Social Media Recruitment and MIcrosoft's strategy

1. Social Media
Recruitment

2. Introduction
Today, social network isn’t just about swapping pictures and
music, or following a TV show or a sporting event. Social media
is increasingly becoming the space where professional life
happens.
Social media now plays a key role in the evaluation of
individuals. Because social media sites are proliferating and
changing rapidly,

3. “
“SOCIAL MEDIA, ON THE WHOLE, IS
BECOMING A MEDIUM FOR WORK AS
WELL AS PLAY”

4. Changing nature of
recruitment
◇In the past, to recruit employees,
originations would simply advertise
opportunities in the local press;
engage a recruitment consultant or,
more recently, post jobs online via
the company website or on popular
job boards. This ‘passive approach’,
many claim, is on the way out.
◇Today, with the advent of social
media, hiring managers and recruiters
find that they need to be more
proactive in their approach, by
engaging with talent across a wide
range of social networking platforms.
Essentially, companies and recruiters
need to be where their candidates are
in order to engage them in the
recruitment process.

5. Here are some social media
recruiting strategies
◇Ask Employees to Tweet Job Openings
◇Use LinkedIn’s Recruiter Homepage
◇Don’t Ignore the Power of LinkedIn Groups
◇Use Facebook’s Search Feature the Right Way
◇Engage in Paid Advertising

6. ◇LinkedIn is probably the first choice for social media
recruiting by recruiters so it only makes sense that they
provide a solid tool for the job. This is done through their
paid product, LinkedIn Recruiter. Other than the basic
LinkedIn functions you’ll get access to a matching
algorithm which provides potential employee
suggestions based on your recent activity and lets you
monitor job application activity. It’s definitely a powerful
tool to incorporate into your social media recruiting
strategy.

7. How Microsoft use social
for recruiting and
employer branding
Microsoft embarked on a major recruitment overhaul
nearly 5 years ago, as competition from companies
like Google made the battle for top talent even more
challenging. The foundation of this recruitment
marketing initiative was made up of key business and
marketing goals such as creating a consistent global
message, managing their own employer brand and
improving user experience. The new and
improved Microsoft Careers site is a pleasure to
navigate, and the company’s online presence also
includes channels like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
and YouTube in order to engage, impress and inspire
potential job candidates.

8. Twitter Strategy
The @MicrosoftJobs Twitter account has over
68,600 followers, and is a place where
jobseekers can receive timely information
about company news and job vacancies. The
bio for the account makes its purpose quite
clear – Microsoft wants jobseekers to ‘find out
what it’s really like to work here.’

9. Facebook Strategy
With over 490,000 ‘likes,’ Microsoft’s Careers page on
Facebook is a place where interested candidates can
find information about job opportunities and receive
updates about what’s new at the company. The
Careers page provides jobseekers with a Frequently
Asked Questions tab, where there is more detailed
information about the Microsoft hiring process.

10. LinkedIn Strategy
◇The Microsoft Careers page on LinkedIn, which
proudly boasts the headline ‘Do What You Love,’
provides information about job openings, benefits, and
life at Microsoft to the company’s nearly 2,900,000
followers. The page also provides opportunities to
contact Microsoft recruiters, as well as links to videos
and the company’s other social media sites.
◇The LinkedIn page is a prime source for candidates,
and the company’s recruiters frequently use the range
of sourcing tools made available through the site. In
one year, Microsoft saved £60,000 on recruitment fees
by using LinkedIn to find candidates with rare
specialist skills for a new project.

11. Place your screenshot hereYouTube Strategy
The Microsoft Careers YouTube
channel has more than 150
uploaded videos that provide
international perspectives on a
variety of subjects, including
internships, culture and diversity at
Microsoft. Videos such as ‘Work
Meets Life at Microsoft’ help
contribute to the company’s
employer brand by providing
authentic employee perspectives
on what it’s truly like to work there.

12. What We Can Learn
from Microsoft:
Collaboration is key. The success of social recruiting efforts
at Microsoft is largely due to collaboration with various
marketing and staffing groups throughout the company
and even the external community. By bringing a diverse
group of people together to brainstorm and share results
of new efforts, the recruitment strategy is better able to
adapt to the ever-changing environment.

13. What We Can Learn
from Microsoft:
◇Recruitment is a complex process. It is essential for an
effective recruitment strategy to include a variety of tools
in order to reach the right audience. As competition in the
labour market increases, so does the complex nature of
finding, engaging and ultimately hiring the best talent.

14. What We Can Learn
from Microsoft:
◇The importance of community. A major part of Microsoft’s
online recruitment strategy is their Talent Network. The site
provides candidates with helpful information like how to
succeed in an interview with the company. Through blogging
and interacting with external communities through social
media, Microsoft is able to engage applicants in a more
effective way.

15. What We Can Learn
from Microsoft:
◇Communicate culture and values. The concept of ‘fit’ is
crucial when it comes to recruiting new employees for any
organisation. Microsoft has done an excellent job crafting
their employer brand by sharing authentic employee
experiences through blog posts, and by communicating their
values through efforts like their Women at Microsoft
Facebook page.

16. What We Can Learn
from Microsoft:
◇Link recruitment efforts with the bigger picture. Microsoft
has realised the usefulness of tying recruiting efforts into
particular projects they are working on. For instance, when
developing a new Xbox product, key talent with the right skills
was attracted to the company’s career site through social
media advertising and project-specific blog posts.

17. Thanks!
Any questions?