The Art of Implementing a Flexible Work-Week

The number of people working remotely has increased swiftly over the last couple of years. Taking into account the vaccination drive and implementation of SOPs, life is getting back to normal. However, many businesses are figuring out more flexible schedule policies to facilitate employees who want to work remotely. 

Some companies think that allowing employees to choose where they work or when they work will lead to a loss of productivity.

Do you think a flexible work week will lead to a loss of productivity? 

We don’t think so. In this post, we will help you implement a flexible work-week policy while maintaining or improving productivity. First, let’s take a look at what it really means when we use the term ‘flexible workweek’. 

Defining a Flexible Work-Week 

Work flexibility refers to practices of giving employees the freedom to decide when, where, and how long they want to work. This approach allows employees to get the work done at their own pace while aligning their work-life with their personal or family needs. Here are some of the key features of a flexible workweek: 

4-Days Week 

Organizations are thinking about having a 4-day week where employees work 32 rather than 40 hours per week. There has been an ongoing debate on the efficacy of the four-day week in the media. Research suggests that reducing work hours improves employees’ well-being without having any impact on productivity. However, it’s important to implement this strategy the right way. Developing a step-by-step guide will help you implement a flexible workweek. 

Remote Work 

Another great way to incorporate a flexible workweek is to allow your employees to work remotely. We know how remote work has gained popularity amid the Covid pandemic. As an employer, you need to take a fresh look at what we can do better and implement effective remote strategies. 

From a workers’ standpoint, the demand for remote work is on the rise across industries as they feel more empowered and productive than they did before. People are willing to quit or change their careers when companies force them to resume work from the office. Pushing your people to the point where they start thinking about quitting is a shortsighted mistake with long-term consequences. 

You can’t lose your talented workers by having a rigid work policy. So, engage your employees and talk to them about their preferences. Moving forward into the future, you need to intentionally implement remote work policies to retain your employees. All you have to do is use collaboration tools and workflows

Let’s talk more about the 4-day week and how you can implement it without losing productivity! 

Incorporating the 4-Days Work-Week 

If adjusting work hours is possible for your business, here are some recommendations you can apply to make it work:

Shift Your Mindset 

We are likely to focus on quantifiable things like hours worked rather than qualitative metrics such as well-being and productivity. This is why companies use the time at the office to measure employees’ commitment to work even when those measures tell nothing about the real value added to the business. 

To make a four-day workweek reality, you need to shift your mindset and focus more on actual productivity. It could lead your employees to have a healthier work-life balance without worrying about penalties for having some flexibility. A four-day workweek, thus, should be implemented as a companywide policy rather than an optional perk. 

Define Your Goals and Metrics 

You should embrace the uncertainty attached to experimenting with anything new. Therefore, when implementing a four-day week, be ready to go through a trial and error stage. This doesn’t mean you don’t have to plan anything. Have a well-thought-out plan to deal with new challenges. 

Both business leaders and employees should be actively involved in the process to make important decisions. It would be a good idea to form a committee to figure out a perfect reduced-hours program. An employee-driven committee can meet for an hour each day to identify potential challenges and propose solutions before launching the four-week workweek initiative. Here are some questions you need to ask: 

Have a Communication Plan 

Make sure you address the concerns of your internal and external stakeholders in a proactive fashion. Internal concerns could include how the change will impact your workforce. Make sure you clearly outline why you want to have the four-day workweek. Communicate with your employees that they will receive the same benefits without any cut. 

Reducing interruptions and eliminating operational inefficiencies can make it possible for you to have a successful four-day workweek program. Besides, the pandemic has taught workers how to be more efficient and deliberate in scheduling collaboration time. 

Run and Access the Initiative 

When you run a pilot, don’t expect everything to work from the start. You’ll be able to identify the tools and technologies you need to make a four-day workweek work. Issues you face during the pilot stage should not be considered a failure. Work hard to fine-tune your plan continuously. 

