One of my goals this year is to embrace social media and the power it adds to my recruiting strategy. We’ve all found great candidates through LinkedIn, but what can we do to increase our other social media efforts?

We know social recruiting works. Recruiters have found social media allows them to narrow the candidate searches more effectively and quickly find individuals who are qualified for the job. And social recruiting is much less cost prohibitive, and doesn’t limit recruiters based on their location.

Having a well-thought out social recruiting strategy is essential to attract and connect with the most qualified candidates for your company.

Social recruiting can be done in both a passive and active manner. It is important to formulate a solid social recruiting strategy before posting job openings on social media. This will increase your chances of getting the best response from prospective candidates.

Here are some social recruiting best practices to follow:

• It’s better to have a solid presence on one or two social networks than a weak following on too many.
• Know your target, as they vary greatly from platform to platform. Make sure your message reaches out to the right people at the right time.
• Post often! This will ensure you will be noticed more frequently and will lead to more interactions.
• Make sure you add value when you post. Stay current on industry news and content that will engage your followers, don’t just post jobs. No one likes someone who is only talking about themselves at the party, right?

Social recruiting is a long term plan, so don’t expect immediate results. Become an industry expert, and you’ll be in a much better position to reach the most qualified candidates.

How has social recruiting benefited you – please comment and share your success stories!