Social media is obviously not a new concept. A Jobvite infograph posted by website Intricate states that 92% of employers currently use some form of social media as part of their recruitment strategy. Companies are utilizing social media to communicate with their employees, gain referrals for recruitment purposes and increase employee engagement. You probably use LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or a combination of these sites along with other social networking options, however, how do you ensure you are fully capitalizing on the capabilities of each site in your current processes?

In the upcoming series of posts, we will delve into each networking site and the choices available, focusing on recruitment strategies and employee engagement. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other networking sites offer the opportunity to cast a wider net when searching for qualified applicants, as well as the chance to get connected to current employees on a level much more advantageous to both employer and employee. Before we move on, let’s look at the rationale behind moving towards a more social network-friendly platform for recruitment and how engagement can be positively affected by integrating social network strategies.

Why should social media be a part of your recruitment strategy?

1. Number of candidates. The top reason to have social media sites in your arsenal is one of common sense: the ability to increase your available talent pool. You can reach more applicants via social network sites than through any other medium on the planet.
2. Background checking. People are often not shy about what they post online. For those that don’t keep their profiles private and spend a lot of time on social networking sites, scanning the online lives of employees pre-hire may eliminate some recruitment mistakes. Beware, however, of using any information discovered from these sites in a way that could be deemed discriminatory. You may decide not to hire someone because they post about using drugs. You may not make the same decision based on the religious choices posted by a candidate (unless of course you are hiring for a church or other establishment exempt from this rule!).
3. Skills assessment. Hand-in-hand with background checking, what a candidate provides on their resume can typically be supported with information found online. Do they belong to a fraternity group or associations on LinkedIn to support that they attended a certain university? Are they connected to logical employees at previous companies? Or something less specific, such as looking to see if they have bad grammar in their online posts or articles, can provide insight into their level of detail.
4. Job fit. Many sites have the advantage of matching job postings with candidates who meet certain criteria, increasing the chances of making a solid hire.
5. Retention. Increasing your talent pool, narrowing down the selection with targeted ads and online searching to the get the right fit, these steps work to place the right person in the right role and ultimately lead to not only a good hire, but odds are, with good management they will be a longer-term and more productive hire.

Why should social media be a part of your employee engagement strategy?

1. Peer connections. The ability to connect on a social level is crucial. Social media allows those in less than desirable circumstances accomplish better peer connections. Examples would be work environments where open, verbal communication in not an option or where employees that work closely with each other do not work at the same location. People can work better together when they get along well on a personal level.
2. Collaboration. Communication is not just critical in building relationships, but also when it comes to overall productivity. Sharing ideas, troubleshooting, accessing the right employee at the moment you need them can all be aided by the use of online communication and networking. Internal forums and message boards make it easier to collaborate and in turn, increase organizational productivity.
3. Branding. The opinions employees hold about the company they work for has bearing over how productive they are, how likely they are to refer those they are connected to, and how tenured they become. Branding isn’t just about how those outside your organization perceive your company to be, but those internally as well. Social media marketing campaigns help to build a proper brand and decrease the likelihood that the company image has a negative impact on employees.

At the end of the day, social media is here to stay so you might as well get on board. Step One: Be sure that proper policies are in place to safeguard the use of social media in your organization. Step Two: Consider the following series as they are posted, each one taking a closer look at specific websites and what they bring to the table. I’m sure I will not list many valid options for each site and possibly leave out a useful site altogether. Please comment with your ideas and/or sites you love!

See how each of these sites can boost the efforts of your organization. LinkedIn. Facebook. Twitter. Google+. YouTube. Pinterest. Instragram. Yammer. Quora, Dribbble, and GitHub. Also look into advice on Managing Employee Use of Social Media, How to Create A Social Media Policy and Social Media Branding and Marketing strategies.