In earlier blog posts I’ve touched on the importance for both employers and job seekers to maintain their online reputation because the internet and social media offers a whole level of transparency when it comes to the recruitment process.
I’ve attended a few webinars recently and they all emphasized, for employers, that managing your online reputation isn’t just about transparency, but branding. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts are easy tools to use that not only reinforce your organization’s brand, but create a voice or personality. When done right, this can be an extremely valuable asset for recruiting and can make your brand more dimensional.
For Facebook, it’s recommended to use more videos and pictures as users respond to visuals. Most organizations have videos on their website or YouTube channel for recruitment purposes. If your company doesn’t use videos, make this an initiative. Be consistent and use the same marketing collateral so it’s visible across all touch points for candidates.
Twitter has a different vibe and is more about sharing information and establishing a network. Twitter is also an ongoing conversation. It’s easy to hop in and out of various exchanges. With the 140 character limit, one has to be adept at crafting the right “hook” or teaser when supplying a link to content.
Usually a social media manager will oversee all social media channels, but selecting a representative from Human Resources to be involved will help with engagement, immediate response to interested candidates and also to prevent overstepping any legal boundaries. Reinforce your organization’s mission statement when possible, but without it feeling forced.
One caution is to not just post a steady stream of job openings. I manage the HIMSS JobMine Twitter and Facebook pages and find this rule difficult to adhere to, mainly because JobMine is a job board and we want to broadcast the jobs available on our site. I’ve been experimenting with different content and have found that providing a mix is the best combination. Also, I found our audiences vary depending upon the social media channel. This awareness is also important so you can make sure the message you’re delivering has the right audience in mind. Finding the right balance of a candid yet professional voice is important too. Since this is part of branding make sure the tone and content coincide with your organization's initiatives.
When I first started using social media for JobMine I was nervous and this showed in my posts. There was an underlying, almost wooden formality to my tone. With practice I loosened up. Once followers began to interact and I had engaging dialogue, this bolstered my confidence. What’s great about social media is you can correct errors. When you post something and then notice a misspelling, but can’t fix it, be honest about it and own up to the mistake. This transparency shows that yes, there is an actual human being behind the scenes and not some spam bot. It’s social and just like in life, there are awkward moments and there are exciting breakthrough moments. Go with it, have fun and represent your organization with pride.
E.J. Fechenda is the Audience Data Manager for MedTech Media. Since 2008 she has helped manage Healthcare Finance JobSpot and Healthcare IT JobSpot - now merged with HIMSS JobMine. She is not a Human Resources professional, nor a healthcare expert, but over the years she's accumulated a lot of feedback and insight from both job seekers and employers alike. Each week E.J. will deliver a blog based on this information. One week will be employer focused and the next week, job seeker focused.
