Twitter isn’t necessarily the first social channel that pops into your head when you’re thinking about your recruitment strategy. However, by ignoring its potential benefits, you could be missing a trick. There are approximately 319 million active monthly users on Twitter, providing a massive opportunity for attracting the perfect candidate for your position. Another perk is that Twitter is free for recruiting.
What’s new?
Twitter introduced a new algorithmic timeline, a change from the original chronologically ordered display of users’ tweets, to ones that the platform thinks you’ll be most interested in. This was followed by a change in replies to Tweets, with Twitter usernames no longer counting towards the 140 character limit in replies. A similar change was brought about with regard to media attachments, when Twitter excluded photos, GIFs and polls from counting against the character limit.
The company said in a blog that the goal of the redesign was to ‘let you express more with 140 characters’.
The great thing about these changes is that they give us, as recruiters, more flexibility in how much information we can cram into a tweet.
Getting the best out of the Twitter updates in our recruiting
· Use images and videos in your posts – As media attachments no longer count against your character limit, you can use this to your advantage. A video of the hiring manager talking about a job role will have much more impact than a text post.
· Build a following – With Twitter’s updated algorithm, you need to have a good following and gain your followers’ interest to feature highly in their feeds. The higher you feature, the more potential candidates you are exposed to.
· Create a bank of personal hashtags – By creating a bank of personal hashtags, you are adding strength to your brand. Potential candidates will know how to search for your job roles, which will make them more visible. Using relevant hashtags means that your posts are more likely to be seen by people who don’t follow you, again increasing your reach.
· Engage and interact with your followers – When replying to a message about a job post, tag any of your followers that may be interested, such as previously unsuccessful candidates. The beauty of this is that their usernames no longer count against the 140-character limit.
· Post interesting content – Obviously you are going to tweet with job posts, but add in some helpful links to recruitment tips or your blog to add some personality to your profile. Potential candidates will also see that you can add value to them.
Add Twitter to your social strategy
If you’re not using Twitter in your recruitment, it might be time to update your social strategy now. Free exposure to 319 million active monthly users is not to be sniffed at. By following our simple rules, you are sure to gather a healthy following and track down those elusive perfect candidates. Get tweeting!
Speak to us about perfecting your social recruiting strategy today!
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