This advent calendar presents 24 practical suggestions on how to learn from candidate behavior to improve your HR marketing, based on early results from Potentialpark's upcoming 2024 Talent Comm study.
I believe the weekend is for switching off. It's December. You deserve it. So today, Friday, I'm sharing 3 Calendar Doors in one instead with you. Each is a tip about how to impress candidates on social media.
What should you post about, what is relevant, what will set you apart? Either because it's high on the candidates' wish list, or because few other employers think about it, or because it helps you illustrate your unique EVP.
We go beyond the obvious here like posting jobs and testimonials.
Based on over 20,000 answers from candidates worldwide, Potentialpark identified the most relevant topics on Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok. Let's go!
Content 1: Showing your workplace
High potential: seeing pictures of their future workplace is one of the Top 5 candidate preferences worldwide on social media - yet less than half of employers actually post about it.
We don't mean the standard photo of the HQ building. But the inside: close-ups of offices, cantines, labs, plants, workshops - depending on your business.
This is hard to fake because it is what it is. And that's precisely what makes it so informative and authentic. Bonus if it shows people, work and culture at the same time.
Example: BCG Life on Instagram
Content 2: Employee Recognition
Less than 50% of employers include this in their content plan on Instagram, less than 20% on TikTok: employee recognition. Posts with rewards or special attention to individual employees or groups within the company.
Candidates are curious how you treat your employees. And everyone says "we value our people". Here you have a chance to prove it, for example by portraiting over-achievers, telling special career stories or showing a women in tech event held at your company.
What matters to candidates more than general statements is concrete actions and examples of employee recognition, showing you walk the talk.
Example: IBM on TikTok
Content 3: Promoting engagement and discussion
This can be a question, a vote or an invitation for followers to share. And there's a thought behind this that appears trivial but can be overlooked.
It's easy to think of a content plan as you posting. And sometimes you might actually end up overinvesting.
I remember the story of an HR marketing team that complained: when we posted a long, elaborate employee story that we had spent a week preparing, we got 10 likes.
But when we accidentally posted "Good..." and forgot the "morning", we went viral and got hundreds of replies.
So in the spirit of keeping things simple and engaging, think of asking a question from time to time.
Side-effect: direct feedback. The answers you collect can give you valuable insights into how the people think and feel that you try to attract. And if you figure out what kind of question activates lots of candidates to reply, you have probably gotten to a level of understanding of your target audience that many will envy you for.
Example 1: Google on LinkedIn
By the way, the Google poll above is less about which option to select, but more about attaching an emotion and hope to the employer brand: personal growth.
Example 2: Mahle on LinkedIn
The Mahle example above is not only an inquiry, but also a sign: in a world where work changes from on-site to remote, we care for your preferences.
BONUS: Would you like to receive the results of Potentialpark's new Talent Comm study when it comes out with data from the global candidate surveys? Sign up on the Potentialpark website to secure a free research expert talk (no strings attached) and tickets to Potentialpark's events to meet peer HR marketers.
Come back on Monday for the next Door of this Advent Calendar.
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