Social recruiting is no more a new term, as it has taken over the recruiting process in a huge way. According to ‘The Arab World Online 2014: Trends in Internet and Mobile Usage in the Arab Region’, a research paper published in May 2014 by Bayt.com and the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, almost 78% of people in the Arab World spend more than 2 hours of the day on the internet.
The paper goes on to state that over 40% of the people in the region are active on social media several times a day. With this in mind, a social recruiting strategy is of no less importance than your hiring or talent management strategy.
As a recruiter, it is vital to understand social recruiting and the power it has. Your social recruiting activities should also be supported by a well-planned social recruiting strategy or your efforts will be futile. Indeed, if you cannot track and analyze the success of your social recruiting activities, you will not have an idea as to what works for you and what doesn’t.
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According to the career experts at Bayt.com, the Middle East's leading career site, here is how you can ensure social recruiting works to your advantage:
Building Your Brand
Social Media is a great way of creating an impression on customers and future employees. Being active on social media and creating a consistent employer brand helps people identify you instantly. Make sure you create a company page on Bayt.com and that your page is current and regularly updated. Talking about your company culture, your commitment towards employees and enabling two-way communications helps establish trust towards the company brand. This could in turn attract top talent.
Engaging With Candidates
It is important to use social media to engage in discussions with candidates and share necessary and relevant information with them. How you treat candidates on an online platform reflects how you will treat them in a professional space. According to the Bayt.com, ‘What Makes a Company an Attractive Place to Work?’ poll (February 2014), 90% of the poll’s respondents are attracted to companies that offer supportive and great work environments. Ensuring the tone of your communication on social media is consistent with the company culture and brand will help candidates understand you better.
Choosing the Right Social Media Platform
Research which social platform is more suitable to your industry or the kind of candidates that you are looking to hire. Some platforms are more prevalent among some industries and to a particular audience than others. Ensuring that you are on the right one will save you a lot of time and money and will also get you quality candidates. Bayt.com offers Bayt.com Specialties, a unique platform where you can engage in discussions with potential candidates, express thought leadership and build visibility for your company among the region’s top talent.
Filtering Candidates
You can also use social media platforms, including Bayt.com Specialties, to gauge candidates on different levels. You can assess their skill set and experience in much more depth. Using Bayt.com, you can find candidates’ profiles and see how they rank in their specialties. Their profile may also contain endorsements and recommendations from their colleagues which help you evaluate their skills better. Moreover, you can use social networking activities of a candidate to assess if they’re a good fit for your company. You can see the nature of the posts that candidates are talking about or sharing. It is totally up to a recruiter then to determine how much this can influence a candidate’s application.
This article originally appeared in Bayt.com. This article and all other intellectual property on Bayt.com is the property of Bayt.com. Reproduction of this article in any form is only permissible with written permission from Bayt.com.
