One of the biggest trends in recruiting over the past few years has been the use of Facebook to attract and convert talent. This practice even got its own buzzword – “Facebook recruiting”. So what is it exactly and how to do it #likeaboss?

What is Facebook recruiting?
Simply put, “Facebook recruiting” is the process of recruiting (potential job candidates) through the use of Facebook. You can use Facebook to source, attract, convert and hire new employees. “Facebook recruiting” is a form of social recruiting and a vital part of recruitment marketing.

The benefits of Facebook recruiting
Here are the top 3 benefits of Facebook recruiting:

1.) Facebook is the biggest talent pool

Facebook is the largest social network site in the world: it has over 2.07 billion monthly active users, so more people will come across your recruitment ads on Facebook than on any other platform.

2.) You can reach active job seekers

It’s little known that active job seekers prefer Facebook - research shows that there are more job seekers on Facebook than on LinkedIn!

3.) You can also grab the attention of passive job candidates

Passive candidates are those candidates who are not actively looking for a new job, but would be willing to accept a better offer. Facebook is a great tool that can be used to get in front of these people.

How to recruit on Facebook: Step-by-step guide

Step 1: Find potential candidates

Did you know that you can use Facebook as a proactive sourcing tool? Facebook has a powerful built-in search engine, called Graph Search. Graph Search utilises publicly-available information listed in Facebook users profiles. Facebook Graph Search allows you to find candidates who meet specific criteria using filters (e.g. city, education, company etc.).

Step 2: Create a Facebook page

Your company probably already has a Corporate page, but you should think about opening a Career page too, because the audience and message your deliver on those two pages should be different. On your Corporate Facebook page you talk to your customers, and on your Career Facebook page you talk to potential employees.

Step 3: Share your company culture

If you display a great culture within your company, people will want to become a part of it! Post photos and videos which show what it’s like to work at your company. Facebook makes it easy to be visual with your storytelling. People want to be able to envision themselves working for companies, so here photos really are worth a thousand words.

Step 4: Create a job ad

Start by considering your tone of voice, which should be a reflection of your business’s personality and the vacant position your are looking to fill. Next, find or create an eye catching image. Following, think of a great copy! This is your chance to communicate your key message in an inspiring way that will make potential candidates eager to work at your company!

In the end, don’t forget to add the target link that leads directly to a job listing.

Step 5: Free promotion of your job ad

There are two most important additional channels you can use to promote your job ads: Referrals and Facebook groups. Referrals on Facebook can be done with just one click and reach all of employees’ network on Facebook. Also, take advantage of: hiring groups, interest groups and student/alumni groups.

Step 6: Paid promotion of your job ad

Promoting jor job ads does call for a budget, but if done correctly, investing just a few dollars in promoting your job ad can really pay off bigtime! The reason why Facebook ads work so well in recruiting is because you can specify exactly who you want to reach. The targeting option lets you select location, age, education, interests etc. of the people you want to reach.

Step 7: Use Facebook Live

Facebook Live streaming makes it possible to interact with your potential candidates in real-time via live chats and videos. Live video session is a unique opportunity to introduce your team, give tour of your office and answer candidates questions in a real time and in a really engaging and fun way!

So should you do Fecbook recruiting?

Facebook is and will continue to be a powerful recruiting tool in 2018. With new features rolling out and new trends emerging, we can expect a lot of new opportunities for recruiters, HR professionals, business owners and small business CEOs to connect instantly with thousands of high-quality candidates through Facebook.