You can use both qualitative and quantitative metrics to understand the outcome of your initiative. So far as qualitative metrics are concerned, conduct group interviews to gain valuable insights. Ask your employees to explain their experience with the four-day workweek. If your employees are taking fewer sick days during the pilot, it simply means they felt less stressed. 

Final Thoughts

We understand that different workers are more productive and focused at different times of the day. So, instead of worrying too much about the number of hours worked, focus on results, deadlines, and the well-being of your employees. 

Talent Pool: A Strategy In Its Own Right

Let’s start this post by stating the obvious: Every single company out there wants top-tier talent. But when you are searching for suitable candidates and hiring the perfect fit, don’t miss out on building a talent pool.

What is a Talent Pool? 

Preparing your company for the road ahead can be intimidating with so many competitors and limited talent to hire. With a talent pool, you can change the scenario.

A talent pool is a group of qualified candidates who can be your future hires. It is that part of your recruitment strategy that focuses on filling positions that don’t presently exist. It prepares talent acquisition professionals for demand by adopting proactive recruitment instead of reactive. 

Companies that have one, have an organized pipeline of talented, qualified candidates that can be their future employees. 

However, merely creating a talent pool doesn’t make it effective. Nurturing and maintaining interactions within the talent community and building deeper connections for improved employer value proposition is equally essential.

Why Do You Need to Build a Talent Pool? 

One of the most frequent complaints we hear from our clients is the lack of talent they find while recruiting. But that’s not the only scenario they encounter. There are times when they find more than one qualified candidate for a job role. Having a talent pool can help make the right decisions in both scenarios.

Imagine every time you had a job opportunity; you can save the details of qualified, top-talent candidates who are really interested in working with your company; it can also take the load off your talent acquisition team in several ways. 

Here’s why you need to build a talent pool and elevate your talent acquisition strategy:

How to Build a Talent Pool? 

Track Your Talent Inventory 

This is the cornerstone to successful talent pool building. Begin by mapping the talent that you already have and what you may need in the future (both short-and-long-term). Assess the skillset of your current employees and how you can add to it as you advance. However, as you track and map your talent inventory, leave enough room for flexibility. 

Sourcing Talent 

Next comes the vital step of finding the right candidate. To create an effective and proactive talent pool, ensure that you are looking for candidates in the right place. 

A talent pool in itself will not be helpful unless it is updated. Stagnant talent pools are worse than not having them in the first place. If you are not keeping your it up-to-date with candidates’ skills, availability, and experience, you are better off without a talent pool. That’s because wrong candidate information may do more harm than good. 

So, as you consider investing in a talent pool, aim for a vibrant community that’s not static and pushes your company toward its long-term goals.

Any talent that doesn’t make it to your hired list needs active engagement to add value. Today's world is so interconnected that you can’t afford to lose great talent to your competitors. Furthermore, it is crucial to create a positive candidate experience to strengthen your employer brand. And constant, healthy interactions with potential talent can help you do that. 

Building a Talent Pool: Best Practices 

Improve your recruiting flow with talent pools built around these best practices:

Inform Them Before You Include Them

When it comes to building a talent community, make sure that you inform the rejected but talented candidates that you may consider them for future positions at your company. In some countries, it may be a legal obligation. But even if it’s not, mentioning that you are interested in hiring them should a suitable opportunity arrives is an excellent way to build rapport.

Don’t Welcome Everyone

Don’t confuse a talent pool with a talent database. While the former includes information on just the top talent, the latter includes it all. Your talent pool, therefore, should only comprise the top-tier candidates to help you wield its power. 

Use Technology

The world of HR tech has been a wonder for hiring professionals. By employing the right technology, you can easily segment your talent with techniques like recruitment segmentation. And the right tools can also help you better engage and nurture different talent types by automating interactions. 

So, go ahead and make your talent pools more effective and relevant by using technology to manage your talent.

Get Help to Build a Vibrant Talent Pool

Let’s face it: not all companies can build and grow a vibrant talent pool without the right support. If you find yourself in a similar situation, let Wiggli be your friend. With our total talent management system, we can help you find the cream of the crop and include them in your list. 

