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TRANSCRIPT
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The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook
SOCIALRECRUITING2.0
What’s Inside Don’t Leave Facebook Out of Your
Recruiting Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
How to Set Up Your Recruiting
Presence on Facebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Using Facebook Messenger as a
Recruiting Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
To Succeed on Facebook, You Need
Great Content and Great Tech . . . . . . . . 22
[email protected] | textrecruit.com | 415-952-6094
TextRecruit is a candidate and employee engagement platform that leverages text, chat, and artificial intelligence to optimize your hiring funnel. Powered by analytics, personalization, campaigns, and integrations, this is the most effective engagement software for HR on the planet.
Learn more at TextRecruit.com
Hire and Engage at the Speed of Now
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 4
LinkedIn enjoys a privileged position in the popular
discourse as the recruiter’s favorite social network.
This makes sense, given that LinkedIn’s entire
platform is oriented around professional life.
Facebook? That’s not for recruiting. That’s for
pictures of your friends’ kids, exasperating political
meltdowns, and those mesmerizing cooking videos.
This line of thinking is reflected in the fact that 94
percent of recruiters are active on LinkedIn,
compared to 65 percent on Facebook.1
But as it turns out, recruiters may have it all wrong.
Don’t Leave Facebook Out of Your Recruiting Strategy
While they are hanging out on LinkedIn, the job
seekers aren’t. They’re actually on Facebook: Only 36
percent of job seekers are active on LinkedIn,
compared to 83 percent on Facebook.2
And Facebook offers a much larger talent pool to
choose from, with 2 billion monthly users against
LinkedIn’s 125 million monthly users.3
In terms of sheer numbers, it’s obvious that Facebook
presents recruiters with an unmissable opportunity.
But what, exactly, can recruiters do with all those
Facebook job seekers? Isn’t the platform too personal
1 https://blog.textrecruit.com/is-facebook-messenger-right-for-candidate-communication
2 https://blog.textrecruit.com/is-facebook-messenger-right-for-candidate-communication
3 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-recruiting/
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 5
for recruiting? Shouldn’t they just stick to LinkedIn?
Not exactly. In addition to having a more sizable user
base, Facebook offers recruiters and employers some
additional functionality that gives
LinkedIn a run for its money — or
outcompetes the site altogether.
Facebook Is Great for Branding
Consider the different ways in
which people use Facebook
and LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is largely transactional.
People only log onto the site when
they’re looking for something in particular — a contact
at a target company, attention for their latest profes-
sional announcement, endorsements for their skills,
etc. This is not a place for people who just have some
time to kill. No one’s productivity is struggling be-
cause they can’t tear themselves away from LinkedIn.
Facebook, meanwhile, is the great time suck — which
sounds bad, but is actually a blessing for recruiters.
Consider how you use Facebook in
your own life. You scroll through your
newsfeed with no pre-programmed
agenda, stopping to click on articles
that look interesting, watch videos
that seem fun, and add your two
cents to any ongoing threads that
catch your eye. This makes Facebook
a perfect place to engage in smart
recruitment branding efforts.
Job seekers on Facebook are more receptive to brand
messaging because they use the platform in a more
open, casual manner. There is a lot of competition for
eyeballs on the site, but as long as your recruitment
branding content is well constructed (more on that
in a later section) you should be able to attract more
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 6
than a few curious, well-qualified
candidates to your talent pipeline.
Competition aside, your brand
messages are more likely to
be seen on Facebook than on
LinkedIn simply because people
spend much more time on the
former than the latter. The
average Facebook user spends
35 minutes a day on the site,4
compared to 17 minutes per
month on LinkedIn.5
You can also make use of Face-
book’s ad options and sponsored
posts to increase your reach.
The extensive amount of data
Facebook has on its users means
ad buyers can zero in on the
most relevant market segments
to promote job ads, content,
and other marketing messages.
