Social Media Hiring Strategies For SMEs

21st February 2022 Last updated on 23rd August 2022

Difficulties hiring employees have become more profound as the UK labour market has more open positions than potential candidates to fill them. Businesses naming talent acquisition as a significant challenge include those operating in the engineering, Information Technology and finance industry.

Employers face difficulties finding the best talent, with a UK skills shortage limiting the number of qualified job seekers. If your business has an existing or new job to fill, it will need to leverage the latest recruitment strategies. A recruitment tool that is proving its worth during a time of rapid industry developments is the social media recruitment strategy.

Why SMEs Need To Embrace A Social Recruiting Strategy To Attract Job Seekers

Small businesses are saying they feel that larger corporations are mopping up their target audience. With larger budgets for advertising on career websites, engaging recruitment agencies, and the resources to offer new talent more significant salaries, SMEs can no longer rely on the standard recruiting efforts, which were previously effective in attracting talented workers.

The Case For Creating Job Postings On Social Media Pages

A social media recruitment strategy is the most effective recruitment tool after job postings on a job board and employee referrals from existing employees. The Society for Human Resource Management states that more companies are turning to social media recruitment strategies for the following reasons:

Nine out of ten potential candidates have access to social media feeds
85% of potential employees use the internet daily
Eight out of ten people in the UK access the internet via their smartphone
Half of the population have active social media accounts
Eight out of ten people use social media to search for jobs
86% of younger job seekers make job searches on social media

Reaching Passive Candidates

Your employer brand can also reach passive candidates through social recruiting tools. Social media recruiting is most effective on LinkedIn, with Facebook and Twitter also used successfully as social platforms for hiring.

Additional Benefits In Using Professional Social Networks

By building a professional network on a social media networking site, your organisation is attracting a talent pool, ready to hear about future vacancies. Your business can build its employer branding and engage with industry experts and social media influencers.

How To Use Social Media To Boost Your Recruitment Efforts

Screening potential candidates online is straightforward, but you should be aware that the same candidates use social media to screen your company. They can quickly be turned off by poorly controlled comment threads and news feeds. To use social media as an effective recruitment tool, you should:

Build Your Company Brand

To attract a prospective employee, you should weave in social media posts about life in the office and employee profiles to create a relatable identity.

Encourage Employees To Comment And Share

It would help if you encourage employees to advocate for your business, sharing news, insights, success stories, and job satisfaction.

Recognise Current Trends And Mindsets

The past few years have radically changed the mindsets of workers. You can no longer appeal to trusted values such as a secure retirement package. Whereas happiness at work was just an added perk, employees expect job satisfaction, which might mean embracing flexible working practices and introducing an element of fun or excitement into the workplace.

Instagram Stories Might Be The Next Big Recruitment Tool

Instagram is not just a networking site, and it is currently drawing more views than Snapchat Stories. For social media recruiting, it is crucial to engage future hires with stories, artwork, and a clear message.

Job Boards And Social Media Recruiting

Job board advertising and social media are changing and improving how small businesses and recruitment agencies search and attract candidates. You will need to embrace both if you want to create a diverse and talented workforce.

Read How To Advertise A Job On Social Media.

Small Businesses Guide For Cost Effective Recruitment

Social Media Hiring Strategies For SMEs is a chapter from our Small Business Guide For Cost Effective Recruitment. In this recruitment guide, we explore: