The use of social media goes beyond private matters today. You can use it for professional purposes as well.
An advertising company conducted a survey that revealed that 3.5 billion people worldwide use social media. However, the typical 9-5 schedule made it impossible for years to fit it in. However, it has changed and will continue to change with new employees and digital workspaces.
“Initially, social media was merely a way of connecting people, then it evolved into a source of news and information,” asserts Anna Bersudsky, CEO of social recruiting software company CareerArc. “Now, it’s an opportunity for people and businesses to tell stories and share what’s happening.”
LinkedIn has been the de facto job-search destination since 2003 when employers and employees began sharing their stories on the platform. In fact, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok come with a lot of contributions that employers probably didn’t anticipate when Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok entered the working world.
“Generation Z and millennials seeking employment are looking for authenticity in their search for employment,” according to Debora Roland, vice president of human resources for CareerArc. “Social media can help promote authenticity and tell stories.”
Glassdoor found that 65% of job seekers are interested in learning about new opportunities through personal connections in their social network, and 79% use social media during the job search.
“The ability to have these variables for your next career or job search, as well as being able to choose a company that matches them, has made recruiting much more effective,” Bersudsky explains. “Excellent results even compared to just a decade ago.”
Employers are also increasingly participating in social media. According to SHRM, over 84 per cent of organizations recruit via social media, with another 9 per cent planning to do so. The use of social media by recruiters has been successful: 70% of recruiters say they have found candidates via social media.
“Employers are starting to understand data now,” explains Tallo’s CEO Casey Welch. I think we need to understand how employees want to communicate and how they want to behave. It’s an excellent tool for gathering data and insights. What are their biggest concerns? What do they think of us as a brand?”
Businesses care about more than just branding. Two-thirds of employers surveyed by Harris in 2020 say they screen applicants’ social media profiles when considering them for jobs. Approximately 21% of hiring decision-makers said that candidates who lack social media presence would not be considered for the job.
In 2021, Upwork’s Future of Workforce Pulse Report showed that remote work increased by 87% as a result of the Pandemic. This new paradigm has been embraced by marketers.
“We live in a hybrid remote world,” explains Taylor Roa, talent manager at Wistia, “and sometimes it could be more important to have an online presence than to be physically present.”
LinkedIn may no longer be enough for employers who are stuck in the past since employees’ internet presence is no longer restricted to traditional networking platforms. To build genuine relationships with potential talent, companies must meet them where they are, especially as younger generations become more prevalent in the workforce.
“Finding candidates on Twitter is a great place for companies that aren’t doing so already since there are people who use Twitter for everything,” Bersudsky says. “But as video content becomes increasingly important for sharing information and for storytelling, TikTok, with its virality, becomes the next exciting thing to look into for social media in the workplace.].”
It is not always true that quantity means quantity. Jobs and opportunities aren’t the only things that should be posted on multiple platforms; you should post quality content to places where people will engage with it. By selecting the right audience and objective for each post, you can maximize reach and even boost DEI efforts.
“We’ve seen a lot of underrepresented groups using Twitter to network and share job listings,” Roa said. “Many people have had success posting jobs on Black Twitter, and we work with a job board, Black Tech Pipeline, born out of a tweet.”
Employers should recognize that social media platforms are two-way conversations as they become more comfortable with the new job opportunities created by social media. You should pay attention to the accounts of prospective employees just as they should pay attention to you.
“It’s important to understand your people and how they want to use social media,” says Adams. “Know which platforms your customers are using, why they use them, and what they need from you.”