More Engaged Users =
More Organic Marketing =
More Referrals
Facebook, as we’ve established,
boasts a larger pool of more
engaged users than LinkedIn,
with a third of Facebook’s users
reporting they engage with
brands regularly on the site.6
When users are more engaged,
they’re also more likely to share
your brand’s content, which
dramatically increases the reach
of your recruitment messaging.
This organic marketing potential
can help bring in more referrals
to your open positions.
Referrals are by and large
considered the best source of
talent. Referred candidates are 3-4
times more likely to be hired than
non-referred candidates, and they
produce 25 percent more profit.7
Why is Facebook a good source of
referrals? Your employees, like other
people, spend more time on Face-
book, and they engage more with
the content they find on Facebook.
4 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-stats-for-marketers/
5 https://www.omnicoreagency.com/linkedin-statistics/
6 https://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-stats-for-marketers/
7 https://www.recruiter.com/i/10-employee-referral-program-fast-facts/
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 7
If you share recruitment branding content and job ads
to Facebook, your employees are more likely to share
those messages with their own networks. The people
in your employees’ Facebook networks are also more
engaged and, thus, more likely to see your recruiting
content. By extension, they are then more likely to
apply to jobs that interest them.
All in all, Facebook stands out as a great but under-
utilized source of engaged candidates. Too many
recruiters confine themselves to LinkedIn while failing
to take advantage of all that Facebook has to offer.
This is a strategic error that requires swift correction.
As with any recruiting effort, however, recruiters
need to be smart about how they utilize Facebook.
You won’t see results if you aren’t thoughtful in your
approach. In the next section, we’ll cover some of
the fundamentals for building a strong recruiting
presence on Facebook.
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 8
On Facebook, content truly is king. Your recruitment
messages are competing in job seekers’ newsfeeds
with other brands, publications, media outlets, and
even the job seekers’ own friends. Gaining any
traction for your Facebook recruiting efforts will
require genuinely engaging content that gives job
seekers a reason to stop scrolling and pay attention.
Before you start pushing out content, however,
you need to set up a homebase.
Creating a Company Careers Page on Facebook
You could use your company’s regular Facebook
page to host recruiting content, but that isn’t ideal.
Instead, the best option is to set up a separate page
dedicated specifically to career content. That way,
you can deliver a more focused stream of curated
content to an audience of people who are interested
in working for you (or your client).
For example, Whole Foods has two Facebook pages.
One, called “Whole Foods Market,” is purely
customer-oriented. Most of its content promotes
Whole Foods’ products. The second page, called
“Whole Foods Market Careers,” is dedicated to
advertising job opportunities at Whole Foods
locations around the United States.
If you use the company’s regular Facebook page to
host recruiting content, your audience won’t be as
targeted. Sure, some of the people following your page
will do so because they are interested in jobs with the
company, but most of your followers will be there as
customers. They’re more interested in promotions,
How to Set Up Your Recruiting Presence on Facebook
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 9
sales, and giveaways than in job opportunities. Some
customers can convert into candidates, but rather
than keeping them in with the general population of
your brand’s Facebook fans, you can funnel them
to your careers page to keep in closer contact.
The other issue with using one page for
both consumer and recruitment brands
is that it makes your Facebook page
seem scattershot and disorganized,
which can be a major turnoff for job
seekers. There’s nothing wrong with
cross-promotion, and you should share
some of your careers page content to
your main brand page in order to attract
customers who may become candidates. However,
keeping two separate pages simply makes it easier to
organize your content, track your recruiting efforts,
and target audiences effectively.
Another thing to note is that Facebook now allows you
to host job ads right on the site — and it allows users
to apply to those ads directly through Facebook. These
job ads, as you might have guessed, should be hosted
under your careers page instead of your main page.
(We’ll talk more about Facebook’s job application
functionality in a later section.)
Once your Facebook careers page is up
and running, it’s time to start planning
your content.
