Social Amplification for HR: the game-changing player in the recruitment challenge

This is the third instalment of our department-focused blog series. In each blogpost, we analyse how employee advocacy through social media benefits a specific area of a company.

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If there is one thing job candidates are becoming better and faster at, that’s gathering information on social media about companies they might want to work for. From friends of friends who work at that organisation, to Instagram photos showcasing glimpses of company’s culture & life, there are a number of ways for recruits to find out more about their future – possible – employer.

On the other hand, numerous companies are yet to include social recruiting as part of their hiring efforts. Although “98% of HR managers say social networking is an important tool for recruiting, retaining and engaging employees”, the majority of HR departments doesn’t seem to have a specific strategy in place when it comes to talent acquisition on social media.

An effective and easy solution to this state of things is provided by employee advocacy on social media. When used to show the “human side” of a brand to the world, social amplification platforms prove particularly beneficial for the HR department of a company. In particular, employee advocacy on social media can:

1) Facilitate talent acquisition through referrals.

In the age of digital communication, finding the right kind of talent has potentially become less of a challenge. Information travels fast, with new possibilities of communication opening every day. Employees’ social networks include a number of individuals who share their same interest, their same academic or work experiences. Through social amplification, HR departments can access a pool of potential hires it would otherwise take much longer to get into.

2) Boost companies’ efforts with employer branding.

One could ask, what are the actual possibilities to brand an employer? Generally, it is a process of establishing a company’s reputation as an employer in order to attract and retain talent. Precisely, employee advocacy on social media can generate a positive impact on employer branding. When employees share relevant content about their company through an employee advocacy platform, they amplify their company’s message and show how fun, stimulating or interesting it can be to work there. This affects significantly on the way their personal connections perceive the company’s role as an employer.

3) Increase employee engagement online and offline.

Communications on social media provide an alternative and engaging form of interaction. Online, the relationships between people in business gain a possibility to be more personal and interactive. Not only does this encourage social connections, but it also makes HR professionals’ job slightly more efficient off line: studies show that at least 20% of socially engaged companies are more likely to retain talent.
Also, employee advocacy platforms help create a sense of community while mitigating risk associated with spontaneous content sharing. This is where employees have the opportunity to share content while being sure they’re staying on brand.

In a nutshell, employee advocacy programmes can be particularly useful at supporting HR’s recruiting and community building efforts. When you think that employees have a social network approximately 10 times larger than the one of their company(2013 study by Cisco), the opportunity for social amplification of the company’s message becomes even clearer.

SoAmpli turns sales teams into social selling stars, increasing sales and powering brands. Sounds interesting? Let’s have a chat: https://soampli.com/contact/demo