Spotlight for Recruiting Professionals

What do students expect from the employers with which they interact on social media? According to Kristina Hunt, there are three primary things students are seeking.

“Students want authenticity, responsiveness, and availability,” says Hunt, director of recruitment marketing at Fidelity Investments. “Students want to see who you really are and what you stand for. If students connect with you, they want you to respond. And students want you to be there when they are ready, not the other way around.”

Meeting these expectations requires planning and consistency. Hunt and Grace Kiem, ‎college relations program director at Fidelity, say that the key elements of a successful social media recruiting program include:

• Having clear objectives that align with your company’s business objectives.
• Defining audience(s) with an understanding of what channels they are using.
• Identifying the right channels that will serve your objectives.
• Developing a robust content strategy.
• Implementing measurement with a commitment to constant monitoring and improvement.

Still, there are some common mistakes employers make when developing and executing their social media recruiting programs. For instance, companies tend to underestimate the resources they need to create, curate, and have a response mechanism.

“Another mistake they make is that their content is not relevant to their audience,” Kiem says. “Or, even worse, it’s boring.”

To avoid the pitfalls associated with using social media to connect with students, Hunt and Kiem offer several tips for planning and executing an effective social media recruiting program:

• Align with your overall brand image—Don’t try to be someone you are not. Accept that your company is not for everyone.
• Don’t be ordinary—Focus on attributes that make you unique so you can stand out from the crowd.
• Find a bond that you can share with your audience—This can be a higher purpose, passion, or philosophy that extends beyond a specific category or industry.
• Stay nimble—New social media channels are popping up all the time. Be ready and able to take advantage of new opportunities.

Kristina Hunt and Grace Kiem will present “Recruiting Through Social Media” during NACE16.