Social media can be a huge resource for companies when it comes to recruitment today—if you do it wisely, that is. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter allow you to target highly qualified potential candidates and start a dialogue. But before you post information about your open position, make sure that you avoid these five common mistakes: 

#1: Don’t try to be something that you’re not. 

Sure, you can create a job posting that portrays your company as being incredibly fun and flexible, with no hierarchy or set hours. And while this might increase the number of applicants or social shares, it will likely only result in confused and disgruntled candidates (or, worse, employees) down the line. At the end of the day, you need to make sure that you are accurately representing your company. Doing so will save you both time and money in the recruitment process. 

#2: Don’t be overly aggressive or forward. 

The great thing about social media is that it allows you to invite someone to engage with you and your brand. That being said, you don’t want to force the relationship. Posting on someone’s wall, for example, would be a step too far. If you are going to send a direct message asking someone to apply for an open position, use language that is friendly and encourages a dialogue. If they decide to reach out to you; they will; if they don’t, then they were not the right person for the job. 

#3: Don’t leave people with a bunch of questions.

When you are crafting your message or job posting be sure to include important information that an applicant would want to know. For example: What sort of background would a qualified candidate have? How many years of experience? Is the position location-specific? By being overly vague or omitting critical details, you risk having a bunch of unqualified individuals submitting resumes, or—potentially worse—having qualified individuals ignore your post altogether. 

#4: Don’t forget to engage with your audience. 

After you create a job posting, you can’t just sit back and watch your inbox. Interested parties are likely to try and engage with you on the social media platform that you posted, so be sure to monitor activity. It’s important that you respond to any questions that are asked; this not only shows potential candidates that you care, which will encourage them to apply, but it also keeps the job posting relevant, meaning that it will be seen by a larger audience. 

#5: Don’t post without a final review. 

When you create a job posting, you give potential candidates a sense of who your company is and what it would be like to work there. Be sure to proof everything thoroughly, otherwise you risk coming off as unprofessional and sloppy—which will reflect itself in the type of applications that you can expect to receive.  

It’s Time to Craft Your Job Posting 

By avoiding these critical mistakes, you will be well on your way to finding the perfect candidate on social media. If you are unsure which social media platform is the best for you to use, think about where your ideal applicants are spending the majority of their time. Ideally, your account should be fairly active, so that interested parties can get a better sense of your company’s work, values, and personality.

 

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