How do we do that? Our exclusive nomenclature based on predefined skills rather than tags enables our expert team to use the same terms without losing top-tier talent in the crowd. Our system also allows us to incorporate a structure that doesn’t move with access to the candidates’ resumes.

Additionally, our pools work with unique identifiers so that you get talent without duplicates. At Wiggli, we help companies create stronger, successful talent pools that are not passing fancies. 

Ready to Drop That Archaic Recruitment Process?

Today’s candidates live in an agile recruitment world where the entire globe is their workplace. To win top talent, drop the archaic recruitment process with proactive recruitment. 

Connect with us, and we will help you implement a Total Talent Management strategy so that you don’t lose out on the best talent. Ever.

Essentials of a Successful Employer Brand

As a business leader or HR professional, what is your plan to compete effectively in the war for talent? How will you convince great people to join your organization and stay? If you don’t have a strong employer brand, it will become increasingly difficult for you to meet your HR goals down the road. 

This blog post will simplify the concept of “employer branding”, why it is important, and how to build a strong employer brand to achieve your business goals. 

What is an Employer Brand? 

Before we dig deep into employer branding, let’s quickly define what is “employer brand”.

Employer brand refers to your company’s overall reputation. What do your existing or potential employees think about your company as a place to work? In other words, your employer brand is your employees’ perception of you as an employer. 

There are so many factors that collectively develop that perception; your hiring process, culture, employee benefits, etc. 

What is Employer Branding? 

Employer branding is the process of creating and managing your employer brand. Whatever your company does, intentionally or unintentionally, helps your employees create an overall perception of your company. 

Employer branding is the way you present your company to internal employees and job seekers. The better you are at employer branding, the more likely you are to find and hire talented people. 

If you want your business to attract top-tier talent within your industry, you or your HR leaders must understand the importance of employer branding. Why? Because skilled people don’t just jump at the first job they come across. Instead, they look for an employer with a personality that they can trust and recognize. 

Is your employer brand recognizable and trustworthy? Do you find it easy to find and hire talent with great ease and speed? If not, it’s high time for you to reimagine the way people think of your company. The objective here is to make your company more attractive for your existing and new employees. 

That’s where you need to focus on your day-to-day people management activities, company culture, and values. Most importantly, analyze the way you treat people. Employer branding is an opportunity for you to introduce your company as an incredible place to work. 

Why Your Employer Brand Matters 

Studies suggest that your employer brand can have a direct impact on your talent acquisition efforts. 83% of employers believe that employer brand plays a key role in their ability to hire talent. It’s not just about attracting talent but retaining it. 

Let’s take a look at some important stats to understand why your employer brand matters: 

These stats are certainly enough to understand how crucial it is to have a strong employer branding strategy. Employer brand matters if you want to hire and retain the right people. 

Building your reputation as a credible employer is absolutely essential when it comes to today’s competitive market for top talent. 

Your reputation as an employer will have a strong impact on whether or not qualified candidates decide to join your company. If your workplace doesn’t meet your ideal candidates’ expectations, they will be happy to join your competitors. Therefore, you can’t afford to have a bad reputation as it will hinder your efforts to scale your business and ensure future success. 

A whitepaper from Linkedin indicates that employer brand becomes important when your audience is young and global. 

But what are the constituents of an employer brand? What makes a strong employer brand? Let’s answer these questions. 

Defining Your Employer Branding Strategy 

Now that we understand the significance of a strong employer brand, here are the fundamentals of a good employer branding strategy: 

1. Define your Employer Value Proposition (EVP)

The employer value proposition or EVP defines how an organization wants to be perceived by its employees. It encompasses your core values and benefits that make up your employer brand. Defining your EVP is a fundamental step in defining your employer’s brand strategy. 

Your unique value proposition should make it clear to your current and future employees why they should choose and stay with you. Simply put, answer this question: why should people choose to work for your company? This statement should be realistic and attractive. 

