The reason behind the ground-breaking popularity of social media is its interactive character. Today, billions of people are communicating through various social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, etc. But more than that, due to its profound efficacy, social media is being used as a tool by businesses, organizations, governments, or even groups with vested interests. So one area that can be immensely benefited by social media is hiring or recruitment.

As opposed to the traditional way of hiring professionals, using social networks can be highly effective in making connections and locating the right talent. According to a new report from GlobalWebIndex, the average person now has 7.6 active social media accounts. The main reason why people join these online communities is to share their thoughts and converse with like-minded people.

If you are a small business owner and want to build a right team with a range of talented individuals, social media is the perfect outlet for you. Since it’s a high speed and low-priced agency, you can reach your required workforce easily and quickly. One of the cool uses of social media in this regard is it allows you to easily do background checks on your potential hires.

To create a powerful recruitment and retention strategy, let us describe the effectiveness of each social media channel:

1. Facebook

Facebook boasts of having the most number of users; also, it has the most evenly distributed gender and age demographics. The platform can be very effective in reaching candidates that are "passive," or not searching for a job, but open to the right opportunities. There are many ways to promote jobs on Facebook. The new “jobs tab” feature allows you to create your job post by using a status updater tool on your business page.

If you have to do group hiring, a job fair or a smaller job event may be right for you. For that, you have to click on “Create Event” on your Facebook page. After running the job ad, Facebook will automatically create a call to action. It will help the interested candidates to attend the event. Thus, Facebook Jobs tab allows you to – capitalize on your employer brand, speed up the application process, and reach out to a huge number of people.

“Facebook Live” is an interactive feature that allows all the recruiters to meet their potential candidates. Using this feature, you can show your candidates how your company operates and how different it is from the rest. Facebook has just come out with a tool that allows you to broadcast live videos right in your Facebook feed.

2. Twitter

Twitter is extremely interactive as well as a popular social media platform, which is evolving even further. Businesses of all types and sizes use Twitter as a way to publicize their companies. You can also share your brand’s vision and your company culture through Twitter, and make people want to work for you. You can start by growing more followers through your company’s official Twitter Handle. However, your personal Twitter account encourages more interaction. You can separately use both the accounts to create followers as well as engagement. The obvious next step is craft an impressive bio – introduce your company and explain what you want to achieve and how.

Sharing industry related articles that your followers might enjoy can be a good icebreaker. Apart from providing good content for your prospects, allowing a glimpse into your company culture will keep them interested. Tweet job openings as they happen so you have plenty of time to consider responses before you determine who you want to interview. An important feature of Twitter, Hashtags can be a great means to source new talents at industry-specific conferences. In modern day recruitment drives, Twitter effectively allows recruiters to reach a more diverse pool of qualified candidates. 

3. LinkedIn

LinkedIn can be used as an impressive recruiting tool that helps you build your company brand and network with active as well as passive candidates. Actually, LinkedIn is the more professional oriented platform as compared to other networking sites. LinkedIn allows you to develop and expand a personal network of professionals. As an employer, you can send the request to other members for a referral of recommending candidates.

LinkedIn is a place where former trusted colleagues can stay in touch for a long time. If you are still connected with trusted buddies whom you’ve successfully worked with, they could be your next best employees. Generally, a keyword rich, well-developed, complete profiles are recommended for professionals on LinkedIn. The candidates who are interested in your company can contact you through LinkedIn's mailing system, “Inmail”. You can also advertise your job opening on LinkedIn on a pay-for-performance basis and get it in front of the right candidates

4. Instagram

The power of Instagram is huge, which is why it is one of the fastest growing social networks today. The Instagram audience is very active and engaging and being a recruiter, you can make good use of it. In the increasing battle for attention, Instagram’s visual format enables users to consume information fast. To begin with, if you want to gain the initial attention of Instagram users, you need to show them what day-to-day life is like at your company. “Instagram Stories” can be used as an ultimate design tool for social media advertising about anything you want. Sharing all the behind-the-scenes goodness that happens at your company on Instagram Stories puts you a step ahead in the game.

Be creative, develop templates, and incorporate videos to promote your brand on Instagram. The potential candidates will definitely revert back. You can add Instagram Live to your hiring strategy. It allows you to live stream instantly to your followers and you can interact with them via chat. Hashtags serve as a great opportunity for employees to share moments on the job that brings excitement and curiosity among your followers. Also, job seekers are more able to engage with your posts and see what it’s like to work for your company.