3 Keys to a Results-Driven Social Recruiting Strategy

At the end of each year, we all naturally take stock of the past and begin planning for a better future. For any HR professional, this process isn’t easy as it requires an honest look at a variety of efforts, and the courage to either commit to or pivot from a plan.

The HCI webcast and panel discussion TweetMyJobs recently hosted focused on how to strategically set goals, plan, and execute a social recruitment program. Watch the full recording of the webcast now.
In it our VP of Sales Mira Greenland (@miragreenland) and three colleagues and HR practitioners bravely revisit the past year, laying out their social recruiting efforts on the table. Each practitioner discussed their overall goals, the planning and execution, and their pitfalls and successes.
While the webcast goes through each case in more depth, here are the 3 keys to crafting a results-driven social recruiting strategy:

1. 1. Start strong. Assess your resources and set realistic goals. Early wins build a natural momentum towards success.

You may be starting your social recruiting program from scratch—no social accounts set, no dedicated team, etc. But this doesn’t mean you lack the resources to break ground.
Audra Knight (@media2knight) is the Social Media Recruiting Coordinator at UMASS Memorial Medical Center, the largest employer in central Massachusetts. With an average 600+ open requisitions per month, Audra managed to secure executive buy-in to launch a social recruiting effort; however, without a team to rely on, she alone planned and executed the entire program.
Wisely, Audra started small establishing a Facebook careers page, testing conversions and engagement on content and job posts. Watch the webinar to learn the techniques she utilized to boost content posts. Now equipped with the past year’s results, she plans to reach out to the marketing department to collaborate on content creation such as adding recruitment related posts on the main UMASS FB page.
Related: 7 Ways to Really Source on Facebook Using Social Media

1. 1. Consider your social media platforms ofchoice. Work with what you’ve got, but know where you’ve got to be.

Chrissy Glover (@chrissyglo) is the Employer Brand Marketing Manager at Opower, a company that competes in the hi-tech Silicon Valley market for top talent. Opower already had branded pages set up on three social networks: LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Twitter. Although these sites were established, they had minimal activity and community engagement.
Although Chrissy knew adding a Facebook careers page would be ideal, she decided to first work with the existing platforms before splintering her attention and managing a new community altogether.
She focused her energy on boosting engagement and discusses her exact tactics in the webcast which resulted to a doubling in new followers per month on Glassdoor.
Related: 3 Qualities of Highly Successful Social Recruiters

1. 1. Be prepared, but don’t be afraid. You can limit social media risks, but anticipating what could happen can ultimately harm your momentum and detract from the overall goal.

One of my favorite takeaways came from Aetna University Relations Recruiter, Lindsay Parks (@Lparks2387), who was instrumental in crafting the Aetna Social Media Playbook aimed at mitigating the risks of social media participation for the a Fortune 100 company and its customers.
The 90-page plan outlines an escalation process to ensure that whoever manages social media was prepared to handle any issues that arise. The document took a year to complete.
Related: Top 3 Fears of Social Recruiting, Dispelled
When asked to share any pitfalls she could help us avoid when drafting our own social recruiting playbook, she answered ironically, but also very truthfully:

“You don’t know what you don’t know.”

She referred to how she and her team attempted to map out an escalation process, brainstorming all the possible risks and crisis situations that could occur. They realized that imagining all possible outcomes was not only impossible but it impacted their focus on the main goals—recruitment, engagement, employer branding, etc.
These three practitioners are blazing the new trails within their organizations, making way for social recruiting programs to take root and thrive. Although their experiences vary greatly, the similarities of each case shed light on the essential ingredients that push social hiring programs to success.
What are your keys to a results-driven social recruiting strategy? Share them below or tweet us at @TweetMyJobs, and use #TMJEdu to share your thoughts with our community.