4 Types of Powerful Recruiting
Content on Facebook
1 . Job Ads
It’s an obvious move, but worth mentioning:
If you have a Facebook careers page, you should be
using it to share job ads. As mentioned above, you can
host the ads on Facebook directly, or you can host
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 10
them elsewhere and share links
with your followers. This is mostly
a matter of preference, although
if you want to give job seekers the
option to apply directly through
Facebook, you will need to host
your ads on the site.
Job ads aren’t always the most
exciting of content, but there are
ways to spice them up — which
you should do, considering all the
other content you’re up against on
Facebook. Some quick notes:
• Wherever possible, include
eye-catching pictures and videos
along with your ads.
• Keep the content lively. Instead
of a bland list of requirements,
foreground an exciting
description of the company’s
culture, mission, values, etc.
• You can promote your job
openings through Facebook’s
advertising options, which is a
good way to zero in on target
demographics. Buying ad
space will also make it easier
for your content to garner
attention above the din of
competing posts.
2 . Company Culture Showcases
You’re more likely to draw job
seekers in with culture-focused
content than by relying solely
on job ads alone. Culture-
focused content is anything that
showcases life at the company.
It can take many forms, including:
• A photo album of pictures from
the latest team-wide volunteering
effort
• A video tour of the office
• Blog posts written by current
employees reflecting on what
the company’s mission means
to them
Don’t be afraid to get candid
with it. People respond positively
to authenticity on social media.
Did a hot-dog-eating competi-
tion spontaneously erupt during
lunch? Grab your phone and
broadcast it live to Facebook. Post
a picture celebrating an employee
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 11
who just achieved something big. Candidates will
be thrilled to see your company recognize its high
performers publicly.
3 . Industry News and Analysis
Show candidates your company is on the cutting-
edge of its field by sharing content related to your
industry’s news, trends, and developments. You can
produce such content in house, but that’s not
entirely necessary. Simply sharing articles from
trustworthy sources, video clips from news shows,
and other industry-oriented content is enough.
You also want to share news and analysis of your own
company, if possible. Post press releases regarding
new products, profiles of employees who recently
won prestigious awards, and any other content that
portrays your company in a positive, innovative light.
4 . Helpful Tips for Job Seekers
Your candidates will greatly appreciate content
targeted toward job seekers and their specific
needs. Not only will they like having some helpful
tips and tricks, but they’ll also see this as evidence
that your company cares about job seekers as
people, not just fodder for a talent pipeline.
Again, this content can be produced in house or
sourced from other outlets. You can also consider
creating content around your organization’s hiring
process, such as a step-by-step guide to filling out
your application or a video that shows candidates
what your team looks for in interview answers.
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 12
Choosing Your Content Format
The content you produce and share on Facebook
can take a variety of forms, including but not
limited to:
• Blog posts
• Journalistic articles
• Videos
• Pictures
• Memes
Each content format has its strengths and weak-
nesses, so the best approach is to share a mix of
different types. You can make the production
process much easier by producing multiple
content pieces oriented around the same topic.
For example, you could write a longer article
covering interview tips, film a short video
illustrating a few tips in action, and even produce
an eye-catching meme or two around one of the
tips from your article. That’s three separate
content formats derived from the same source!
While it is recommended to use a mix of formats,
it should be said that video is generally the most
engaging. In fact, some estimates claim that social
media videos generate 1,200 percent more shares
than text and images combined.8 You don’t want to
trade all your other content in for video, but you do
want to leverage video whenever possible.
Your content should adopt a tone that feels authentic
to your company’s culture and values. Above all else,
people appreciate sincerity on Facebook. That said, you
don’t want to seem too stuffy or buttoned-up. Your
content should be friendly and personable, but still
aligned with your company’s culture, mission, and values.
Don’t be afraid to have fun with it! The fast food brand
Wendy’s scored a big win with consumers when it
released its own rap mixtape.9 A mixtape may not be an
authentic move for you, but the point is that taking creative
risks can have big returns for your recruitment brand.
