SEO glossary: Social recruiting

 

The two types of social recruiting: active sourcing & passive sourcing

 

There are essentially two types of recruitment in social recruiting. On the one hand, there is active sourcing, also known as social distribution.

 

Potential candidates are contacted directly via the messenger services of the social media platforms in order to arouse interest in the company, present vacancies and sound out a possible collaboration.

 

With passive or internet sourcing, on the other hand, potential applicants are approached indirectly. For example, postings or paid ads in which vacancies in the company are presented are suitable for this.

 

User profile data and interests are automatically analyzed in order to reach the right target group. This allows recruiting ads to be displayed directly to potential job seekers, even if they are not actively looking for a new employer.

 

Tips & hints for successful recruiting through active sourcing

 

When active sourcing, bear in mind that channels such as Instagram, TikTok or Facebook are not traditional recruiting platforms, but are generally used for private purposes.

 

To ensure that business inquiries do not attract negative attention from users, the direct approach should be formulated very personally and address the interests and needs of the person in question.

 

Depending on the target group, casual, almost friendly communication may be more suitable than a very formal request. For others, a simple tone can come across as unprofessional and casual.

 

This fine line is a particular challenge for companies when it comes to active sourcing. The communication style should be finely tuned to the target group and platform.

 

Once this has been achieved, active sourcing offers a number of unique selling points and benefits that we would like to explain to you.

 

Active sourcing: advantages & special features

 

Active sourcing offers 5 key advantages over other social media recruiting measures:

 

1. Independent contact with potential candidates is free of charge.
2. Personal communication creates trust in the company as an employer brand.
3. Despite provisional rejections or missing positions, a talent pool of suitable candidates can be built up.
4. The direct approach enables individual offers on both sides (job offers/recommendation marketing etc.).
5. Social media channels make it possible to address target groups quickly and easily.

 

Although these advantages are convincing, active sourcing is not always so easy to implement. Recruiting via your social media channels is particularly difficult if profiles are private and there is hardly any information about the user.

 

Employers should pursue a social recruiting strategy that ideally takes into account both types of employee recruitment via social networks so that the search for personnel does not turn out to be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

 

Active sourcing: disadvantages & challenges

 

The following hurdles can occur in active sourcing and can at best be offset by passive sourcing measures:

 

• Difficult search for applicants due to lack of information
• Time-consuming and labor-intensive maintenance of communication
• No or negative responses to attempts to make contact
• Poor corporate image due to spam-like, impersonal approach

 

To ensure that users do not respond negatively to your inquiries, you should always choose a target group-specific approach for active sourcing. Also make sure you adhere to the communication guidelines for this type of direct approach.

 

If necessary, limit your active sourcing to business platforms such as XING or LinkedIn, because this type of request is commonplace there and often even desired.

 

Thanks to extensive profile entries, it is also easier for employers to filter out relevant user information in order to identify suitable candidates for vacancies in the company.

 

Is passive sourcing more promising than active sourcing?

 

We have just learned that social distribution brings many advantages, but also relevant challenges. So should we still rely on traditional job advertisements that appear in social networks through ad formats such as lead ads? Yes and no! Here too, it's not primarily what you do, but how you do it.

 

In order for employers to improve their social recruiting success through job advertisements and postings on social networks, these should be attractively designed and reach the right users. Thanks to large databases and finely tuned algorithms, the latter is usually easier than with active sourcing.

 

Once you have reached your target group, it is not just the one advertisement or recruiting campaign that is decisive, but your entire company presence on social media. Before job seekers apply for vacancies, they will most likely visit your company profile to find out more.

 

Employers should present themselves as an attractive employer brand. Once this has been achieved, you can expect a number of benefits from passive sourcing.

 

Passive sourcing via social networks: advantages of the recruiting method

 

If you implement internet sourcing correctly, you can reap the following benefits from this passive type of recruitment:

 

• Automated application processes are less labor-intensive and time-consuming
• More traffic to company website & social media profile if necessary
• Playing on several platforms/multiposting ensures a better online presence
• Recruiting ads can serve as a retargeting measure (win-back)
• Reduced wastage thanks to automated applicant search
• Ads facilitate tracking & success analysis of application processes

 

Anyone who believes that social media ads will bring significantly better recruiting success with less work is mistaken. Unfortunately, passive sourcing also involves time, costs and effort on the part of HR and personnel marketing.

 

We will now explain where they arise and what disadvantages passive sourcing can also entail.

