Instagram has just surpassed 300million users, which is 100million more than they had last year and 20million more users than social networking giant Twitter. With so many people using the platform, can recruitment marketing move solely into the visual? If so, how can recruiters and businesses utilise this so far untapped resource?
New Breed of User
We have previously written about the importance of improving the candidate experience when creating job advertisements. Candidates in a recovering economy are less likely to take on work they do not like, and even less likely to respond to boring job adverts which do not challenge them.
Up to 90% of candidates now search for jobs using their smartphones, and mobile optimised sites are receiving more traffic than ever before. There is no longer a set time or set method of searching for a job and candidates are given free reign over when and where they apply. This means recruiters need to adapt to a changing candidate and devise newer and more innovative ways of targeting their desired demographic.
All About the Visual
Contemporary society deals very much in the realm of the visual, with photo-sharing apps fast becoming one of the most frequently downloaded; to this end, Instagram has seen its popularity skyrocket, particularly within the past twelve months.
Instagram allows users to upload photos, add filters and effects, then share the photo either with just their followers or to networks like Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. Some businesses already use Instagram to promote their brand or service, making it even more visible through the use of hashtags, and now they can use the same method to attract new staff. Instagram’s users are largely a young demographic, with 90% below the age of 35; this makes it the perfect way to find young and talented people who may not pay as much attention to the older networks.
Instagram for Recruitment?
The main challenge for businesses and recruiters is that Instagram users will not respond to repetitive images and unauthentic posts. Additionally, you cannot add a link to an Instagram post. Twitter, for example, allows users to blurt out whatever thoughts are in their head and link to content – Instagram does not.
Instead, Instagram requires a deeper thought as to what the post will be, and how one image alone can attract the right viewers. For example, a vacant programmers job could be advertised on Instagram as a picture of a line of code with a mathematic sum included. Encourage viewers to translate the code and solve the sum, taking a picture of their workings, uploading to Instagram, then adding the company name as a hashtag to ensure it will be seen.
Additionally, Instagram’s not limited to recruitment – why not put up some pictures of your comfortable office, or images of a work party to inspire others to want to work with you? The challenge of finding talent needn’t be a chore, but rather an exciting opportunity to communicate with people in a far more interesting way than before.
As people get used to expressing themselves through images, businesses and recruiters can do much the same thing, engaging attracting a whole new type of candidate.
Castle Hill House