8 http://www.responsiveinboundmarketing.com/blog/video-marketing-statistics-for-2016
9 https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/26/wendys-just-released-a-hip-hop-mixtape-heres-what-the-ceo-had-to-say.html
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 13
3 Brands That Get Facebook Recruiting Content Right
Now that we’ve outlined in the abstract the kind of recruitment content that performs well on Facebook, it may
be helpful to take a look at a few real-world examples.
1 . Chipotle
Chipotle’s careers page features visually engaging posts such as this one, which
combines an eye-catching picture with a testimonial from a current employee.
The picture serves to differentiate Chipotle’s post from the rest of the posts in
job seekers’ newsfeeds, while the testimonial offers an authentic glimpse into
life at Chipotle.
2 . Six Flags
Amusement park Six Flags shares plenty of photos of team members in ac-
tion, such as this picture of a roller coaster maintenance worker standing on
the tracks high above the park. Check out that view! Not only do these team
member snapshots give job seekers a look at what it’s like to work for Six Flags,
but they’re also genuinely interesting in their own right, meaning they’re much
more likely to catch the attention of job seekers just scrolling past.
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 14
3 . Whole Foods
Whole Foods cuts right to the chase by using as its header image a series of short, funny videos. These videos are
not directly related to recruitment, but they brand Whole Foods as an approachable company with a great sense
of humor and a dedication to its mission of providing shoppers with healthy, high-quality foods. Take one look at
these videos, and you may find yourself moved to click on the “jobs” tab of the page — just to see what’s out there.
Scheduling and Sharing Your Content
There are many competing opinions on best practices for posting on Facebook, but the soundest estimate
comes from the data-crunchers at Coschedule. They surveyed a few sources10 and came up with the
following guidelines:
10 https://coschedule.com/blog/how-often-to-post-on-social-media/
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 15
• Post once a day, every day.
• Do not exceed two posts a day. Any
more than that will feel
“spammy” to your audience.
• Post between 1 and 4 p.m. for
maximum engagement.
• Share a mix of new original content,
curated content from other sources,
and previously posted original
content. One strategy is to share
different types of content on alter-
nating days — e.g., post original
content one day, then curated
content the next, then original again,
then reshare an older but still
relevant post, and so on.
You don’t need to have someone
manning Facebook each and
every day. There are scheduling
tools out there which allow you
to create and schedule posts far
in advance. Buffer11 is one such
tool that comes highly recom-
mended. Using Buffer, you can
set up an entire week’s worth of
posts in just a few minutes, and
Buffer will automatically publish
those posts according to the
schedule you set. Buffer can also
track your posts’ performance to
help you refine your strategy, and
you can manage multiple social
media accounts (Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) all
within one Buffer profile.
11 https://buffer.com/
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 16
Using Facebook Messenger as a Recruiting Tool
Facebook Messenger is your direct line of communication
between yourself and your candidates on Facebook.
However, it can be tricky to establish first contact
because of the way Facebook sorts
incoming messages.
Messages job seekers receive from
their Facebook friends go straight
to their inboxes — but messages job
seekers receive from new contacts
go to a separate inbox called “Mes-
sage Requests.” To be entirely honest,
Facebook is not very good at notify-
ing people of new message requests, so it’s very easy
for your messages to slip through the cracks — unless
you get candidates to opt into liking your page and
starting a conversation. There are a few ways to do this.
Getting Candidates to Opt in to
Communicating Through Messenger
1 . Use Content to Get Candidates“Liking” Your Page
To best engage candidates on Face-
book, you must first get them to like
your careers page. Not only does this
boost the chances of candidates see-
ing your recruitment content, but it
also puts you in a better position to
contact those candidates when it’s
time to reach out. There are a few
methods you can use to get more likes for your page:
• Use posts to attract candidates to your page: When
you share posts, you have the option to promote
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 17
them as sponsored posts. These posts gain a wider
reach across Facebook, and even job seekers who
aren’t already fans of your page may see them. If your
recruitment content is engaging enough, it just might
entice candidates to click “like” and start following
your page.
