The “drought.” The “war.” The “perfect storm.”

Over the years, our industry has come up with dozens of ways to describe recruiting challenges. But right now? Many of our clients are calling recruiting downright IMPOSSIBLE.

Here’s what’s making it so tough – and expensive – to fill open jobs:

· Jobs are back.

· Unemployment is dropping.

· People are leaving the workforce for good (with fewer people to replace them).

· Return-to-work anxiety is still a thing.

Bottom line? Increased labor demand, reduced supply, lingering fears and changing priorities are making recruiting a real nightmare.

Tired of the cliches – and ready to tackle recruiting challenges head-on?

We have you covered. The team at Haley Marketing brainstormed “50+ Ideas for Social Recruiting,” and in this article we share tips to make social recruiting entertaining for job seekers, candidates and recruiters, alike. While you’re at it, be sure to “keep it real.” Your authentic employment brand is your best recruitment tool!

Here are 7 ideas for how to have fun and be YOU on social media:

Include fun posts (especially images) in your social posting mix. There is a reason why babies and puppies get all the likes!

Try a blogging challenge. Blogging is a great way to improve SEO, promote your jobs, and show off your company culture. But getting people to write can be tough! One easy way to boost blog output is to have a 30-, 60- or 90-day blogging challenge. Then, have each employee share everyone else’s blog posts on their social accounts. You can even make the contest fun by rewarding the person who writes and shares the most with a gift card or a celebration for the whole team when they meet the company goals.

Use “Fun Fact Fridays” to post facts about recruiters, company, location, etc. This idea is similar to Recruiter Spotlights, but it adds a fun twist to employer branding. Sharing interesting stories and insights about your recruiters will generate involvement from your team and drive more social engagement.

Use better/more fun referral incentives. Who says referral bonuses have to be boring? Try shaking things up a bit (e.g., refer someone and receive a ticket in a drawing to win one big monthly prize, or refer someone and receive one free sick day).

Be authentic. When you are recruiting for open positions, be direct, be transparent, and tell people why they will love working for you (and your clients). Don’t sell. Instead, think of yourself as a coach trying to help job seekers make the best career decisions.

Show who you really are! Your social profile is an extension of your brand (consider it your “brand’s voice”). It allows you to speak to your audience on a different, more personal level. So, step outside the box and skip the “professional tone.” Speak to people on their terms. When you’re able to make that type of connection, you’re on your way to a long-term relationship.

Leverage the interests of the folks in your team to reach people. Some may gravitate towards Facebook, others prefer LinkedIn, and still others “get” Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. Create a social strategy and let your team implement it on the platforms where they are experts.

Want more ideas to kickstart your social recruiting?

Connect with one of our marketing educators!