We know. We know. Where are all the candidates?
According to the Aussie Bureau of Statistics, almost a third of businesses are on Hiring Struggle Street, with 79% saying they just don’t have enough people applying. It’s no surprise to volume recruiters that the hardest hit roles include sales staff and hospitality workers.
And that means it’s action stations, people – time to reach beyond the old post-to-Seek-and-pray tactics. You need to do everything you can to get candidates into your talent pool, but where to start? Here’s how your social platforms can join the fight:
Do a bit of housekeeping – it’s amazing how easy it is to miss the basics!
✅ Check that you’re on the right channels. If you’re looking for Gen Z candidates, is LinkedIn the right channel? Should you look past Facebook in favour of TikTok, Instagram or Discourse?
✅ Make sure your profile is linking to the best place. The main link on your profile should lead through to your talent community, an EOI application or at least the opportunities page on your career site. On Instagram, consider taking 15mins to set up a Linktree account. That will let your followers choose the link that works best for them. Include any other social accounts, specific pages on your career site or (of course) that all-important Talent Community.
✅ Make sure your profile picture and description are good. If you've got a special version of your logo for the employer brand, load that up, then check it's displaying nicely – not pixelated or fuzzy and everything looks centred. Remember, social is about connection. So your description should read like a real human wrote it, not a professional sales bot. Nothing wrong with exclamation marks, emoji or slang here!
Perhaps most importantly, plan how you’ll use the pages – what content will go up and when? Who’ll be creating and posting that? What budget do you have for photography and ads?
Think about the way YOU feel and behave when you're scrolling Instagram in bed at night. What kind of content gets a click from you? What brands do you feel a connection with, and which do you find annoying or easy to ignore?
Think about social media as if it's a party – no one likes the guy who rocks, wanders into your personal space and starts shouting boringly about themselves. Here are a few categories of content that often work. Not all of them will fit your employer brand, but a few should!
Every company talks about "being part of a great team" and "learning new skills". But what are the unique perks or benefits your company offers that employees go nuts for? Do you offer employee meals? Do employees get free drinks during their shifts? Look how SkyCity is using instagram to show off their (totally incredible) always-on buffet that's available to employees.
Day-in-the-life
Let's face it, people don't trust marketing. But giving your social accounts to an employee (that you trust) to record their day via an Instagram story or TikTok gives followers a peek behind the curtain. If you encourage the featured employee to also share to their own personal Instagram, you widen the net, picking up viewers and exposure to all their network, as well as your own. Here's how Eneco Instagram stories give followers an awesome behind-the-scenes look.
We're not going to lie. Humour is the hardest one to get right, which is why it's rare to see it from an employer brand. But candidates want to work somewhere fun! Brainstorm with your team – what makes working here fun? Do we have any team members who are known for making people smile, cracking killer dad-jokes and bringing the joy? How do we show that working here isn't just clocking in, clocking out and collecting a pay check? See how Reddit weaves in a few cheeky lols amongst the employer-brand talk.
Have you seen the kind of stuff people are looking at every day? Every micro-influencer on the 'gram sends epically pro-level imagery, copy and video. That’s what you’re competing against, really, not just other high-volume recruitment brands. Here's what to do to keep up.
📷 Look at your images – do they look like someone shot them on a phone with a smudgy lens? Or maybe all you've got is stock imagery? If that's the case, it might be a good idea to hire a photographer for a day – get them to shoot your team, behind the scenes, anywhere amazing-looking on site, anything that shows off your best benefits or perks. This creates a bank of shots you can draw on to lift your profile.
🎬 Plan for some video – video isn't cheap to produce, but it's a winner on the more visual platforms like Instagram. Think about if there are some key upsides to working with you that would be best shown in a video, then hire a professional to help out.
🖊️ Getting your copy right is important, too – we’ve already written a blog on maximising your social cut-through, with a handy little formula for getting people funnelled into your talent community. If hiring a writer to help is off the table, focus on getting the first five words right in the post – what are the words or emoji that will immediately stop the scroll and get the reader to engage further? Then, read what you've written out loud to yourself – does it sound like your employer brand?
Here's an incredible image from Mariott Careers – great imagery can be scroll-stopping.
Your social reach is actually massive if only you know where to look – it’s about getting your team members to reach out to their probably enormous networks. Their contacts will likely be in similar demographics as your existing employees, and since you’re intro’d by a mate, your potential candidates will be more likely to give you a shot. Because you'll be creating snackable, high-quality content, your people will be more likely to share it – and you can even make it worth their while, with fun little incentives.
The volume recruiting game has always been about getting the candidates’ attention – and it’s more urgent than ever. The reality is that there just aren’t enough candidates to go around. Australian businesses are desperate for people – social media can help you get first dibs. Start with basic housekeeping, but don’t stop there. Great content, a bit of budget and bringing your existing employees along for the journey: get it right, and your brand will be one of the few to have enough candidates going into your talent pool.
Once they’re in the talent pool? You have Weirdly for that – book a demo.
