Most people know Google+ as another social network for individuals to connect with friends and companies to connect with customers. However, many colleges and universities know Google+ to work well in a different way—a great tool for recruiting.
The website Mashable recently found that many universities are using the networking tool as an opportunity to create an entire page based upon what their school can do for a particular student. This therefore works in the favor of the students just the same because it will save them time. Considering where you want to go to school for four years is a tough decision, so it’s nice to be able to go to one place and get all the answers. While some may argue that this is the job of a school website, I think many would agree that young people today feel comfortable using social networks. They are already on Google+ with their friends, so they will be more apt to check out a college or university while they’re there.
This led me to wonder: Should businesses be doing the same thing with Google+? While Facebook and Twitter are great places to promote deals and connect with potential customers, they are rarely dedicated to recruitment. Being that Google+ is so new, should businesses use it as a recruiting tool? It has worked for over 150 colleges and universities, so this may be something your business wants to consider.
Below lists a few ways your company can follow the model of these colleges and universities Google+ pages to recruit the best talent possible:
Follow By Example
- Highlight the achievements of former employees and current employees.
This is a great way for a small business to grab new talent. If some of your former employees went on to have great careers, even if it wasn’t with your company, you could sway some of those young graduates your way. While you likely highlight your achievements on your current social platforms, they can be hard to find through all of the other announcements going up on your “wall.”
- Let prospective employees know where your company is headed.
This works great for companies who are growing. Most people want to work for a company that has the potential to grow, so if you’re company fits into this category it is important to make it known. Consider posting videos or speeches that discuss where your company plans to be in the next five years and how it plans to get there. This could sway anyone looking to get in on the ground floor. For example, if you’re a company in the business of selling paper you may want to let others know that soon you will also be selling business phone systems and printers (The Office fans anyone?).
- Give those interested a look into the day to day routine of your current employees.
Colleges and universities use the site to showcase the campus lifestyle, and your company can to the same. Some things never change—if you are thinking about going to a school, you want to know what it’s really like each and every day; if you’re thinking about taking a job, you want to know the daily routine.
- Let prospective candidates know where their hard work will lead
Use Google+ to let everyone know why your company is worthwhile. What do you do to help the public and/or the community? Are you just a telemarketing company, or a telemarking company with something to say? You will want to highlight what you have to offer an individual who works for you, but also let people know what you have to offer others.
Google+ has worked great for colleges and universities, and there is no reason it shouldn’t work just as well for companies. You already have your Facebook page to promote deals and your Twitter account to connect with customers, so consider using Google+ as a place for recruiting.
Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from social media to postage meters. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including credit card processing to small businesses and entrepreneurs for the leading b2b lead generation resource, Resource Nation.