The average American works for one-third of their life. For generations, it has been widely assumed that “you work to earn a living, not to have fun,” and people who have had the good fortune to end up in jobs they enjoy were regarded as outliers. Things are changing these days. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people’s perceptions of work shifted. Many people realized they didn’t have to keep working at a job they didn’t like or where they didn’t feel valued. As a result, not only did the workforce begin to leave in droves, but prospective candidates developed expectations of potential employers that went beyond financial stability, resulting in a phenomenon known as “The Great Resignation.”
For a long while, money ruled. Businesses competed for talent through salary caps, health benefits and 401k offerings. Today things have shifted, quite literally. The way we work and the value placed on our time has moved beyond traditional live-to-work rhetoric. The biggest lesson learned from “The Great Resignation” is that people want work to live now. They want more time to enjoy time with loved ones or to focus on personal passions beyond work. Your employees want their work to be rewarding and their efforts appreciated beyond the return it brings your company. They also want to feel aligned with your culture and overall missions.It was revealed in a study that 38% of U.S. employees want a job that aligns with their interests and passions.
Today’s heightened digital age requires your company to showcase those alignments to attract like-minded prospects and employees. By highlighting company beliefs on your social channels, candidates can see upfront if your company is a match. With 47% of active job seekers leaving their jobs because of unsatisfying company culture, it goes without saying that identifying what it’s like to work at a company is important to candidates when considering a new employer.
If you want to attract talent in this environment, you have to be consistent and visible. According to Glassdoor, 79% of job seekers use social media as part of their job search. As such, social media has the potential to play an integral role in the recruitment process, allowing organizations to cast a wide net and connect with potential candidates on a more personal level by showcasing employee success stories and highlighting the company culture. The first place a prospective employee will look to learn more about your company is your social media accounts. If you fail to capture their attention or provide value on social media, your prospective employees will quickly disengage with your brand as a whole.
To stay competitive, employers must keep up with the evolving needs of current and prospective employees. Through digital media, employers now have a direct channel through which they are able to connect with everyone personally. Here are four things you can do to elevate your social channel communication to attract like-minded talent and reinforce company culture:
- Now Hiring Posts. Engage potential employees with thoughtful hiring posts. Consider which positions you are hiring for and which social media channels those candidates might frequent. You can effectively reach qualified candidates by targeting your hiring posts on specific channels like LinkedIn or Indeed. Curating content for different roles is a great way to make your hiring strategy unique. Consider creating a variety of multimedia options to encourage candidates to engage with you differently and create a more individualized experience. Also consider the varying voices you might need to apply to attract said talent. As we’ve mentioned before, there are over four generations in our workforce and it’s important to understand which platforms and messages work best in those locations. For example, your Facebook following might be better suited for localized talent recruitment; whereas, LinkedIn might be better for executive recruitment. In the end it depends on your channel activity and the profile of your followers.
- Showcase Company Culture. Social media is an excellent place to promote and reinforce your company’s culture. Share your company successes and core beliefs through the eyes of your current employees and leadership teams. People want to know who they are working with and for. The hiring process is an expensive one so remembering to cater to your current employees should be of great importance when thinking about your strategy. Find people within your organization who share in the company vision and exemplify its culture. A good rule is to start by identifying three value statements or core beliefs and aligning each with three diverse individuals that can reinforce those values in their own words. By the end of this process, you’ll have almost 10 profile stories to share across your social media channels. In the end, you’ll likely end up with far more and establish an ongoing strategy to collect these stories on a regular basis.
- Highlight Company Benefits. It’s no longer just about the money, be sure to emphasize the other benefits of working for your company. Do you provide career advancement programs, continuing education, or certifications? Does your company participate in any social community programs, offer sustainability initiatives or practice general ESG principles? Do you provide fitness memberships, childcare, mental health support? Do you have a work from home policy? It’s time to think beyond basic healthcare and 401k’s. Highlighting your company’s specific benefits programs will show potential candidates what your company has to offer over a competitor. You don’t have to share it all. Pick high-value and unique offerings that you know resonate with current employees. And, once again, have them help you share what those benefits are and what it truly means to them. If you are struggling to figure out the right things to say or offer, social media is also a great listening tool. Follow organizations and people who you admire. Listen to what others are saying and apply what works best for you. This includes ‘listening’ to your employees regularly. Follow their personal channels and ask to repost valuable messages they share out as well.
- Highlight Current Employees. Start with what you know and who you know. We’ve discussed three ways to reinforce company culture and recruit talent. In the end, it all goes beyond you. It’s about the people around you today and the ones you hope to be there tomorrow. By shining a spotlight on your employees, you are not only catching the attention of prospects but also showing your appreciation to current staff members. It’s a win-win situation. Whether you share content they create, highlight their achievements or simply share a message of gratitude, your employees want to be seen and heard. Social media provides a public spotlight for those individuals to shine. Creating a strategy and template with your company branding can make it easier to batch content and increase brand awareness.
Still struggling? Here is one example of how our client, Hospitality Staffing Solutions (HSS) celebrated Hospitality Week in appreciation for their frontline staff. They planned a wide range of events, including special recognition ceremonies to celebrate the performance and importance of their staff. As a result, HSS created moments that could be shared to attract new talent while also showing their current employees how valued they are. Utilizing videos and images that highlighted their deep respect for their industry and current employees on LinkedIn and Facebook, HSS was able to curate a week-long campaign that resulted in increased reach and engagement on both channels. HSS employees were happy to see their faces and the faces of their colleagues on the company’s social accounts. How do we know? They expressed it in the comments!
If you need help figuring out the best ways to showcase your employees, attract new talent and increase engagement on your company’s social channels – Don’t wait, Contact Us! The A-Team is here to help.