As a recruiter, one of the most difficult parts of the job is grabbing the attention of highly qualified candidates.

Top 5 Tips for Effective Social Outreach for Recruitment

There are hundreds of other recruiters on the hunt for the same talented individuals, who themselves are actively pursuing multiple opportunities.

This can be a troublesome situation, indeed, especially if the company had an urgent need to fill a certain job post. However, it’s not entirely unsolvable. In fact, Brokerkit has a list of recruiting ideas, team incentive ideas that recruiters in the real estate industry and beyond can use for their own programs.

One of these ideas is outreach. Simply put, this is the act of getting in touch with candidates who have already said “no” or have yet to respond to your messages.

Do note that outreach can be taken as spammy when done excessively. Done the right way and conscientiously, however, outreach can help boost your recruiting output and quality.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Make It About Them

Like it or not, top candidates receive several messages from recruiters every day. It’s simply part and parcel of being a highly skilled professional.

Now put yourself in their shoes: wouldn’t you be annoyed if you keep receiving templates that are barely personalized beyond the salutation? More so if the focus of such templated messages is the company and what it needs.

When conducting outreach, the best approach is to make it about the candidate. It’s not about the company’s need to fill a role anymore, but rather about the candidate’s needs, interests, and experiences.

It’s your job as a recruiter to craft the message so that the company becomes an agent that will help the candidate fulfill their goals. This makes your outreach more compelling and thus more likely to get a response.

Use Social Media Strategically

No matter what industry you’re in, you’d be remiss if you don’t utilize social media platforms to conduct outreach and other recruitment activities. In the United States alone, there are more than 228 million active users of Facebook; the number is expected to reach more than 237 million by 2025. That’s 69% of the U.S. population!

This simply means that you have to have a solid content marketing plan centered purely on social media outreach. If you don’t, then that’s a whole lot of potential candidates you’re letting pass you by.

For content, pick topics that promote engagement. Ask thought-provoking questions and provide industry insights. It’s also a good idea to showcase your company culture by collecting comments and testimonials from your current employees and new hires.

Of course, you need to choose the most appropriate sire. Facebook is the obvious choice, but there’s also something to be said about Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even Pinterest depending on where your target candidates are present and most active.

Lastly, make sure that your outreach posts are clearly marked for recruitment. Using hiring language so that those who come across your content will know that there are job opportunities available.

To help with both branding and curation, consider creating a specific hashtag for these kinds of posts.

Tie Everything to Your Brand

To ensure that candidates know that it’s you talking to them, you need to tie every message you send out to the essence of your brand.

It doesn’t matter if you’re using drip email campaigns or posting on every social media platform known to man. Your message should reflect your brand as a company to build recall. It also establishes your credibility and openness, and even helps prevents disappointments.

Be Persistent

Again, it’s to be expected that the most competent candidates are receiving multiple communiques every day.

This just means that it’s highly likely that your message hasn’t been noticed yet, much less read. This doesn’t mean that a candidate isn’t interested; they may just be busy or are currently sorting through their inbox.

To make it easier for your message to be noticed, it’s best to communicate through multiple channels.

Aside from social media content and email, you can also consider direct marketing through mailers or even voice calls. Do note that different people have different preferences, so conduct your research before sending your messages.

Of course, there’s a delicate balance between being persistent and being aggressive. Pace your messages so that the candidate doesn’t get overwhelmed. Sometimes, allowing another person to get in touch may also work in your favor.

Remember Your Call to Action

Lastly, don’t end your message without a clear call to action. Tell them what you want them to do, whether that’s to give you a call or fill out an inquiry form.

Visiting a website is also a good call to action, but make sure to refine it further—what do you want them to do once they reach the website?

With a concrete “what’s next?”, it’s easier for busy professionals to deal with your message as opposed to just ending it with some generic closing statement.

No job is without its challenges. With recruitment, it usually boils down to attracting the right people for the job. Hopefully, these tips can help you reach out to the best candidates and contribute to the success of the company you’re working for.