools, and the cost of talent acquisition soaring, recruitment professionals are having to get even more creative in using all the tools at their disposal.
After costly jobs boards, one of the most obvious (and cheap) hunting grounds for candidates is social media. 79% of job seekers use social media during their search. This figure goes up to 86% when you are looking at Generation Z candidates (18-24s).
Why LinkedIn?
When considering which social media channel to focus on, LinkedIn is the obvious choice for recruiters. It is purpose-built to connect professionals, so users will be more ready to engage with recruitment businesses. The same can’t really be said for other social platforms – 90% of people have said that they are happy for recruiters to reach out on LinkedIn, but this drops to around 33% with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Not forgetting the sheer volume of potential candidates that are on there in the first place! LinkedIn has 29 million users in the UK alone. This in itself can be overwhelming – how on earth can you tap into this huge talent pool and engage candidates effectively?
Tried and tested strategies
As a contractor umbrella company and provider of payroll services, Liquid Friday uses LinkedIn to reach contractors who are in or looking for temp assignments. So there is a considerable parallel with the type of user you want to reach as a recruiter.
While we don’t profess to have totally mastered LinkedIn, we’re doing ok! Over the last 6 months we have increased our company page following by 25% and significantly boosted our engagement rate on LinkedIn to over 6%.
We’d like to share a few strategies we have found effective in engaging with candidates on LinkedIn:
1. Play the long game
As well as active job seekers, don’t underestimate the long-term value of those who may use your services in the future – these are known as passive candidates. Look at users in similar positions to the roles you are hiring for. Don’t forget, candidates can also subtly mark on their LinkedIn if they may be open to new job opportunities.
2. Make your company page stand out
Your company page is where you showcase your business to potential candidates and highlight what you can do for them. There’s a number of ways you can do this but we have found the best to be carefully crafted inbound content (especially videos) and interactive content, like LinkedIn polls. Make sure this is supported with consistent graphics and imagery.
3. Join relevant LinkedIn Groups
Look for LinkedIn Groups in the sector you are recruiting for. Depending on the group, admin rules may not allow actual jobs posts but you can still interact with the right people. Start with an introduction about your business and yourself. The best way to engage with group members is to answer questions and offer advice where you can, keeping it friendly and professional.
4. Use your personal networks
LinkedIn is great at showing connections in searches and profiles, so make sure you use this to your advantage. Encourage all employees in your organisation to leverage their personal networks by sharing your LinkedIn posts with their connections. Once a candidate sees that you are a 1st or 2nd degree connection they will be more likely to engage with you.
5. Spend a little (if you want to!)
So far, the engagement strategies we have mentioned are completely free ways to engage candidates. While this one isn’t, you don’t have to spend a lot to get results. There are various paid methods of reaching candidates on LinkedIn – these include boosted posts, ads, follower invitations and of course, jobs listings! The good thing is you only pay when someone views your content, so you can choose to stop when you’ve hit your budget. Don’t forget it’s free to post jobs on your company page!
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In summary, LinkedIn is a great, cost-effective arrow to keep in your recruiter’s quiver! It’s all about engaging with the right people and making lasting connections, so when a candidate needs a job, you’re their first port of call.
About Liquid Friday
Liquid Friday is an REC business partner and an FCSA accredited provider of umbrella and CIS payroll, with a reputation built on personal service and integrity.
Established in 2006, Liquid Friday is on the approved supplier lists of a number of the Top 250 agencies while being small enough to maintain a friendly, personal approach in all client relationships.