The best recruiting efforts are not just about benefits and salaries but often about telling your company’s story. This is especially true today as businesses are trying to attract millennials to the work place.
This cohort is paying a lot more attention to corporate culture and “fit” than previous generations. They want to know what it’s really like to work for you.
Who better to tell your story than your current employees? If you are not sure exactly what your story is, or want to confirm that you and the people who work for your company view it in a similar way, consider informally interviewing current staff members.
Lawson Products, a NationaLease supplier, did just that. They asked employees how they heard about the company, what attracted them to the job and what they like about their role in the company.
The information was reviewed and several themes became apparent. For Lawson, it was things like quality of products, flexibility, the opportunity to help customers and make a difference, recognition received and the company’s overall culture. The themes may be different for your company, but reviewing what your employees say about it should lead you to common ground that you can use to talk about what makes your company unique.
The next step is to get your message out there. That can be more complicated if you are geographically dispersed or have a limited budget. The good news is, social media is a great equalizer.
Begin by reviewing potential social media outlets to try to determine which ones make the most sense for you. Ask your employees which social media outlets they use. Then begin experimenting with them to see what kind of results you get. Lawson tried Facebook, Linked In and Twitter but found that Twitter did not work well for them. You, too, may find that one outlet works better for you than another. Stick with where you have the most success.
For social media to be an effective recruiting tool, you need to make your posts relevant and determine how often you need to post. Have a dedicated employee responsible for posting to your social media accounts or it won’t get done.
The good news about social media posts is the briefer, the better. You can share company news, post photos of an employee appreciation event, tout awards, the list goes on-and-on.
A good place to start is by sharing info about your culture and an easy way to do that is to post photos of your employees at work, or at company outings and events. Also make sure to post information on any hiring events you are hosting and/or provide a link to your employment application.
Here are a few tips from Lawson on ways to enhance your social media presence:
- Incorporate photos, videos and links
- Encourage senior management to “like” and “share” posts on their own social media platforms
- “Follow” your customers, suppliers and industry organizations
- “Like” and “share” posts from customers, suppliers and industry organizations
- Start with a reasonable goal
- Remember with social media it’s a cumulative effect
