Authored by Phil Cohen
When it comes to recruiting employees, everyone assumes LinkedIn is the best option. The truth, however, is that LinkedIn and Facebook are best used together to find candidates to fill a position. While LinkedIn has millions of users, many of them tend to be passive, meaning that they do not check or update their profile every month. Facebook users, on the other hand, are comprised of a larger pool that manages their profiles on a regular basis.
Often times, Facebook users open the app or visit the website just to stay up to date on news and connect with friends. So, even if they are not frequently uploading their own posts, they’re still exposed to anything that pops up on their timelines. Timelines are loaded with a seemingly endless stream of pretty much everything from photos of a peer’s family vacation to New York Times articles, to recipe videos. But, more importantly, users can discover job opportunities from your staffing agency’s Facebook page.
Facebook’s constantly refreshing feed provides the perfect platform to inform and recruit employees. As a staffing company, Facebook gives you the opportunity to reach a wide demographic when posting an open job position. Therefore, you want to make sure you’re posting the right things at the right time. Once you have your agency’s profile set up, you’ll want to strategize effective recruitment methods. There a lot of ways to go about this; but, which work best?
The best ways for a staffing agency to use Facebook to recruit employees
Facebook Job Posting Strategies
Direct Job Postings
You have a couple options when it comes to posting a job opportunity. Your first option is uploading a direct post, which appears publicly on your staffing agency’s page. Remember: people browsing social media want to know what’s happening as fast as possible. So, be sure to captivate your audience with the first sentence. Better yet, captivate them with the first few words. Be moderately straightforward with your content, while also providing any relevant information needed about the position.
Check out this example from Orion Group, an international employment agency based in Scotland:
Orion started by introducing the title of the position immediately. Welders who see the post automatically know this opportunity is geared toward them and can inquire further if they’re interested. Next, Orion listed any relevant information about the job and its requirements. Applicants know the location of the job, what kind of work needs to be accomplished, the length of the shifts, and the types of certification they need to apply.
Notice that in addition to the content of their post, Orion also included a photo of a welder to match the description. Posts that include pictures receive twice as much attention as compared to those that do not include one. Therefore, adding a picture is extremely effective in captivating your audience and increasing exposure.
Remember to finish your post by including contact information. Doing so allows interested candidates to apply easily or ask any questions that were not addressed in the post. Not only did Orion provide a name and phone number, but they also provided an email address for applicants to inquire further. If your agency does not want to include personal contact information, you should still link potential employees somewhere else where they will be able to contact recruiters or your staffing agency through Facebook somehow. You can link to the “Jobs” tab of your company’s website, or even to a survey like in the case of WatchLAB’s post:
Organic vs. Paid Posting
Once you have created a job posting on Facebook, you can either rely on your followers to organically “like” and “share” it. Or, you can boost your post like this:
Paid job post boosting your post increases its exposure by showcasing it to an audience outside of your followers. This option allows you to target a specific audience, choose a maximum budget, and set a duration for the post. Think of it like a television commercial. Naturally, the more you pay for your Facebook job advertisement, and the longer you keep it posted, the more people will see it. Boosting can be beneficial for staffing agencies that are new to Facebook and do not yet have a large following pool.
Create a “Jobs” Tab on Your Page
Your second option with Facebook recruiting is to create a “Jobs” tab on your staffing agency’s company page. While a direct job posting looks more like a newspaper ad, a “Jobs” tab acts more like a job-finding website like Glassdoor. When a job seeker visits your Facebook, they can search through a wide array of available positions by clicking the “Jobs” tab. There, they will see the title of the position that needs to be filled, the longevity of the position, and the location.
For reference, check out the “Search Our Jobs” tab on Randstad USA’s Facebook, an employment agency based in Atlanta, Georgia:
Here, we can see a list of jobs that Randstad has available through their staffing agency. A job-seeker exploring the page can narrow the search by specifying a preference in a particular company, location, job type, or specialty. If a certain position piques a job-seekers interest, they can click the title to read an extensive job description. For example:
Once potential employees read the description, they can let the agency know that they are interested by clicking the green button on the right. This button sends the candidates’ information directly to the employment agency, which will then contact them accordingly to recruit. Candidates can also choose to provide their email address to receive alerts for future jobs similar to the one posted. Or, they can connect their profile directly to the page to let Facebook play matchmaker for them.
Comparatively, while direct posts show people available positions immediately on their timeline, having a “Jobs” tab allows job seekers to search through hundreds of jobs at one time. Depending on your goal and the size of your staffing agency, assess which would be most appropriate for your purposes. If you want to feature a unique opportunity, use a direct post. If you have 50 different job positions to release, upload them to the “Jobs” tab. But, it doesn’t hurt to use both! Using these methods in tandem allows your staffing agency to recruit employees more efficiently.
Refining Your Search
Let’s say your staffing agency wants to recruit a very specific type of employee. You can do so by narrowing your applicant pool by typing specifications in the search bar on your page. If your agency is looking for a construction worker in Texas, for instance, your search can look something like this:
Sometimes, many individual Facebook members that meet your qualifications will appear. Other times, like in the example above, just a group that matches your search will appear. But, this is good! Once you click on the group, you can see its members and reach out to inquire if they have an interest in a particular job. Or, you can use the members for networking purposes to fill future positions.
Your staffing agency can also refine its search based on a particular company, the name of an employee, or a university. This is a specific, easy way for staffing agencies to recruit using Facebook.
Recruiting Using Facebook Events
For an employment agency, job fairs are a vital part of the recruitment process. And Facebook can help! Post your job fair on your agency’s Facebook page so that your followers and their mutual friends are aware of each event you host or are attending. These posts will be a bit different from the direct posts used for your job listings, however. To promote your job fair and increase its exposure, create a “Public Event.”
Creating an event is incredibly easy. On the left side of your homepage, you will see a tab labeled “Events.” Once you click this tab, you will have the option to create either a private or public event. For job fairs, choose public.
Once you’ve completed these steps, your screen should look something like this:
At this point, you can specify what sort of event is happening. In the bio, you can write as much about the fair as you’d like. But, try to keep the information relevant and highlight key aspects. Let people know that the fair will feature a variety of positions in a variety of fields, but don’t feel like you need to list all of them. Instead, focus on a few you think your audience would find attractive.
Your event name and photo should complement each other. Keep the title short and to the point. Interested job seekers can click on the event’s page for more information. Remember: posts with pictures get more attention. So, choose wisely.
Once you create this event, you can invite groups and friends to attend. When your immediate friends show an interest in or commit to attending your job fair, their mutual friends can also see the invitation, increasing your exposure even more. Facebook events are easy to make and cheap; take advantage of them as much as possible!
Wrapping Up
Social media is a major part of today’s society. But, it doesn’t have to be reserved just for entertainment purposes. Follow these steps to use Facebook to recruit valuable employees for your staffing agency!
While we have provided some tips for Facebook recruiting if you’re in the staffing industry, we can also help your company by assisting with payroll funding. Find out more about invoice factoring to see if it’s right for your staffing agency.