Social media recruiting outside of LinkedIn: Using Facebook and Instagram to attract candidates

Are Facebook and Instagram part of your recruiting strategy? If not, how can you use them to their full potential? 

Chances are you already search for candidates or advertise job openings on LinkedIn — after all, it’s the number one professional social media platform. 

Yet new research from Michael Page, which surveyed 7,502 individuals across Continental Europe and 574 in Türkiye, reveals Meta-owned social media platforms Facebook and Instagram could be invaluable additions to your recruitment toolbox. Download our infographic to find out the opinion of Türkiye’s professional.

Discover our full insights

Job hunting on social media: trends and insights

We verify a big difference between Instagram and X users, 87% of the respondents use X for leisure and personal interests and 66% use Instagram for the same purpose. In this respect, the next preferred social media platforms are Facebook (45%), LinkedIn (26%) and TikTok (9%).

Unsurprisingly, LinkedIn is a magnet for job seekers and business networkers — more than 4 in 5 people (87%) head to the site to look for new work opportunities. But, as we’ll see below, LinkedIn’s dominance in the recruitment space doesn’t mean hiring managers should discount sourcing candidates on Instagram and Facebook.

Our survey identified other vital insights that emphasise the power of social media within recruitment: 

• 85% of respondents use social media to browse job opportunities
• 36% check platforms at least once a day for job searches
• 48% have found a job thanks to a social media platform
• 68% say it’s easier to browse opportunities on social media

Furthermore, the results highlight the difference engaging content can make — 76% report that social media content has influenced their decision to join a company. Given the platforms’ popularity, focusing your efforts on publishing creative posts on Facebook and Instagram can make a significant impact.

How are professionals using Facebook and Instagram?

According to the survey, 8% of respondents use Facebook for job searches, while 14% use the platform for professional reasons (for example, networking or following pages relevant to their career). For Instagram, those figures are 7% and 24% respectively.

This trend is especially noticeable among younger people — 28% of 18 to 29-year-olds use Instagram for professional interests, with nearly 1 in 10 (9%) clicking on the platform to look for jobs. Among sectors, Property & Construction professionals are the most likely use Facebook for business purposes (29%), while Marketing professionals prefer Instagram (34%).

Facebook and Instagram hiring tips

Looking for candidates on Facebook and Instagram calls for a tailored approach. To appeal to the best job seekers, you need to create content that fits these platforms, such as:

1. Infographics: Landing in the top three for 70% of professionals, infographics are another effective way of drawing in potential candidates. Like videos, they have a high engagement rate, as they’re scannable and eye-catching. Use them to highlight business achievements.
2. Short videos and articles: Cited by 59% of respondents as their favourite formats for professional or job content on social media, short videos like Instagram reels have the power to instantly grab a person’s attention. Effortless to watch, they typically see higher engagement rates. Keep them under a minute long. Article are a great way to keep them updated to the market trends as well. 
3. Polls and quizzes: 50% rank this fun format among their top three. These can be a unique way to increase engagement and capture invaluable data about your followers.

Remember, attracting candidates on social media is about more than simply posting and waiting. To keep users interested, it’s essential you take the time to like comments and reply thoughtfully to queries.

What are the benefits of using Facebook and Instagram to help with your recruitment strategy?

By extending your reach to Facebook and Instagram, you’ll widen your net with the opportunity to attract a larger, more diverse pool of candidates. You can also tap into your existing employees’ networks by asking them to share job postings on their personal social media pages.

Recruiting on Facebook and Instagram gives you the chance to showcase your brand creatively while allowing prospective candidates to ask questions and find out more about your company. 

Finally, with the clever use of hashtags or location tags, you can target candidates in a specific industry or region.

Michael Page: Helping you look beyond LinkedIn

Boosting your presence on platforms like Facebook and Instagram can differentiate your brand, giving your organisation a competitive edge. Follow us on our social media channels for more advice or get in touch with one of our consultants to learn more about expanding your online presence.

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