Find Your Next Great Hire on Twitter Use these five strategies to utilize chats on the social network for job candidates in your industry, or have them coming to you.
By Josh Tolan Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Social media is increasingly becoming a popular tool for recruiting talent. In fact, Twitter is one of the best social networks for recruiting bright and savvy professionals.
Twitter is more than a network for talking about trending topics and interacting with high-profile brands, it's also a tool for recruiting candidates and hiring top talent. Last year, 55 percent of employers said Twitter was one of the top social networks for recruiting, according to Jobvite's 2013 Social Recruiting Survey.
Related: How to Hire Without Spending a Fortune. (Hint: Use Social Media.)
Employers can use Twitter chats to discover and connect with clued-in and passionate talent. They can also use chats to share job postings, promote their employer brand, and follow up with talent for video interviews.
Employers hoping to connect with the brightest individuals in their industry can use Twitter chats to hire talent in these ways:
1. Use the right hashtags and follow conversations. To target top talent, employers must learn how to use the right hashtags for their industry. It's also important to participate in the right chat community. Employers can discover these hashtags through the Twitter chat schedule and by making note of commonly used hashtags by other industry professionals.
By using the right hashtags for their industry, employers can participate in ongoing industry conversations, discover talent and make Twitter communities excited about their company.
2. Showcase an employer brand. Twitter chats serve as a great opportunity to illustrate a company's values, mission and culture. According to Jobvite, 47 percent of employers use Twitter to showcase their employment brand.
When showcasing an employer brand, companies don't need to overtly promote themselves. In fact, they can make an impression on job seekers simply by answering questions during Twitter chats and sharing content that relates to their employment brand.
3. Share job opportunities. Twitter is also an excellent tool for informing professionals about job openings. In the Jobvite survey, 43 percent of employers post job opportunities to Twitter.
Related: 6 Signs It's Time to Find a New Hiring Strategy
When sharing job postings, be careful not to spam Twitter chats. Instead, share job opportunities at appropriate times during a chat and use the hashtag when the Twitter chat isn't taking place to attract the right people.
4. Build relationships with candidates. According to Jobvite's 2014 Job Seeker Nation Survey, Twitter is the most popular network job seekers use to seek career advice and help.
Twitter chats help recruiters discover prospects and establish relationships with them. Employers can position their recruiters and employees as resources for potential candidates. This way, job seekers who are interested in employment opportunities have a direct contact and can ask questions about the position without feeling intimidated.
5. Create a Twitter chat to engage with talent. Not only can employers participate in Twitter chats, but they can also create their own. This is a great way to strengthen their employer brand and attract talent.
For example, a company can launch a Twitter chat about a specific niche within their industry. This chat could target professionals who work in their industry and discuss important issues pertaining to that niche.
Once employers establish a Twitter chat, they should also invite their current employees to participate in it. This is a great way for employers to illustrate what it's like to work for their company through the experiences of their employees. This establishes credibility and builds a positive reputation for the company as well.
Do you use Twitter as a tactic for your recruitment strategy? How have you used it to locate top talent?
