5 Ways To Recruit The Best Graduates Using Social
Darren Westall
June 10, 2021
Recruitment
So, what are the best ways for companies to use social media to recruit graduates available on the market?
Gone are the days of graduates trawling through job sites and applying for countless roles, regardless of the job itself, the location or the salary. Once upon a time, graduates struggled to get a job relating to the subject they studied or had experience in.
Although this may still be true in some cases, the recruitment dynamic has changed – grads are becoming more creative with their job searches, and businesses are finding new ways to get their pick of the best before anyone else.
Below are five things all recruitment agencies should do to recruit the best graduates using social.
1. Share quality content
You won’t be able to engage with your target audience without providing interesting, fun and informative content. Take a look at your graduate buyer persona – and if you don’t have one – it’s time to make one! What are they interested in? What do they do for fun? What do they do online? Where are they based? What do they discuss? Brainstorm with your team about content that will entice the grads you are looking to recruit.
Don’t forget – it doesn’t all have to be about your company. In fact, your content could have a focus to recruit graduates, but it doesn’t have to be about your business at all. Provide content that they will be actively looking for, or that will interest them. That way, they’ll become aware of your brand through useful information, without feeling like they are being sold to or recruited en masse.
2. Choose which platforms to utilise
Depending on which sector you work in and the angle you are taking with your recruitment approach will impact which platforms are likely to be most successful. Firstly, avoid overkill – posting the same content on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat and Tik Tok is unlikely to get the kind of engagement and feedback you’re hoping for.
Stick to one or two key platforms, and focus on building an audience and engaging with people there. That way, you can start conversations and build genuine relationships with people who may want to find out more about working for your business, as opposed to screaming into the abyss on every social media channel possible with no response.
3. Speak to your current graduates
If you currently employ any graduates, a great place to start when discovering how to recruit like-minded people is to ask them personally. Have a conversation with your current grads about how they were recruited into your company, and if they have engaged with businesses on social media in the past when looking for a job. If so, find out what kind of platforms they used the most and the type of content that would catch their eye.
If you don’t currently employ any graduates, create a poll on LinkedIn or Twitter and ask people for their feedback. Not only will this create genuine results and guide you on where you should focus next, but it could also catch the attention of some graduates who are looking for a new role.
4. Utilise the power of video
When creating content to attract recent grads and position your company as an employer of choice, the best place to start is with video. The options are endless.
If you have an in-house videographer, or you work with an external marketing agency that makes videos for you, ask them about animated options. Come up with a script and how you’d like to describe your company to grads. Share it on social media, and promote it where you feel it may get the most traction, such as LinkedIn or Instagram.
In addition to this, get video testimonials from current employees about why your company is a great place to work. Ensure their feedback is genuine, original and unscripted. The more authentic content you have from current staff, the more likely you are to receive applications from grads.
5. Encourage your employees to share social media posts
One of the most important things about sharing content on social media is to ensure you are maximising your reach wherever possible. You can share on all your platforms, but without employees sharing your posts far and wide with their connections, you will only reach a certain number of people organically.
If you use a content-sharing platform for employees to do so – great! If not, be sure to have a conversation with key stakeholders within your company to encourage their teams to share certain posts that are aimed at graduates. You never know – your colleagues could have friends or family members who are exactly the person you are looking for.
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