How Businesses Can Attract Job Candidates Using Instagram

LinkedIn sure… but Instagram can be a great way for businesses to attract job candidates who share the same values and characteristics for your corporate culture.

Attract Job Candidates Using Instagram

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

In the age of social media, there is hardly a person who doesn’t have a profile on at least one social network. Some like using Facebook and its Messenger to stay in touch with old classmates, while others adore sharing photos on Instagram.

As companies discover the true potential of social media for marketing purposes, it becomes clear that job candidates can be attracted using this photo-sharing platform.

What exactly is Instagram?

 

Presently owned by Facebook, Instagram was launched back in 2010. The photo and video sharing service acts as a social network of its own, with over a billion users and steadily growing. Unlike other online photo-sharing services, Instagram was the first one who successfully popularized picture filters.

In addition, users can add hashtags and geolocations, making it ideal for displaying their lifestyle and preferences not only to their friends but strangers as well. The picturesque character of Instagram makes it an ideal marketing tool, something that businesses have realized as well.

Using Instagram for marketing

 

Whether it’s a post or an Instastory, a single post can contain the entire marketing strategy of a given company.

If the social media manager is able to maintain an interesting company profile with knowledgeable posts and occasional giveaways, they can generate more traffic than the firm’s website or even the online shopping platform.

Apart from turning loyal customers into followers, a commercial Instagram profile can serve as the face of the company. This, in particular, is of interest to prospective employees who wish to get an unofficial glimpse into office life.

The true and literal face(s) of your company

 

An Instagram profile that exclusively features promo deals isn’t going to increase sales nor attract talent to any company. Instead of perceiving this social platform as an oversized billboard or an e-leaflet, you should use Instagram to put a face to your company.

A cool-looking logo is nice but on social media, a human face will get you further than artwork. Make sure that the faces behind your success story are featured regularly in the Insta feed. This way, job candidates will get to “meet” their colleagues-to-be and get a sneak peek of the daily office routines.

Office life

 

When it comes to showing office life in pictures and short videos, there are three general categories: the people, the happenings, and the office spaced itself.

People behind the (Insta)story

 

We’ve already mentioned how employees help put a face to the company but this doesn’t mean that every single person should be photographed or interviewed. There are introverts among your staff but there are also folks willing to share their story.

Work with these individuals to tell their respective success stories on Instagram. Moreover, prospective employees will be interested to read about the experiences of new hires. Ideally, you can share a story from the personal Instagram account of a recently hired employee.

Documenting events

 

Relying on personal snippets from office life will only get you so far. The HR department should make the effort to record company events, such as team-building activities, Christmas parties, conferences, charity events, training practices, etc.

These events and group photos made at them demonstrate the collective spirit of the staff. When people see a group photograph of all the employees wearing the company uniform, they too will wish they become part of the success story. Coincidentally, their success story might start with an Instastory.

Office amenities

 

Images of everyday life at the office reveal more than team spirit. Namely, the Instagram feed should make room for all the amenities available in the office, even if they are pictured in the background.

The employees can post a photo of relaxing in massage chairs which will implicitly state that your office offers an atmosphere where the everyday effort is rewarded.

Even a simple picture of the staff drinking coffee in the kitchen will show to outsiders that the office is equipped with a state-of-the-art espresso machine.

Getting to know the company culture

 

Speaking of subliminal visual messages, an Instagram profile can be used to acquaint new hires with the company culture even before they apply for a job. All the vivid imagery should enable people to see and feel what office life looks like and what are the values nurtured by your brand.

For instance, when a clothes manufacturer post that they are against cruelty to animals, this means they don’t use furs to make apparel. Also, posting from time to time about the downsides of ageism, racism, and gender equality will show your follower you’re an equal opportunity employer.

A concise hashtag policy

 

From Twitter to Instagram, people are misusing hashtags on all social media! If you swamp every post with tens of hashtags, you will drive people away. Knowing when to use tags and which tags to repeat from post to post is a real skill.

To demonstrate brand consistency, use strategic hashtags that will lure in prospective employees. The exact tags vary from one industry from another but the most general ones include #officelife, #joinourteam, #hiring, #newjobpost, etc. Apart from hashtags, be sure to add the geolocation so candidates know where the office is located.

Finally, some companies might opt to actively search for employees on Instagram. Then you should search for hashes such as #lookingforwork, #hireme, #openforwork, etc. When you find a suitable candidate, you can easily get in touch with them using the messenger option.

Personal vs. official content

 

We have pointed out that personal Instagram accounts of employees can be used to attract talent. However, this action should by no means be coercive in any way. Instead of openly asking your staff to post online, encourage them in less palpable ways.

For instance, you can organize an Instagram competition using a particular hashtag. The person with the most original post would get a day off, for instance. Furthermore, if you are starting a new marketing campaign, employees can be asked to add the hashtag associated with the campaign.

The more you disseminate your hashtags, the more people will find out about your Instagram profile, i.e. your business. Moreover, endorsements from third parties add credibility to your company. Prospective hires will get a chance to “explore” the average worker employee at a post similar to the want they wish to apply for.

A picture instead of a lengthy job description

 

Ancient peoples were no fools when they used pictograms as alphabets. A picture is worth a thousand words but in marketing terms, a picture can contain hundreds of words. Yes, we are referring to job ads that you can find on any employment website.

Instagram allows companies to job openings across a wider community than an advert in the papers or a LinkedIn post ever could. Namely, your customers and clients will see the post and then inform their friends and family who have the necessary skills and are actively looking for a job.

Furthermore, an Instagram post is more than vivid than the standard job ad. It can include photos and videos that you can edit in a way that stresses the most important sections of the post, such as requirements or potential bonuses.

Conclusion

 

Attracting talent using Instagram posts is still considered innovative. However, as more and more companies are implementing this tactic, it becomes imperative to tweak your Instagram account in a way it displays info relevant to prospective employees. Once the talent across the world realizes how fun and lucrative it is to have you as the employer, they are sure to apply for a job.