It’s not about the compensation your workers get. Instead, it’s about defining your company’s purpose and positive impact on the world. It’s important because people don’t just work for monetary gains. They want to know whether or not their work is meaningful. 

Here are examples of EVPs from globally know employers: 

2. Know where you stand right now 

Have you ever thought about your current business processes and their impact on your people?  You might not be fully aware of what your employees and job seekers think about your company. The best thing you can do is conduct an employer brand audit and review all of your recruiting and marketing channels. 

The process may involve analyzing your social media presence, the application process, candidate experience, your messaging, and chatter about your brand. Address the following questions: 

3. Engage your current employees 

Your employees are your greatest asset. You can turn them into your brand ambassadors. 

When candidates want to learn more about your employer’s brand, they would like to hear it from your employees. So, leverage your people and share their testimonials on your website. 

Another great way to engage your employees is to encourage them to highlight company events such as giveaways on their social media profiles. For example, you can ask them to simply share pictures on Facebook or Instagram with your branded hashtags. It’s a fun way to share your company’s culture online. 

4. Develop a strong onboarding process 

The first thing your new hires go through is your onboarding process. Do you want to make a positive impression? If yes, think about your onboarding process and improve it. People who go through a bad onboarding process are less likely to stay with you. 

While the hiring process does have an impact on your employer’s brand, be sure to have a great onboarding process. Early engagement indicates that you’re determined to bring about employee success. 

5. Encourage learning opportunities 

A workplace must not be a place where everybody feels stagnant and dull. 

Do you know the leading reasons why people left their jobs? According to a study, the number one is boredom.  And it’s not hard to make your workplace learning and growth-friendly. 

Create learning opportunities for your employees to help them learn new skills. It’s also important to challenge your employees and help them avoid boredom. 

Offering coaching and mentoring services can also make things easier for your workers as they would have someone they can turn to if they have questions or concerns. 

Offer continuous employee development programs. Your employee will feel motivated when you invest in their professional growth. And that’s a good way to stand out. 

6. Focus on diversity and inclusion 

Diversity and inclusion are key factors that determine how your company is seen by employees, applicants, and other stakeholders. 

If everyone doesn’t get equal treatment and access to resources, or if a certain segment of people feels uncomfortable at your workplace, it will be difficult for you to build diverse teams. Companies that take diversity and inclusion initiatives build stronger workplace culture and are more likely to achieve their business goals. 

Your HR department and managers can play a key role in implementing a healthy D&I strategy. When you implement a well-thought-out D&I strategy, it eventually increases your talent reach. 

7. Measure your efforts 

Don’t forget to track the results your employer branding strategy is producing. Analyze what’s working and whatnot. Here are some key employer branding metrics you must be tracking: 

A good employer branding strategy will help you perform well in terms of these metrics. So, be sure to measure your performance and make necessary adjustments whenever needed. For example, if your hiring process is time-consuming, try to streamline it with HR tools. 

Implementing a smart talent management solution will automate certain HR processes and help you track your performance. 

Final thoughts 

Use your employer brand to reflect your popularity, reputation, viability, and visibility in the employment marketplace. Your employer brand might not get the attention it deserves, but it’s critical for your business success. 

Digitalization: Ride or Die

The way an organization creates, manages, and consumes information has a huge impact on its bottom line. That’s exactly why an increasing number of enterprises, small businesses, corporations, and non-profit agencies are looking to turn their information into the universal language of computers. In other words, they are using digitalization to transform the way their business processes work. 

As a business executive or IT leader, you might be feeling an urgency to act now and become a digital business due to the pandemic. However, it’s hard to find success when it comes to the digitalization of a business, even with the abundance of new digital tools and platforms.

While the majority of business leaders prioritize digitalization, two-thirds of transformations are not successful. The lack of managerial support and employee resistance are two of the leading factors that hinder digital transformation. 

But what is digitalization anyway, and why is it so important? What role does digitalization play in the recruiting industry? What can go wrong when a company tries to take a step toward digitalization? 

