According to a recent Jobvite survey, 66% of recruiters and hiring managers are using Facebook to find qualified job candidates.
Significantly, this is up from just 55% the previous year, and as Facebook’s user base approaches two billion, it’s likely you’ll see an even steeper increase in coming years. This indicates a lot of opportunity to find great applicants within the mammoth social network’s membership.
That said, there is a right way, and a wrong way to recruit on a social media site like Facebook which, compared to someplace like LinkedIn, is much more focused on the “social” half of the social networking equation. Below are five examples of companies doing it the right way.
1. Accenture
Not only can you apply to work at Accenture and get customized job recommendations directly through their Facebook page (using an app powered by Work4) but the company also fills the page chock full of information and updates for potential applicants. Their integrated careers calendar shows recruitment events and also details webcast opportunities and other virtual gatherings.
2. Marriott
If the 1.2 million likes of Marriott’s careers page doesn’t impress you by itself, maybe the fact that Marriott has four times more likes and followers than even Facebook’s own careers page might get you thinking that, perhaps, they’re doing a lot right. In addition to allowing visitors to apply for any one of thousands of jobs, broken down and easily searchable by location and specialty, Marriott really excels at the core tenets of successful social media recruiting.
In addition to actively managing the page, posting content two or more times per day, highlighting what it’s like to work at Marriott, and spotlighting individual employees, their engagement with applicants is outstanding. From asking general questions in posts like, “Mistakes can sometimes be considered a blessing in disguise. What's the best career related 'mistake' you've ever made?” to responding to literally every single comment they receive (and there are hundreds) with helpful answers, to making sure each and every person managing the page and replying to comments is identified with a name (“Mike At Marriott” instead of “Marriott Careers,” for instance) this page really is the gold standard for using Facebook correctly.
In keeping with their theme of user engagement, Marriott also runs “Career Chats” on the page where four to five Marriott employees answer user questions in real time and offer helpful advice on applying and being accepted to jobs within the company.
3. Taco Bell
With almost 150,000 likes, the Taco Bell careers page is an excellent example of how spotlighting employee contributions can be done well. From sharing comments by customers about the great service they received with individual employees, to posting Taco Bell uniform selfies, the careers page does a great job of showing potential applicants what it’s like to work there.
The ability to apply through the Facebook page, and a centralized calendar of events (integrated with Facebook’s events functionality) round out the offerings here.
4. Dell
Dell’s career page on Facebook, like Marriott’s, has more likes than Facebook’s own careers page. The things they’re doing right include highlighting the achievements of individual employees, allowing users to apply to jobs through the page (with a Taleo app), and showcasing the company’s culture through employee quotes and pictures of events.
However, here, as with Marriott’s page, it’s user engagement that really steals the show and drives the high numbers of applicants and likes. Dell not only asks its followers plenty of questions (“#DellFun: Pong was the first ever video game - true or false?”), but also has a part of the page devoted to polls (“When was the last time you updated your resume?”), and gives job search tips to help candidates in their career hunt generally.
5. Unilever
Unilever breaks up their Facebook job postings into “Early Careers” and “Professional Careers” to help applicants self-target their job search. With almost 650,000 likes, they’re also getting a lot of applicants through those pages (which are, like Accenture’s, powered by a Work4 app).
Unilever is also upping the game on sharing their company culture and employee successes. Quotes and pictures from real employees, and pictures of offices and events, help to really show what it’s like to work at Unilever. They generate additional user engagement through games on their “Made By You” tab like the “Brand Puzzle” (which I lost 60 seconds to).
The Key Takeaway? Engagement, engagement, engagement.
While you can survive with Facebook recruiting having just the basics (a recruiting page, the ability for applicants to apply through Facebook, occasional desultory posts about new openings), to thrive requires you to really engage with visitors in a way suited to the medium
You must:
Ask people questions in almost every post
Respond to comments and questions (yes, to all of them)
Attach a human face to every post and comment you make
Post multiple times a day
Offer valuable things to prospects like application advice, or opportunities to chat with you in real time to answer their questions
Others?
Have you seen other companies doing great things while using Facebook to hire? Post about them in the comments!