Using social media in college recruiting

Every college recruiter knows that social media is a golden means for reaching today’s college students and recent graduates when recruiting top talent. But not every employer utilizes social media to its full advantage in its college recruiting program.

How can recruiters and talent acquisition professionals partner with their content marketing teams to use social media to drive traffic to their college recruiting pages or websites? How can social media become not just a tool for engagement with college students and recent grads but a true means to an end? How can recruiters use social media to ultimately increase the number of job applications completed on their websites, and in turn, the number of quality candidates hired?

Steven Rothberg, President and Founder of College Recruiter, answers this question directly in this 7-minute video hosted by Bethany Wallace, Content Manager for College Recruiter.

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College recruiters and talent acquisition leaders need to wade through the pool of social media apps and sites and be selective about how they invest their time and energy. With countless options available, the question recruiters need to ask is which social media sites will truly drive traffic to our website?

Rothberg explains that while Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, and a host of other image-based social media sites are engaging for Gen Z students, there isn’t adequate research to suggest that these sites drive significant traffic to companies’ blogs or websites. They are, however, great social media platforms to use for engaging with high school and college students.

Rothberg also discounted LinkedIn as a true social media site. He believes that although it began as a social media site, it evolved into something more like a job board. With 80% of its revenue generated from its talent solutions division, it’s clear that many professional job seekers find value in posting their resumes on LinkedIn and networking professionally through the site.

Twitter can be used to drive traffic to a company’s website, but it can also be used to engage with followers. This is a great tool for college recruiters who want to post their own content, which drives traffic to their blog/website, but simultaneously want to send direct messages to candidates who ask questions or host weekly Twitter chats with college students and applicants. Rothberg mentioned the success College Recruiter has had by hosting two Twitter accounts, promoting its own blog content (which drives traffic to the blog), and interacting with clients and college students/recent grads on Twitter.

Rothberg believes Facebook is less effective; only about 4% of the people who like a company’s Page on Facebook will see the content posted unless the company pays to boost posts and promotes its own Facebook content. If the content is very engaging, and many of its Facebook followers share and like the content, it will be seen and viewed by more followers and promoted more by Facebook.

Lastly, Rothberg discussed the benefits of using YouTube as a social media site and posting videos and webinars. Many times, YouTube is discounted as a social media site because it’s simply viewed as a storehouse for videos. However, today’s college students and recent grads share and view videos frequently. For college recruiters, YouTube can be a great outreach tool. YouTube also allows employers to embed cards, or links, to their own websites, blogs, and other sites.

During the month of March, College Recruiter’s blog will feature multiple articles and videos on using social media in college recruiting. Be sure to follow our blog, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

At College Recruiter, we believe every student and recent graduate deserves a great career. We are committed to creating a quality candidate and recruiter experience. Our interactive media solutions connect students and graduates to excellent entry-level jobs and internships. Why not let College Recruiter assist you in the recruiting process?