This blog post will answer these questions in great detail. Before we dig deep, let’s define some key terms. 

Digitalization

What is digitalization? 

Digitalization has many definitions. Here is how Gartner defines the term: 

“Digitalization is the use of digital technologies to change a business model and provide new revenue and value-producing opportunities; it is the process of moving to a digital business.”

From an academic perspective, digitalization often refers to digital communication and its impact on social life. From a business perspective, digitalization refers to the use of digital technologies to change business models and open up new growth and revenue opportunities.

Why is digitalization so important? 

The limitations of the physical world are the reason businesses of all sizes have started using digital means. From reaching new customers to hiring great talent, technology can help you skyrocket the pace of your growth. 

Impact of digitalization on society 

Businesses can’t materialize sustainable growth unless they digitize their business processes. But how does digitalization impact society?

There’s a hot debate among economists and policymakers about the potential impact of digitalization on society. One of the major concerns is how growing digitalization is affecting wages, jobs, resource efficiency, health, and security. 

If we take the health sector, for example, computers have become intelligent enough to check for signs of cancer, a task typically performed by a qualified radiologist. It’s just one instance of how technology outsmarts humans. So far as jobs are concerned, technological advances will continue to impact jobs and salary levels across sectors. 

Effects of digitalization on society: 

As a business, you can easily come up with a better plan to address these issues at an organizational level. 

Digitalization

Recruitment and the role of digitalization 

As a recruiter, you probably spend most of your time reaching out to potential candidates, sending emails, and scheduling interviews. You visit various sites to post jobs and try to browse through endless resumes and spreadsheets. In short, you invest a lot of your time but achieve little. 

What if a smart tool or software automates most of your repetitive tasks and streamlines things that are hard to manage manually? What if technology can help you find and connect with better talent?  

If we look at digitalization from an HR perspective, recruitment tech can make your life easier. As an HR manager or recruiter, you should digitally transform your hiring and talent management efforts. 

Why? Because digital transformation will help you simplify various tasks while improving efficiency through data and automation. Digitalization in recruitment guides organizations to solve complex recruitment challenges such as the need for hiring the right people in a short time. 

The following are some of the changes that digital transformation can bring:

Handling high-volume recruitment 

Millions of people have lost their jobs due to the pandemic. It’s predicted that recruiters will receive a higher volume of job applicants down the road. What’s your plan to improve your high-volume recruiting strategy? 

It’s exciting to see how software can sift through thousands of applications and shortlist candidates quickly. So, despite the increase in applicant volume, you can stick to high hiring standards and get things done with great speed. 

Improved metrics 

Analyzing or gathering data can be a daunting and time-consuming process. The worst part is that you might end up generating inaccurate information. Recruiting tools, on the other hand, not only produce valuable data but also make it actionable. With real-time analytics, you identify gaps and take action in a timely fashion. 

If you want to execute a top-notch, well-directed recruitment strategy, get ready to adopt digitalization. In other words, equip your team with digital tools that offer a simple-to-use dashboard and help them draw conclusions faster. For example, metrics analytics can help you understand who your ideal candidates are and what kind of content drives them to apply. 

Check out Wiggli to get some inspiration! 

Enhanced team collaboration 

Does your HR team have the capability to collaborate remotely? A good tool will enable you and your team to perform a variety of tasks remotely. For example, you can assign tasks to your people and see progress while they work from home.

Think of implementing a cloud-based recruitment platform that could present one picture to everyone in a team. Before you choose a system, be sure it meets the unique requirements of your team. 

Access to talent 

Digital recruitment solutions are designed to help companies find the right candidates faster than traditional hiring methods. For example, you can post a job with one click and advertise it in places where your ideal candidates are likely to hang out. LinkedIn and Facebook are two of the most popular places for recruiters to find new talent. 

If you’re new to digitalization, don’t hesitate to experiment and see what works for your organization. 

