iCIMS Hire Expectations™

Over the last few years I have visited hundreds of clients and have heard two common initiatives: branding and social media.  Unfortunately, I have seen few, if any, successfully accomplish one of these initiatives and even fewer accomplish both.  I’m sure a few people will read this and think that they are ahead of the curve or that this blog post cannot possibly be about them because they have a Facebook page or Twitter account. But I am willing to bet you a Monday morning coffee and doughnut that you really aren’t even coming close to what you could be doing.

Just creating a facebook page or twitter account is not enough by a long shot. I can hear the Field of Dreams line in my head now. “If you build it, [they] will come.” If only that were true.  Here are some thoughts that could help you get a strategic plan together for branding yourself and using social media:

1. If you have a following on facebook, your fans are NOT logging into your page to see what you are up too. Most people on facebook (at least in my experience) only look at what is posted on their wall. I would venture to bet that most people have over a hundred friends, but never log into each friend's home page. Most users only pay attention to the friends who are posting updates to their status. The same thing applies to companies I am fans of, out of sight out of mind. I need to see your updates on my wall. Post something everyday!


2. Don’t be afraid of negative comments on your facebook page BUT be prepared to answer them. I don’t think any of us are foolish enough to believe that we have a 100% satisfaction rating. But, what I want to know is that your company is willing to fix or address issues that arise.



SOME POSITIVE FEEDBACK:





3. 1/3 of all social media users are accessing their accounts from their mobile devices. It isn’t enough to just have a site accessible by the home computer anymore. Nowadays, more potential candidates are seeking career sites via their smart phone. By implementing a readable and mobile-friendly site, recruiters can up the anti in their war for talent and drive home more quality candidates to fill their talent pool.

 

4. Know your audience. The branding that your Marketing department has in mind may attract me to your social media page, but what information do you have posted that will make me want to work for you? Are you posting information about what your company does for the community? What about your benefits?  How about some stories regarding the amazing employees that you have already recruited? How long do people stay on average at your company? Think about it from a candidate’s point of view. If I, the candidate, already have a good job and financial security right now, why would I want to change jobs?  You are going to have to paint me a pretty darn nice picture to get me to go home, update my resume and mentally prepare myself for everything that goes into changing jobs. This will not happen with the branding that Marketing is putting out. It’s up to you to sell me and change me from a passive candidate into an active candidate.

 

5. Posting on twitter is a little like fishing. When fishing, you figure out what depth the fish are at and what type of bait they are attracted to. Even then it could take several casts just to get a nibble; therefore, you need to be persistent. Candidates are probably following a hundred or more friends, celebrities and companies. Updates fly by and if I don't log in within a short period of time of your post, I will probably miss it. You may have to post several updates a day on different topics until one catches and I finally check out your career section.

 

6. What about the opposite? If I happen to make my way to your career site, are you offering me the option and encouraging me to follow you on Facebook or Twitter?

 

7. Have you ever made a small video about a day in the life of some of your most common positions? If I clicked on the video that was posted, I could visualize myself doing that job. Job descriptions are great but some people are visual learners.   

 

8. What about all those job postings that you have out there? Did you know that as a candidate, I have a way of tasking search engines to send me postings that fit my location and job types directly to my facebook or twitter inbox?

As my Dad used to hammer home to me throughout my teenage and college years, “Hoping and wishing is not a plan.”  With a little strategy and planning, you can turn passive job seekers into active job seekers and hasn’t that been the goal for years?