How Instagram Drives Top Talent Recruitment
When it comes to recruitment all social channels are imperative to finding the best possible talent. Posting different jobs on multiple websites and social networks may put the job in front of the right candidates, but is it motivating the best people to apply?
So what are the ways that social media be used to make a company more desirable to the candidate? The more obvious ones of course are where candidates use multiple job websites and follow companies on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Nevertheless companies restricting themselves to these alone are missing out on the opportunity to engage new and different audiences that offer excellent talent potential. Every company should now seriously consider leveraging networks such as Snapchat, Pinterest and Instagram.
But how will they be able to do this? And even if they did, wouldn’t this be intrusive of the consumer’s personal and private space?
There are ways in which I believe companies can brand themselves over these networks without being loud and intrusive. My idea, relates from my own personal experience. Being a part of the SAP Sales Academy, I have been exposed to a training programme, one in which sent me to California for 3 months to learn about the value that SAP can bring its customers. Whilst I was going through this training and throughout my enrolment, I documented my experience through Instagram. I documented the people I met, the places I went and the experiences I had. And as a result of this, my 405 followers could see a day in the life of an SAP Sales Academy Associate.
I initiated an interest. Friends, family even acquaintances from university were asking “who do you work for!?”… “What is this job!?” Just by documenting my experience as an employer of the company, I was exposing what it would be like to work for SAP to a whole new audience.
It therefore got me thinking… Companies such as Burberry, and John Lewis all have Facebook pages, all which use this space to post jobs and marketing campaigns. What if companies such as these were to have an Instagram page? Not one for campaign marketing or showing the new line of a collection or to market new offers but one that documents the “day in the life of an employee”.
Multiple employees could post photos of their “day to day” life of their role and send this to a PR coordinator, one who filters through and posts the most engaging photos.
As an example, if someone wanted to know the “day to day” activities of what it would be like to work as a merchandiser for John Lewis. They could go on the Instagram page and take a look into daily activities, travelling and events that a John Lewis merchandiser, would undergo. They as a candidate would get a snapshot into responsibilities, type of work and benefits of the role.
Below: Images from my Instagram Page
However hasn’t Linkedin and Facebook proved as a successful means to drive candidates to applications? Can a social platform like Instagram really drive engagement?
Being in my 20s, I have come to appreciate the power of social media, not only with driving personal opinion but also in creating and driving businesses. Take personal bloggers for example such as Sarah Ashcroft (UK Fashion Blogger), Kalya Itsines (Australian Fitness blogger and personal trainer) and Jack Morris (Travel Blogger). They all started out in different ways whether that be taking photos in their garden wearing different garments, doing routines or taking snaps on their travels. By documenting it on Instagram, every single one of them now, has made their passion into their full time job. Which was all made possible due to the popularity of their network.
In total these bloggers attract an audience of around 4.5 million. Which has made them valuable and desirable to multiple people and even companies. What if a company could have one of their own employees to act as an ambassador for their company in a similar way? What if they could take snaps to show the public the benefits of working for a company like Burberry and create its own popularity in the network?
The idea however, is not to be superficial. Which is a risk with any social network, especially Instagram. The purpose is for a company to show the realistic expectation of the job which will help a company such as John Lewis attract the right people. But also to have the opportunity to expose the culture behind the corporate doors. With followers, John Lewis could also have an indication about type of audience of their candidates and have a greater idea of which demographics are attracted to which jobs. By having the “follow” option as with LinkedIn, people won’t feel obliged to follow companies and have their posts infiltrate their news feeds.
Candidates want to dip in and out of different businesses to get a feel for the company, something that goes beyond a simple job post.
People take jobs for multiple reasons, but money, security, and interest are not the only reasons. Employees are now considering what a company can offer in broader terms like experience, culture, personal development, wellbeing and social purpose. How many times can you say that a new recruit was not interested and motivated by the opportunity of unique experiences and a distinct company culture?
To stay ahead of the competition, companies have to think of talent as they would a consumer, someone whose needs and expectations need to be met in full to secure buy-in. We have to ask ourselves whether posting a job with X amount of salary, X amount of hours and X amount of benefits is good enough today to attract the ever changing millennial.
The reality is that young people today are looking for more from a company. Companies will have to think differently around how they attract top talent. They will need to differentiate themselves and establish a culture of employee engagement and connection. It is only through placing future talent at the heart of the company’s future that companies will set-up the foundation for success. So why wait to become an employer of the future, when you can become one now?