Digitalization

How companies should implement digitalization 

One of the outcomes of the Covid pandemic is the infusion of data-enabled services into our lives. However, organizations need to be more strategic when it comes to digital transformation. Here are some tips for repositioning your business in the digital economy: 

Adopt a people-first approach 

Technology helps us achieve more, but you need the right human skills to make good use of it. While digitalization is eliminating outdated jobs through automation, it has created new jobs and growth possibilities. 

To implement digital transformation strategically, we have to upskill and reskill our workforce. Simply put, your innovative ideas are useless if your team doesn’t have the skills to use them. So, as a leader, think about investing in your people who have to go through the transformation. 

Soft skills are crucial  

As mentioned earlier, digital transformation is about people rather than technology. Therefore, focus on soft skills. Organizations are looking for data scientists and software engineers, but what they shouldn’t miss are people who can be trained easily. 

To make your company more digital and data-centric, invest in curious people who love to adopt. We’re not sure about the key future hard skills, so the ideal way is to focus on people with a hungry mind, people who are most likely to develop new skills. 

Drive change from the top 

The idea of grassroots change is attractive, but the reality is quite the opposite. Change is likely to happen when you start from the top. It doesn’t mean you have to create a culture of fear or an autocratic structure.

All organizations need to do is understand that they cannot bring about big changes unless they start preparing their top leaders. The values, integrity, and mindset of senior leaders stand out. 

We talk about hiring the best talent, but the key is to find people who can manage talent and make them work toward a common business goal. 

Use data insights to make decisions 

The discussion about data often revolves around concepts like AI, machine learning, and other computer intelligence. These concepts are exciting, but your people need to have the skills to use that data and turn it into meaningful insights. Most importantly, you should be able to act on those insights. 

If you think hiring the best data scientist will resolve your issues, think again. Because the solution doesn’t lie in the brainpower of your top people, but in a data-driven culture. What your organization does, it must live, breathe, and act according to data. 

Take your time 

We often face a trade-off between speed and quality. If you can’t afford to fail fast, try to succeed slowly. If you don’t have a culture that encourages innovation and experimentation, you have to go slow and think of your long-term objectives. Learn from your failures in the short run. 

Digitalize your recruitment to stay competitive 

The process of hiring the right candidate is often time-consuming and involves many processes. And we know how manual recruiting processes eat up plenty of resources and time. However, digital technologies can solve your longstanding recruiting issues once and for all. 

Need an example? Check out Wiggli, a total talent management solution that makes it super easy for businesses to digitally transform their recruitment processes. From recruitment marketing and ATS to candidate relationship management and vendor management, Wiggli is a perfect technology for any business that wants to go digital without facing the risk of failure. 

It’s pretty much what our blog title says: ride or die. If you really want your business to survive and flourish, be ready to embrace digital transformation. It’s the only way you can stay ahead of the curve and serve your customers and people with a better experience. 

The Best Social Media Recruiting Strategies

Hiring the right talent for open positions is one of the most important aspects of running a company. Most recruiters post new opportunities on job board sites. However, the best employees don’t use these sites frequently, but they are most likely to check social media multiple times a day, especially if they are tech-savvy millennial talent. 

In the Digital Age, operating a business comes with numerous challenges and opportunities. The rapidly evolving business environment is moving organizations away from traditional recruiting strategies, opening up new ways to make recruiting more efficient in terms of time and cost. 

If you want to take your recruiting efforts to the next level, add innovation and flexibility to your overall strategy. While tools like Applicant Tracking System have become essential to HR teams, you need to think beyond conventional means of acquiring and managing talent. 

An increasing number of businesses are now turning to social media to resolve their longstanding HR challenges. This guide will highlight the vitality of having a sound social recruiting strategy and how you can develop one to achieve your recruiting goals. 

Is social media recruiting effective?

People use social media to accomplish a variety of objectives, ranging from brand awareness to sales and advertising. The question is how social media can help you improve your recruiting efforts. 