 

Passive internet sourcing: disadvantages & hurdles

 

Passive sourcing is very popular as a social recruiting method, as it allows ads to be targeted at potential candidates. However, challenges can arise in this way that do not necessarily occur with active sourcing:

 

• Ads on social platforms are very cost-intensive in the long term
• Building an employer brand on social media takes time & know-how
• Technical complications are more common than when establishing direct contact
• Suitability of potential candidates cannot be assessed directly (many unqualified applications)

 

In order for passive sourcing to bear fruit, good preparatory work should be done. Those who already have a strong employer brand on social networks before posting ads and have also carried out a comprehensive target group analysis can expect more suitable applications for vacancies in the company.

 

Employers who do not do this have to hope for the success of the recruiting campaign according to the "post and pray" principle. In this case, job ads on social media become very expensive in the long term - especially if they are placed on several channels, as recommended.

 

 

Which platforms are suitable for your social media recruiting?

 

We have now introduced you to the two types of social recruiting. Which social recruiting method you choose also depends largely on the platforms.

 

We at Timo Specht would like to introduce you to the best-known social recruiting channels and their special features with regard to employee recruitment.

 

Job networks: XING & LinkedIn for social recruiting

 

The business platforms XING and LinkedIn are ideal for a wide range of social recruiting measures. The target groups of the career networks include private individuals with professional training or experience as well as the B2B sector.

 

Contact with other companies provides opportunities for recruitment and mutual exchange.

 

Active sourcing is much easier on XING and LinkedIn than on other social networks thanks to numerous filter options. In addition to the company they are currently working for, users usually also have their previous jobs and experience stored in their public profile.

 

This makes it easy for recruiters to find and directly approach talented people for the advertised position.

 

Recruiting via the career networks is even easier with XING Talent Manager or LinkedIn Recruiter. These paid tools offer the option of using special search functions to look for particular skills, a potential willingness to change jobs and the user's region.

 

With the associated extensions, you can also create a talent pool, place job advertisements and improve your branding as an employer brand. The business channels also have a lot in store for passive sourcing.

 

Users also react more positively to contact requests and job advertisements on business platforms, as the channels have a business function anyway.

 

Which target groups you can reach with Instagram & TikTok

 

Instagram and TikTok are particularly popular with younger target groups. Around 80% of people under the age of 29 have an Instagram account and use it to share, like and comment on photos, reels or stories.

 

In recent years, the video platform TikTok has also developed into a social media platform that the younger generation can hardly imagine life without.

 

The goals and interpretations of Instagram and TikTok are very different from those of job networks, and not just in terms of the age of the target group. The platforms are primarily used for visual, entertaining content that serves less business purposes.

 

Nevertheless, many companies are placing more and more emphasis on a social media presence on Instagram and TikTok. Why?

 

In addition to the huge reach, the platforms offer many opportunities to share content, network and build a strong employer brand. Daily Instagram stories from employees can provide authentic insights into the values, corporate culture and working atmosphere.

 

Reels and photos provide potential candidates with important information about jobs and career opportunities in the company, while hashtags, interactions with the target group or collaborations with influencers generate reach.

 

If an attractive and authentic employer brand is represented, paid recruitment ads can be used as an internet sourcing measure. So-called lead ads offer users the opportunity to apply for a vacancy via smartphone.

 

However, it is more difficult to predict how many candidates are actually qualified than with active sourcing measures.

 

Recruiting via Facebook: Is the channel suitable for recruitment?

 

Facebook is also one of the classic social media platforms. However, if you compare this platform with Instagram or TikTok, the higher average age is striking.

 

In 2022, only just under 23% of Facebook users were under the age of 24. So if you want to appeal to a slightly older, possibly more experienced generation, you might be better off on Facebook than on TikTok.

 

In addition, Facebook is designed less for external entertainment and more for networking with friends and acquaintances . Apart from paid ads, users are only shown content from pages, groups and friends that they follow. This has both advantages and disadvantages for social recruiting.

 

If you want to generate a high reach for your social recruiting measures via Facebook, then paid ads are your only option.

 

The good news: according to forecasts, the reach of advertising measures on Facebook will continue to increase over the next few years. Facebook campaigns also offer some practical filter options for targeting candidates more effectively.

 

If you are looking for fewer but highly qualified talents, the platform is also suitable for active sourcing. There are a large number of groups in which job offers and job searches can be posted.

 

Facebook is also a great way to stay in touch with ideal candidates and companies within the industry and to strengthen the employer brand with your own informative posts such as live videos, stories and images.

 

YouTube offers these opportunities for social recruiting

 

YouTube is not a classic social medium. Nevertheless, the video platform can be used for social recruiting and especially for branding your employer brand.

 

Please note that the creation of high-quality YouTube videos takes a lot of time and that YouTube should be seen as a supplementary measure due to the lack of a news function.

 

YouTube, for example, offers the opportunity to represent your company as an employer brand in a particularly comprehensive way. If you don't want to make videos, podcasts could also be an alternative.