• Use an email campaign to drive traffic to your page:
You probably already have a candidate database of
some kind, whether it’s stored in an ATS, cultivated on
LinkedIn, or kept somewhere else. The candidates in
this database may not have found your Facebook
careers page yet, so it doesn’t hurt to send out a
mass email about it.
You can also promote your careers page to other
mailing lists you may have. The people on these lists
may not all be interested in working for your company,
but it’s likely at least some of them will convert.
• Use a text message campaign to drive traffic to your
page: Similar to the email campaign above, sending
links to your career page via text message can also
bring in more likes for your page. As above, you can
send texts to existing candidates in your database or
to any other contact lists you may have.
It is important to note that, in general, text message
campaigns perform much better than email campaigns.
The average email open rate is about 30 percent, but
text messages have an almost 99 percent open rate.12
This means candidates are more likely to see the link to
your Facebook careers page if that link is sent via text.
2 . Advertise Your Page on Messenger
You may not be aware, but Facebook allows you to
advertise right in the Messenger window. What makes
this avenue particularly useful for recruiters is that
Facebook offers “Click-to-Messenger” ads. When
12 https://www.business2community.com/infographics/text-market-ing-vs-email-marketing-one-packs-bigger-punch-infographic-01249186#HlYebylM-l1Z5Uwke.97
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 18
clicked, these ads start a Messenger conversation
between the company’s page and the person who
clicked the ad. What better way to get candidates
to opt into communicating via Messenger than
through a direct link?
3 . Allow Candidates to Apply Via Facebook
Facebook’s job application function is highly under-
utilized. In fact, there’s a chance you may not even
know it exists. That’s a shame, because allowing
candidates to apply to your jobs on Facebook is an
easy way to get them into a Messenger conversation.
When you host job ads on Facebook, you have the
option of including an “Apply Now” button. This
button is similar to the one-click apply function on
LinkedIn in that it uses the candidate’s Facebook
profile as their application. The application is sent to
you, the recruiter, via Facebook Messenger. In effect,
when applying for a job on Facebook, a candidate
opens a direct link between themselves and the re-
cruiter by way of Facebook Messenger.
Hitting It Off: How to Start Conversations With Candidates on Messenger
Once you have candidates liking your page, sending in
applications, and clicking your ads, you can start con-
necting with them directly through Facebook Messen-
ger. But what exactly should those conversations entail?
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 19
In some situations, the answer to that question is
simple. When candidates start the conversations
themselves, it’s usually to ask specific questions. In
that event, you’re simply giving candidates the
information they request. Similarly, if a candidate
applies to a job via Facebook, you can use Messenger
to hold a screening conversation, gather more details
on the candidate, and offer more information on the
company and role.
However, if you as a recruiter are making the first
move, you will want to be strategic about how you
open the conversation.
The single most important thing to remember is that
personalized messages do much, much better
than form letters. According to some estimates,13
personalized messages have open and response
rates that are six times higher on average than the
rates of impersonal messages.
Personalization matters even more on social media
than it does for email. If you send a candidate a
canned message via Facebook, they’ll just assume
you’re a bot looking to scam them.
If you’re reaching out to candidates via Messenger,
remember the following best practices:
• Put in your research ahead of time: Review the
candidate’s social media presence carefully. Step
outside of Facebook to find other profiles they may
have. Track down portfolios or resumes, if possible.
• Try friending the candidate on Facebook or other
social media platforms first: Then, you can start
engaging with them by liking their posts or commenting
on their activity. In general, people see such interactions
as less intrusive than direct messages. If you start
building an online relationship before moving to
Messenger, you’re more likely to get a positive
response.