Facebook and LinkedIn are two of the most powerful social platforms that offer unique features to make things easier for advertisers and recruiters. With over 1.62 billion daily users, Facebook surpasses Google in terms of site visits per day. As a business owner or recruiter, you can’t overlook the significance of social platforms like Facebook or Linkedin which have billions of users looking for all sorts of content from entertainment and product guides to job opportunities and news. Instagram is also a good platform if you want to add a fun element to your content. 

Your company may already have a presence on social media, but you need to come up with a more comprehensive and well-thought-out social strategy that covers the HR aspect of your business. 

As social usage continues to skyrocket, smart tactics can help you reach high-quality candidates faster and at a lower cost. Give yourself a competitive edge in finding and hiring the best candidate.

Before we move on to building a great social recruiting strategy, let’s take a look at some vital stats. 

social media

How to build a sound social media recruiting strategy

The following steps will help you devise an impeccable social recruiting strategy for your business. 

1. Create a candidate persona

Social media is a crowded world. Businesses often struggle to navigate through the noise and reach the right audience. To produce great results, you need to define and speak to the right people. It may take a bit of effort and time to tailor your strategy to the right talent pool. So, firstly, you need to establish candidate personas for the positions you want to fill. This will help you speak directly to your ideal candidates. 

There are several ways to research personas. For example, you can interview your current employees or conduct surveys to get insights into what makes a great employee at your organization. You can focus on your employees’ goals, interests, and pinpoints to draw a picture of your personas. You can also extract information from your ATS to build an even more accurate persona - Information such as employee performance, expectations, and skills required to be a successful employee at your company will be valuable. 

2. Connect with passive candidates 

Did you know 73% of candidates are passive jobseekers? 

The talent shortage is one of the biggest obstacles for recruiters. Since competition for talent is fierce, identifying and connecting with the right candidates can be challenging. However, social media can make things easier. You can target a specific group of people on social sites using advanced targeting features to reach hard-to-reach people. 

Starting a dialogue with potential candidates is an effective way to build relationships. When doing so, be real and say what you mean. Your potential candidates expect transparent and approachable communication no matter the platform. Hiding behind pseudonyms may lead to a trust deficit between you and your ideal candidates. 

3. Take advantage of advanced search features 

Social media networks like Facebook have made it easy for people to reach the right users with advanced targeting features. Regardless of which platform you want to focus on, be sure to understand your target demographics. Once you know who is engaging with your content, you can personalize your message and reach the right users at the right time. 

4. Engage staff to promote your employer brand 

The right social strategy focuses on maximizing reach and putting your brand in front of the right people. One way to implement a more targeted approach is to involve your current employees in the recruitment process. For instance, you can ask them to share a job posting on their social media profiles. This strategy can produce great results for your HR teams. 

Don’t forget to set guidelines before engaging your staff in the recruiting process. For example, how often should your people share corporate news? Who and how many people will be involved in the process? A lack of pre-defined processes may negatively impact your brand. 

5. Use hashtags 

Little efforts like the use of the right hashtags can go a long way. But it would help if you used hashtags in a strategic way. Understand the reach of your hashtags or how many people are using them. Your hashtags should target your key audience. Using a particular hashtag consistently can help you ensure your content is seen by relevant audiences. Your audience will start associating those specific hashtags with your company when done right. 

6. Measure your performance 

Social recruiting is meaningless if you’re not testing or tracking your results. While networking with candidates in your industry is crucial, take time to determine how effective social recruiting is for your business. Recruiters and marketers can choose from a variety of analytics tools to track their performance on various social sites. If you want to win the war for talent, make sure to use insights and data as one of your prime tools. 

Pro Tip: Use smart HR tools like Wiggli to streamline your recruiting process and gain valuable insights. The right mix of automation and social efforts can produce dramatic results. 

7. Use social media to verify candidate information 

Content posts of your potential candidates on social media can help you verify details that they mention on their resumes. The objective is not to discriminate candidates based on their religious views or social activities, but to find the right fit for your culture. Make your final recruiting decisions based on relevant assessments, tests, or skills. 