 

This type of content provides interesting and detailed insights into the company and its jobs to encourage potential applicants in their decision.

 

You can also link all your social networks and online channels in the video description below your YouTube video or answer potential questions in the comments section.

 

Conversely, you can also embed your YouTube videos on your website or blog to make content more relevant and improve your SEO success with YouTube.

 

Another passive sourcing measure is YouTube ads, which can be integrated into thematically relevant videos from other creators.

 

Improve your social recruiting strategy: The 5 most important tips

 

We now know the different types and channels for social recruiting. But what should you consider when planning and implementing them in order to build a really strong employer brand on social media and attract many qualified employees?

 

Timo Specht now presents the 5 best tips for a successful social recruiting strategy.

 

Tip 1: Define channels & advertising budget for social recruiting

 

You already know the most important social recruiting networks and their target groups. In order to select the right channel as a job board, it is therefore essential to analyze your target group and know which platforms they are registered on.

 

The average age, pre-qualification, interests and values already reveal a lot about the channels on which you should search for candidates.

 

If you are unsure, you can also try multiposting. With this strategy, you publish the same social recruiting campaign on several platforms at the same time. This allows you to compare which channel you use to receive the most qualified applications for your advertised positions.

 

We tell you more about measuring the success of social recruiting campaigns in tip 5.

 

However, when multiposting, bear in mind that multiple channels usually mean higher expenditure. Even if you do not use paid ads, you should not underestimate the time and manpower required to adapt recruiting campaigns to the respective platform.

 

So think carefully in advance about what goals you are pursuing and which platforms suit these goals. Plan your budget carefully for each recruiting channel so that you don't get any nasty surprises.

 

Tip 2: Diverse content, suitable for the recruiting platform

 

In addition to the advertising budget, you should also prepare your content with an editorial plan. Regular posts are essential on social media and especially on Instagram to remain relevant for the algorithm and to actually land on the screen of your target group.

 

To strengthen your branding as an employer brand, you should post a variety of articles. For example, you could develop different formats and post them online in a set order.

 

The presentation of existing employees or positions in the company, specialist articles, expert interviews, competitions or live videos in which FAQs are answered are just a few examples.

 

When creating your content, bear in mind that longer texts can also be published on social networks such as XING or Facebook.

 

On Instagram and TikTok, on the other hand, the visual component counts. Images and reels should appeal to the target group, reflect your corporate design and match the respective platform. You should also take this into account when multiposting.

 

Tip 3: Support with social recruiting measures

 

A sophisticated social recruiting strategy can be very time-consuming and sometimes requires a lot of know-how. Posts and campaigns need to be planned, created and optimized.

 

In addition, there are links to career pages and blog posts on your website as well as the management of applicants and talent. You can't do all these tasks alone.

 

It makes more sense to assign the various social recruiting tasks to experts from your company's personnel marketing and HR department or to external agencies.

 

To keep up with the fast-paced social media world, you also need to decide who gets access to your profiles to ultimately publish the content.

 

Tip 4: Use applicant management systems (BMS) & talent pools

 

At best, successful social recruiting results in many applications or interested candidates who were found through active sourcing and should now be retained by your company.

 

Applicant management systems (AMS) and talent pools help to manage all these new talents and maintain an overview of their qualifications.

 

These tools should be linked directly to your social media profiles or recruiting campaigns. This way, candidates automatically end up in the system, which saves both time and personnel resources in HR marketing.

 

When choosing a BMS, you should consider your budget and ask yourself which functions the tools should definitely offer and which features are optional.

 

Tip 5: Measuring success to optimize social recruiting

 

The fact that social recruiting measures are not successful or efficient at the first attempt is no cause for concern. Companies should analyze the results of active sourcing and passive sourcing on an ongoing basis in order to take advantage of them.

 

The internal tools of the social networks are suitable for this, as are external tools such as Google Analytics.

 

These programs facilitate the measurability of social recruiting. In order to better assess the reasons and causes for a lack of recruiting success, employers should constantly monitor the following KPIs:

 

• Impressions (of contributions/advertisements)
• Interactions (e.g. likes, shares, comments)
• CTR/click rate(on forms or links)
• Response frequency (for active sourcing)

 

Are the impressions on your posts and job ads high, while the interactions remain low? Then you should make your content more attractive.

 

An optimized design, a more personal approach and more calls-to-action pick up your target group directly and motivate them to interact with your content.

 

If there is a lack of applications or clicks on your careers page, then you should work on your branding as an employer brand.

 

Advertise the vacancies in your company even more attractively, provide more information about the corporate culture and pay attention to possible technical problems with lead ads - especially if impressions and interactions are right.

 

If impressions are poor, you should again check your filter settings and possibly question your choice of social recruiting platform.