13 https://newtonsoftware.com/blog/2016/12/13/10-tips-for-effective-recruiting-emails/
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 20
• Open your conversation by
talking about the candidate —
not about what you want from
the candidate: Praise some great
work they’ve done, or thank
them for sharing an interesting
post, or ask them about some
issue for which they have a
passion. This personalization is
more likely to elicit a warm
response from the candidate.
• Once you have the candidate
engaged, bring up the role:
Again, you want to frame the
conversation in terms of the
candidate: Explain why they
would be good for the role and
what the role has to offer them.
Moving Candidates Into Your Hiring Funnel From Facebook Messenger
You’ve started a conversation,
hooked the candidate’s interest
in your role, and now it’s time to
move them into your hiring funnel.
The simplest way to do this is to
direct the candidate to your online
application. You could also have
the candidate send a resume and
cover letter directly through
Messenger, which does support
document uploads.
For the most efficient and candi-
date-friendly experience, however,
you may want to have your
candidate apply directly through
Facebook. Doing so makes
Messenger into a hiring funnel of
its own, with applications coming
to you directly through the app.
If you’re looking for a more inno-
vative solution — one that takes
some of the burden off yourself
and your team — you may want
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 21
to integrate an AI chatbot into your careers
page’s Messenger app.
The Power of AI on Facebook Messenger
Some of the most advanced recruiting chatbots,
like TextRecruit’s Ari, can integrate directly into
Facebook Messenger. The benefits of leveraging
this integration are many, including:
• You don’t have to assign Messenger duty to a
member of the recruiting team: Instead, the chat-
bot can handle any questions candidates may
have. If the bot can’t answer something, it will
alert the team so someone can step in.
• The chatbot can carry out screening conversa-
tions through Messenger: When candidates apply
via Facebook, you can have the chatbot automat-
ically contact them to gather more information
about their qualifications. The bot will record the
candidate’s answers and pass them along to
recruiters for further evaluation, if necessary.
• Chatbots can make it easier to directly engage
candidates via Messenger: A human recruiter can
make the first move by sending a personalized
message. Once the candidate is engaged, the
chatbot can take over to answer their questions
and assess their fit.
If you do integrate a chatbot like Ari into your
Messenger, you can make Messenger into a
central component of your recruitment process.
Use your careers page to promote the fact that
candidates can reach out via Messenger anytime
with questions, comments, or concerns. The
chatbot will field all of these messages, which
means your recruiting team can focus on the
more strategic aspects of your Facebook
recruiting efforts.
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 22
To Succeed on Facebook, You Need Great Content and Great Tech
Recruiters can no longer ignore Facebook. Its large
user base and high levels of user engagement make
it fertile ground for attracting talent.
However, you can’t just run in blindly. You need a
smart recruiting strategy that includes the following
components:
1. A dedicated company careers page meant
to showcase job openings and share relevant
recruiting content
2. A smart content strategy that includes a mix of
direct job ads, industry news, company culture
content, and job seeker advice
3. A mix of content formats that will capture
candidate attention, including videos, images, and
articles
4. A personalized approach to using Facebook
Messenger in order to engage candidates and funnel
them into your talent pool
5. An AI chatbot that can run much of the company’s
Messenger presence, freeing up recruiters to handle
more strategic aspects of the company’s recruiting
efforts both on and off Facebook
Social Recruiting 2.0: The Complete Blueprint for Recruiting on Facebook | Page 23
While each of the five components listed above are
critical to a successful Facebook recruiting initiative,
the AI chatbot is of particular importance. Integrating
a chatbot into your Messenger presence can
transform Facebook from just another social media
platform into an integral component of your
recruiting process.
If you’re in need of a chatbot that integrates with
Messenger, be sure to check out TextRecruit’s Ari,
a customizable recruiting chatbot that uses natural
language processing and machine learning. Ari can
announce jobs, screen candidates, answer
questions, and even schedule interviews — all from
within Facebook Messenger.
For more information, visit
https://www.textrecruit.com/ari/ today.