Recruiters understand how some job applicants exaggerate their education or prior job experience to get an edge. So, it would be a good idea to use social media to verify applicant information. 

8. Establish a brand image 

The internet is an incredible place where impressions matter. As a business or employer brand, you can’t afford to have a bad online reputation. What people are talking about your company? How do your past employees express their experience working with your company? Who is promoting or defaming your brand? Answer these questions before you use social media to build a brand image. 

Make sure to use social media networks to fix/improve your reputation. Continuously monitor what people say about your brand. Bad reviews from your past employees can seriously impact your reputation and ability to attract talent in the future. So, be sure to have control over how potential candidates perceive your organization. 

social media

Final thoughts 

Social media has developed into a powerful tool for recruiters and HR teams around the globe. It allows you to reach a pool of potential candidates that don’t take a traditional route to find new opportunities. 

If you want to uplevel your recruiting game, start working on relevant social channels. Use these tips and tactics to create a highly effective social recruiting strategy. 

The Significance of Networking for Students

Networking plays a crucial role in a student's journey, yet it is often overlooked within the confines of traditional university education. While students gain valuable knowledge in their classes, they may miss out on the essential skill of networking. Developing a professional network involves engaging with industry professionals, including experts, CEOs, and professors. By establishing meaningful connections early on, students can lay the foundation for a successful career search in the future.

While academic knowledge is undoubtedly important, its true value lies in the ability to share that knowledge with others. Networking as a student is about who you know, rather than just what you know.

Why is Networking Important?

Networking allows individuals to connect with the right people in the right places. Leveraging professional networking tools offers numerous benefits for both professional and social growth.

1. Building Industry Connections

Building relationships and connections within your industry provides a valuable support system and increases the likelihood of achieving your goals. By offering assistance to others in your network, you cultivate mutually beneficial relationships.

2. Advice, Guidance, and Progress 

Professionals who have already walked the career path you aspire to, are the best mentors. Their guidance can help you navigate challenges and seize new opportunities, accelerating your career growth.

3. Discovering New Opportunities

Expanding your network exposes you to fresh job opportunities, particularly when you are embarking on your post-graduation job search. However, networking goes beyond securing your first job; it can lead to unexpected career advancements throughout your professional journey.

How to Start Building a Strong Professional Network as a Student

Building a robust professional network requires effort, especially when starting from scratch as a student. The goal is to establish and nurture strong relationships with individuals in your industry. To kickstart your networking efforts, consider the following steps:

1. Establish an Online Presence

Your online presence in the age of technology is your bread and butter. Maintaining an active presence on social media platforms, including professional networks like LinkedIn, increases your visibility within your industry.

Be mindful of how you present yourself online. A positive image that aligns with professional expectations, can help you build great connections, as well as attract potential recruiters.

2. Engage and Re-engage

Networking is not a one-time interaction; it requires continuous engagement. Adding someone to your friend list on an online platform isn't enough. Regularly connect with professionals in your network, share insights, tips, and experiences, and seek advice when needed. Fostering trust and reliability is key to successful networking.

However, don’t go overboard sending too many messages, and don't let the connection fade out either. 

3. Leverage Shared Interests and Networking Opportunities

Participate in affinity groups and communities that align with your interests. These groups offer a starting point for building connections and expanding your network beyond your immediate academic and professional circles.

Additionally, take advantage of networking events organized by companies. They are often advertised on their social media pages and can provide valuable career advancement prospects.

4. Use University Networking Resources 

Make use of the resources available at your university's career center. These centers offer guidance, help you improve your CV, and provide information about internships and job fairs. Take advantage of their connections and expertise to enhance your networking efforts.

Build your Network for Future Success

Networking is a gateway to career opportunities, particularly for students preparing to enter the job market. Establishing connections that can support your professional growth is paramount. Remember that networking not only opens doors to new job prospects but also helps you develop and refine your professional skills. By actively engaging in networking, you position yourself as a valuable contributor in your chosen field.

Wiggli your comprehensive guide to a successful career

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