How to Recruit Using Instagram

Have you noticed how someone’s tone of voice quadruples when they say, “You don’t have Instagram?!” It’s becoming an uncommon thing not to have an account with this social media site, whether you use it for showing off your holiday pics or making your business present online.

While many are used to the idea of Facebook and LinkedIn for recruitment, Instagram is now gaining momentum in this area too. It’s no surprise when you take a look at some of the statistics:

·     It took just 5 years for Instagram to get 400 million active users

·     30% of all Internet users are on Instagram

·     Of the 400 million users, 60% use the site daily

·     90% of users are younger than 35

·     Approximately 80% of users engage in business accounts

As people are now active on Instagram more perhaps than any other social media site, it makes a lot of sense to extend your recruitment here. But, like any recruitment strategy, it takes planning and know-how.

First of all, it’s necessary to understand the difference between inbound recruitment and outbound recruitment. This way you can decide which method is best for you – or whether you want to use a combination of the two.

Inbound recruitment is a way for you to attract candidates so that they approach you; whilst outbound recruitment is a more active method that requires you to go out and search for talent.

Below, you’ll find advice on how to use Instagram to successfully recruit new team members.

How to use Instagram for inbound recruitment

Instagram is the perfect social media site to let your business shine. It provides you with an opportunity to show the world what your company is about and what makes it great. When using inbound recruitment, consider the following:

• Your brand identity – You need a colour scheme, a logo, a catchy slogan, etc. Brand identity is about people recognising your company the instant they see the name. Your brand identity builds trust with the audience and should be associated with positive experiences. Creating a strong brand identity allows space for storytelling; informing people of what is happening and making them feel part of the brand
• Seeing behind the scenes – When someone is about to attend an interview with a company, one of the first things they do is research you on social media. What they see on your Instagram account could be enough to make or break their decision. Use Instagram to show people what it’s like working for/with you. Upload photos of company events and news. Ask your staff to post onto the site. You want people to be able to see that the company has an engaging personality rather than just the standard 9-to-5 workplace. Use the site to show the culture of your office. The more transparent you can be, the more trustworthy you appear
• Hashtags – Hashtags are a useful way of keeping up with what you are interested in. They permit quick searches and more followers. At the same time, some people do have a habit of going over the top with hashtags: it’s recommended you stick to a maximum of 5 hashtags and make sure they are within your niche or industry to keep it relevant
• Using candidate reviews – The reviews you receive are one of the best tools to let other people appreciate your good reputation. (There’s an excellent design tool called Canva, which allows you to repurpose candidate reviews to make them more attractive looking before adding them to your Instagram account)
• Making the most of video – Videos on your story have a maximum length of 15 seconds, whereas on your main feed they can last for up to 60 seconds. Often this is not enough for businesses to showcase everything. In 2018, Instagram launched IGTV; by using IGTV you can upload longer videos as well as links and descriptions

How to use Instagram for outbound recruitment

If you need to take a more aggressive approach to recruiting, you can use Instagram as a way of searching for talent. This works particularly well if you’re looking for tech talent as candidates are more familiar with using social media to find work than traditional methods of recruitment:

• Carrying out searches – You can benefit greatly from performing a candidate search on Instagram using Boolean and/or Google X-Ray. Check these tools out!
• Hashtags – These can be just as beneficial for outbound recruiting as inbound. Again, when using hashtags to search for potential candidates, include keywords that are relevant to your field, niche, or industry. If you don’t limit your search, you may run the risk of wasting time
• Posting isn’t enough – Some feel that their job is done once they have posted onto Instagram. To use Instagram successfully, you need to post and engage. It is crucial that you take action and reply to the comments you receive. Not responding to interactions could leave your candidates looking elsewhere. On that note…
• Search for your competition – To keep yourself completely informed about what is happening in your field, search for companies that provide the same services. You might be surprised what you can learn

Once you make contact with a candidate, or they make contact with you, try to move the conversation away from Instagram. While Instagram is amazing for reaching a large audience, people tend to feel more comfortable discussing professional details on known professional sites like LinkedIn.

If you want to take a look at some companies that most effectively use Instagram, especially for brand awareness, search for General Electrics, Marriott Hotels, and Starbucks. You will be able to notice how well they incorporate the above mentioned ideas onto their Instagram accounts. These accounts will provide you with huge amounts of inspiration. Of course, don’t just directly copy from them – keep your business original and true to who you are.

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