Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER October 3, 2016 14 FEATURES RECRUITMENT Navigating social to source candidates GoodLife, BMO take advantage of LinkedIn, Twitter to reach candidates By Audrey Wubbenhorst I n September, GoodLife Fit- ness announced via Twitter it would be hosting a live re- cruitment conversation that op- erated like a virtual career fair. It was the company's third live chat focused on recruitment, accord- ing to Sarah Moore, talent ac- quisition specialist at GoodLife. During that time, more than 40 tweets reached a potential au- dience of over 238,000 people. GoodLife also expanded its re- cruiting pool by increasing Twit- ter followers by 4.5 per cent dur- ing the one-hour chat. "Because of our increased use of social media tools, we are now filling 10 per cent more positions each month. Approximately 80 per cent of our promotion of new job postings is through social me- dia as we're able to target the ads about positions geographically and publish those ads in a faster and more cost-effective way than other mediums," says Moore. Not only has GoodLife been able to fill jobs quickly, the quality of applicants has improved, less- ening employee turnover. "Applicants find that they have a better understanding of the roles that they are applying for and an appreciation for GoodLife's cul- ture," says Moore. So, how do the chats work? Following considerable pre-chat awareness and advertising, two talent acquisition specialists and a guest (typically someone in the position who provides a testimo- nial) chat online about the open opportunities. As much as pos- sible, they focus the conversation on the specific role as well as the company's culture. "While we don't hire people directly during these chats, this is definitely a great starting point for people to submit their application via our job portal, which is actively shared during the event. is helps people ap- ply easily and also increases our overall web traffic to the portal. We know these chats are working great because we've found great associates by encouraging them to apply during the chats," says Moore. Knowing the tools Given its broad reach, social media is increasingly helpful in widening an organization's talent pool. But with so many possible social channels, the challenge for employers is knowing where and how to use the tools to source the best talent. Given the rapidly changing world of social media, it is often a matter of trial and error. And with so many tools, it is difficult to be strategic and deter- mine how social media fits within a wider recruitment strategy. Unlike traditional advertising, a social media strategy can be in- expensive and executed quickly if needed. A number of U.S. studies have articulated what many recruit- ers and job seekers are already finding: Social media is critical. Recruiters spend 37 per cent of their working time on social me- dia, according to a 2016 survey by Alexander Mann Solutions. ey use it to source passive candidates, learn more about current candidates and drive awareness for the company they work for. Of the channels avail- able, LinkedIn is the one used most often. LinkedIn newbies Interestingly, most college- or university-level students are not yet on LinkedIn but are likely very active on other social media sites. College career centres encour- age students to go on LinkedIn well before they hit the job upon graduation. Allison Scully, career resource developer at Humber College in Toronto, frequently advises students on drafting their first LinkedIn profile and how to use it effectively. Students are encouraged to start early and connect with their peers, professors and speakers who visit their class. For Luis Alejandro, a student at George Brown College in To- ronto, social media has become his second most important job search tool after work banks. "After targeting a job post I feel I qualify for from a metasearch job site like Indeed or Eluta, I im- mediately begin my research on LinkedIn," he says. ere, he may find more in- formation on anything from the organization to the role's current team. "e most pivotal piece of in- formation for me is finding (out) who the hiring manager may be based on my LinkedIn research," says Alejandro. LinkedIn helps to provide more context with regard to job postings, companies and specif- ic teams looking to hire. Social media helps Alejandro to unpack the job market and think strate- gically about the roles he is ap- plying for. "is process has become an unstructured puzzle I'm con- tinuing to master as I continue to job search — one that I use as a measure of viability of my job ap- plication based on the variables (including a referral connection) I'm able to gather." BMO embraces online LinkedIn is table stakes for re- cruiting, says Cathy Scarlett, vice- president of talent acquisition at BMO Financial Group in Toronto. "We use it to provide infor- mation about our company and find great candidates. But we're also upping our use of other so- cial channels. As we head onto campuses across North America this fall, our Twitter handle (@ BMOonCampus) will share news, stories and photos along the way — where we are, what we're up to, and how to join in. It's helping us engage students in real time be- yond booths, campus career fairs and other live events." In real-time, the bank can gen- erate awareness on campus and has been experimenting with how to be the most effective. Building momentum through so- cial media will drive applicants to its website. "We use hashtags to focus at- tention on student events. For example, we recently ran a hack- athon with students in our sum- mer program. It was awesome. They live-tweeted photos and comments throughout the day, and their innovative ideas were inspiring," says Scarlett. What's next for BMO? Like most social media, it is about ex- perimentation and engagement. "We'll continue to explore other channels like Snapchat to see if they're a good fit to help us con- nect with students in ways that matter to them," she says. Audrey Wubbenhorst is a business professor at Humber College and George Brown College in Toronto. She can be reached on LinkedIn and on Twitter @audreyrw. Credit: Twin Design (Shutterstock) "We recently ran a hackathon with students... it was awesome, they live- tweeted photos and comments."

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