Social media has been an important part of a business image for a long time. There are countless examples of companies doing it right and those, unfortunate, cases where they missed the mark on social media. But in recent years, social media has become not just a marketing tool for business but an important part of attracting the right talent. What has the impact of social media been in the HR industry and what should companies learn about this development?
The quick answer is that social media’s impact on the HR industry has been massive. Companies can find talent through social media and make branding as an employer a lot more effective. Companies in the modern world simply can’t overlook the importance of utilising some form of social media for the HR department. Here are the four key ways social media is impacting the HR sector and ways companies can better use it to their advantage.
Recruitment is easier and more successful
One of HR’s main functions is naturally recruitment. Social media plays a big role in that, making it easier, faster and more effective. Gone are the days when HR managers could only rely on internal advertising or HR recruitment agencies. With social media, companies can post their message directly and seek out the right candidate. Different social media platforms also offer unique tools to make advertising positions easier. You can unleash the power of hashtags or use direct contact with platforms such as LinkedIn. Overall, it is so much easier for companies to notify the public about new openings and searching for the right candidate for a specific role.
Of course, the other element of social media and recruitment is the ability to search for candidates. Social media offers a lot of information for employers and some candidates, unfortunately, have yet to learn the message of keeping their social media clean. But the truth is that companies can and should use the ability to look up potential employees online. They are able to learn a lot of valuable information and ensure the candidate is the right fit for their business.
Improve company branding as an employer
In a world where competition for talent is heating up, companies need to present themselves in the right way. Branding is not just crucial in terms of attracting customers. Branding yourself the right way as an employer ensures you attract the right talent to help your business grow. Social media is the best place to do this branding because it allows your company to have a human touch – you are able to show what it’s like to be an employee in different ways, from videos to pictures. You can use things like employee profiles and Q&A sessions to give potential employees the possibility to get to know you. Furthermore, social media is a great place to talk about the values that matter to you most as an employer. This could be your commitment to inclusion or sustainability. Whatever those values are, social media gives you the platform to speak about them in an efficient way. In the end, this will help guarantee that the right candidates want to apply for your job positions.
Manage your employee activities
Of course, being on social media will also help companies monitor and manage employees. With a proper social media policy in place, you can make sure that employees don’t use their private platforms in a negative way and create a bad image for your company. Now, the point can be viewed negatively by some and it’s important not to become too controlling in terms of how your employees use their free time. But at the same time, you should be able to control your employees’ public image to an extent. You definitely don’t want employees to talk ill of your business, for example. On the other hand, you also want to encourage the right kind of social media activity. For example, sharing insightful articles about your industry or the developments in your business will be something you want your employees to do on social media.
Improve communication with employees
Finally, social media is yet another HR tool that makes it easier to communicate with your employees. You should definitely engage your employees on social media because it enhances your public profile and visibility. There are lots of ways to do this – not all of them need to be public either. Systems like Google Hangouts are a powerful tool to get your employees aware of new HR developments within your business.
Put social media at the heart of your HR
As the above shows, social media has a big impact on your HR. You can also utilise it to your advantage easily because there is a lot of free HR software that makes social media management a breeze. As a company, the key is to simply make social media part of your HR activities and to utilise its full potential right now.
