If you’re a millennial business owner seeking to recruit other millennial talent, you’re in luck. Social media is good way to go. Eighty-six percent of working people who are in their first decade of employment will use social media to look for jobs and research employers. That should be more than enough reasons for you to employ social media in your recruitment efforts.
However, making social media work as a means of recruiting isn’t easy. It takes a deft touch to reach out to millennials in ways that will generate a positive reaction, and result in successful recruiting efforts. The following 12 tips shared by millennial business owners should serve as a guide for navigating this process.
1. Use social media to present your company culture in a favorable light
“You probably know that the whole of your social media presence should keep sales and customer relationships in mind. The same rule applies to recruiting. Every picture you share, every bit of content that you publish, and every social media status update all add up to create a mental image of your company’s culture. Be sure that it is appealing to millennials.” – Issa Asad, CEO of Qlink Wireless.
2. Actively use social media platforms that are popular among millennials
“If you are only active on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, you are missing out on opportunities to reach millennials where they are spending a significant amount of time. You can’t get the right candidate from the wrong place. Start being active on millennial-favorite Instagram and Snapchat to push your company’s name to the right crowd.” – Marc Johnston, CEO of Johnston Law Firm.
3. Don’t put on a persona that isn’t representative of your company
“Millennials can sniff out phony from miles away, and they have no tolerance for it. Don’t use hip phrases, or attempt to put on a false persona when reaching out to millennials. They will appreciate authenticity even more. Also, keep in mind that millennials don’t think or act in lockstep. They are representative of a wide variety of values, interests, and communications styles. Be genuine in your branding, and you will attract great talent.” – Robert Carter, CEO of Virtual Office.
4. Don’t wait until people start job hunting
“The best time to get to know potential recruits and to start building relationships with them is before they start looking for jobs. Use LinkedIn and other networking groups to connect with millennials in your industry. This way, when they are ready to begin looking for jobs, you will already be on their radar.” – Alex Hamilton, HR Director of Opteck.
5. Get current employees to help in recruiting efforts
“If you already have millennials in your organisation, they could be one of your most powerful recruiting tools. Encourage them to talk about your company on social media, and to share their positive work experiences. Finally, when you have an opening available, encourage staff members to recruit using their social media accounts.” – David Abels, CEO of Daveabels.
6. Be aware of what millennials think of you
“More than previous generations, millennials do not want to be associated with businesses that have practices that they find to be morally questionable. They also don’t want to be associated with brands that don’t offer up great products and amazing customer service. Because of this, you can expect that they will research your business just as intently as you might research their backgrounds.
The best way to deal with this is to know how you are viewed by this generation, and to take steps to clear up any negatives. Set up Google alerts for your company name in order to receive notifications when your name is mentioned. Then, check out Glassdoor, Amazon, Yelp and other sites where people are commenting on both your business and your products.” Eileen Geneva, CIO of Auto Loan.
7. Use targeted Facebook ads to reach millennials
“Many companies are leveraging their advertising dollars as part of their recruiting efforts. You can consider using super targeted ads option on Facebook to reach potential employees. You can also use “occupational targeting” to make sure your ads are being shown only to experienced users working in the same industry.” – Rick Steele, Founder and CMO of SelectBlinds.
8. Be clear when creating job listings
“Don’t forget that you can use social media to directly advertise jobs and to reach out to potential candidates. The clearer your ads are, and the more up front you are about your requirements, the better your responses will be. Be sure to make it easy for people to reach out to you on social media and be sure your profile has your contact information.” – Hugh Odom, CEO of Cell Tower Lease Experts.
9. Use visuals to make recruiting efforts more engaging
“Consider making your recruiting efforts even more interesting by making them visual. For example, you can create recruiting videos featuring your current staff, or show a behind the scenes look at daily life at your company. You can create and share infographics that tell the story of your products and services, and you can add images to your content to increase its impact and keep things interesting.” – Mitchell Kim, CEO of Cosmos Clinic.
We found this article by Jimmy Rohampton on www.forbes.com
