As an employer, you have worked hard to create a profile that reflects the values your company holds dear. You will have considered your branding across many different marketing streams, acknowledging the importance of your image to recruiting the right colleagues on a B2B level, as well as its importance for your public audience. But how have you approached your branding as an employer on social media, and why is this important? At CareerWise, we are experts in all aspects of the recruitment process, and witness daily how vital it now is that employers give the right impression on their social channels. Here is our guide to why employers need to think about social media for employer branding.
Marketing is a vital tool in making sure prospective candidates see your company as a great place to work. Without getting that message out there, you will probably find yourself unable to recruit the best employees for the job. Good social media use should highlight the aspects of your workplace that you feel will resonate most with the people you hope to attract. Perhaps this will show off your charity fundraising events, your community spirit, or your flexible approach to working hours. Work forms such a large part of people’s lives that companies cannot afford to present themselves as simply eight hours at a desk, with no additional attractions. What are your company’s goals and aims? Make these clear and you will attract prospective employees who share these priorities. A reported 59% of candidates use social media to research brands they may be interested in working for, so this is your chance to create the right impression, and reflect your values and culture.
In a fast paced modern world, those looking to build a career will be keeping their ears to the ground, to be first to hear about opportunities. According to LinkedIn, 49% of professionals follow brands they may be interested in working for on social media, in order to be in the loop as soon as a job is advertised. So building a solid social media presence that promotes your company’s culture will give you a much wider talent base to draw from when you need to recruit. Active social channels will maintain awareness of your brand, meaning the strongest candidates will be ready to apply when you need them.
In 2020, there are about 3.5 billion social media users worldwide. This equates to about 45% of the population. With people of job seeking age forming the bulk of those users, it is undeniable that social media provides a huge audience. Amongst that audience are the right people for your job vacancies. As opposed to going to a job fair and hoping that one or two suitable candidates show up, you are able to access such a broad audience that, with clever use of targetting and branding, you should be able to discover much more talent than you need, and take your pick.
Whilst seeking new talent is important for any ambitious company, retaining the talent that you already have is just as important. Strong social media can be a great way to keep everyone connected. Promoting events that showcase the culture and values of your organisation; getting staff involved through sharing of posts and tagging; creating an online community that reflects your positive offline work environment. All these things can contribute to a sense that employees are part of a greater whole, working together towards common goals. Unity of purpose and community feeling can help keep employees focused and enthusiastic about doing their jobs to the best of their ability.
There are no shortage of reasons why a proactive employer should be keen to use social media to reinforce their branding strategy. Here at CareerWise we can give you expert advice on how to attract the best candidates to your vacancies.
CareerWise is Ireland’s leading specialist recruitment firm, based in Cork, Shannon, Galway, Mayo and Dublin – bringing together employers with the perfect employees. We specialise in the Engineering, Supply Chain, Science/Pharma, IT and Accounting industries in Ireland, and we look forward to working with you. Contact us online now or call us on +353 (0)21 206 1900 to arrange a consultation.
Joe Robbins is co-founder of CareerWise Recruitment. A graduate of the University of Limerick (Degree in Business Studies, 1985), Joe worked in the UK for five years where he specialised in materials management, production management and plant management for a number of companies.
He returned to Ireland in 1992 to become Operations Manager for a Cork-based start-up, FMC Automotive Division which was subsequently taken over by Snap-on Equipment. Joe managed the business re-location of this company to Shannon in 1997 before setting up CareerWise Recruitment in 1999.
He is a committee member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Mid-West region, and a former Director and Vice President of the Shannon Chamber of Commerce. Joe is former Chairperson of the Sixmilebridge Camogie Club and current Chairperson of the Clare County Camogie Board.
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CareerWise Recruitment. EastGate Village, EastGate, Little Island, Cork.
Phone: +353 (0) 21 206 1900
Email: info@careerwise.ie
