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Many people (talent acquisition and human resources professionals) think of themselves as social media experts because they have a Facebook and/or a LinkedIn account.  They update their status and even place job post (with links…look out now) in their status.  This makes you a social media expert about as much as standing in your garage makes you a car!

The person(s) in your organization that should be your social media expert IS the talent acquisition and human resource team!  They are the front line and face of the organization for contacting engaging people who like or dislike the organization (internal and external).  One of the key aspects of social media is engagement; specifically building a communication or dialogue with company and several bases of people (ex employee, recruits, college grads, industry leaders etc..).  Here are a few tips for engaging your community using Facebook, LinkedIN, Twitter and YouTube.

Facebook:

• Create a fan page for your organization or department and have current employees and college students within majors you recruit “Like”.  Encourage participation and comments within your fan page, it should not be another “advertisement” for how the company is “great”, it should be a tool for engagement!
• Do Not post jobs on your fan page; people are not coming to your fan page to find a job, they are trying to find out what your company is all about.  Paint the picture of your culture, post pictures of company events (people love pictures) and provide nuggets that will engage this audience
• Reply to all post within 2-4 hours (do not leave people hanging), this means checking the page 2-3x per day.  Depending on your organization, this should use minimum time.

LinkedIn:

• PARTICIPATE in groups!  With a free account you can join 50 groups, which is a lot.  This means not only posting your questions, but participating in discussions and sharing information from your knowledge base.
• Post jobs in appropriate areas; most groups have a place to post jobs (free) or pay for a job posting.
• Create a LinkedIn Group for your organization; if you have a company page then actively post relevant information (articles about products/industry, interview tips etc…)
• Reply to all questions and responses directed to your group within 1 business day (I believe doing this on the weekend as well)!
• Look at people’s profile and go to their websites & blogs, this will give you key insights into their cultural fit for your organization!
• When engaging a person as a potential candidate, be specific and relevant (see the point above this on how).

Trivia question: What is the population of recruiters on LinkedIn?  5%

Twitter:

• Ever notice people with 1 mil+ followers and they follow 25 people?  Typically they are already famous?  Chances are you are not!  You must follow people, to get followers.  These should be people that you want to engage online.
• Follow people of influence within your industry, people that provide valuable information & links.
• Retweet the good stuff!
• Avoid tweeting about your lunch or those cliche’s sayings….we know all these and they provide no value.
• Not the place to post jobs, people come to Twitter to create conversation (engagement…..) so find the people (not just candidates) of interest and engage them in conversation.
• If you are going to post jobs, check out TweetaJob versus getting lost in the 75%+ of unread tweets!

YouTube:

• Video is a great way to feel a connection to someone.  One time I was in a hotel in Montreal and standing behind a dark haired gentleman, I turned to my wife and said “I know him, but can’t place from where”, I pondered for 5 minutes and then it hit me, I don’t “know” him, it was Alan Thicke from “Growing Pains“.  Although I had not seen the show in 15+ years, his image was embedded and I felt I knew him!
• Some of the “most viewed” videos on YouTube include “How To” videos; create a “How to Conduct a Job Search” of “How to Get Hired” series (or something similar)….it is simply you talking, just like you do in the office, except to a camera!
• Allow comments and respond accordingly!

The key to social media is engagement; engage your communities, engage people who like or may dislike your company.  Begin building bonds and relationships through social media and stop blasting job links to Twitter and your Facebook friends (they already know what you do and typically what your looking for).  Try this for 3-6 months and see the difference it makes.  Keep it real!!