In today’s world where social media platforms have become an essential part of our lives, businesses are leveraging their popularity to find new employees. Instagram has surpassed the 400 million mark in active users, which is impressive. Therefore, recruiting on Instagram is a great way to find new employees.

The visual format of this application lets users quickly absorb information, making it a valuable tool in the competition for attention. In this article, you will learn how to use Instagram in your recruitment strategy.

Should a company use Instagram Recruiting?

Yes, recruiting on Instagram can be effective to a certain extent. Consider using Instagram for recruiting, as it is a great source of unexpected talent. Instagram has 1 billion active users per month, only trailing behind Facebook and YouTube, with 500 million users active daily. With such a highly engaged audience, not using Instagram in your hiring process would be a missed opportunity.

Instagram, a platform initially designed for sharing photos, has expanded its features to include Stories, Reels, and Shopping. In today’s era, females aged 16-34 and males aged 16-24 tend to prefer Instagram over other social media platforms. However, this app is widely used by users of all ages.

To use Instagram for effective recruitment, you should keep two methods in mind: attraction and proactive recruiting. Attraction means improving your company’s image, strategically interacting to gain followers, and using hashtags to expand your reach. Proactive recruiting involves targeting specific influencers and potential candidates, whether or not they are currently seeking employment.

Benefits of Instagram Recruiting

If used strategically, Instagram can serve as a key component of a comprehensive recruitment plan. Let us discuss the general benefits of Instagram recruiting.

Cost-effective

Recruiting on Instagram is mostly free, except for paid ads. You can refer to the Instagram site for details on the cost of advertising. You can also use existing company content to attract new talent and make sure it’s targeted to the right audience.

Allows you to target specific audiences

Instagram allows you to target your posts and ads based on location, gender, age, interests, education level, and more. You can create ads that are specifically tailored for various Instagram users according to your target group. This makes it easier for employers to reach out to qualified individuals who fit their criteria.

Provides visual content

Instagram is a great platform to showcase your company culture, successes, and work environment in a fun visual way. You can post photos of current employees, success stories, job ads, team outings, and other fun visuals to engage talent and potential employer branding. Plus, you can use Instagram Stories or Highlights to further show what makes your company unique and what potential applicants can expect from you. With Instagram, you have the ability to pin Stories to your Instagram Highlights, where they stay permanently.

It gives you access to a broader market

Instagram has more than 1 billion active users, which gives you access to a large talent pool. This means employers can use Instagram to reach out to both passive and active job seekers. You can also use it to find potential employees who are already working in the same field or similar positions.

Provides valuable insights

Employers can gain valuable insights into their target audience using the analytics features available on Instagram. The insights can help employers better understand their followers, what content resonates with them, and how to tailor the content. This information is invaluable in creating an effective recruitment strategy.

Builds company brand

Job seekers are likely to research your company before applying or responding. In addition to checking platforms like LinkedIn, and Facebook, they may also look for your company on Instagram. Post authentic content about your company to attract candidates who resonate with your culture and help others deselect themselves if it’s not the right fit. By offering a strategic behind-the-scenes look at your company, you can showcase why it’s a great place to work for potential candidates and the world at large. You can use Instagram to tell your story, inform target audiences of job openings, and attract new talent.

Builds a pool of passive candidates

There’s certainly value in job boards, but if you’re trying to build a pool of passive candidates (those who aren’t actively looking for a job), Instagram can be extremely helpful. Instagram also allows potential candidates to learn more about your company and the available jobs.

How can Instagram be used for recruiting?

To attract candidates on Instagram, it’s important to establish your employer brand first. Having only one photo of a desk plant on your company or personal profile will not be enough to entice potential talent. You can showcase the human side of your brand through various methods. Here are the steps to display your company culture on Instagram.

Create your company page

To create a business page on Instagram, you need to first create a personal account for your organization. Then, you can change the account type to a professional on the Settings page. You can also link your personal Instagram account to the company page, allowing current employees involved in the hiring process to post directly from their own accounts.

Pick the right username, bio, and profile picture

To make the most of your Instagram profile, choose a username that’s both memorable and relevant to your company. A great profile picture will also draw in potential applicants, so make sure to include one of your logos or the team behind it. Keep your bio short but include relevant keywords for job seekers to find you easily. To describe your company on Instagram, you have 150 characters or less, which is shorter than a tweet.

Define your target audience

After creating your company page, defining who you want to target is important. You can do this by researching the type of job candidates that may be interested in working for your company, such as their age group, interests and job titles. This will help you create content tailored to this specific audience. Use stories and Reels to better engage with potential candidates.

Show your company culture

To clarify, just posting “we are hiring” photos on an Instagram account is not enough to attract talent. To catch the interest of potential candidates, it’s important to give them a glimpse of what working at your company is really like. Remember to maintain a lighthearted tone, as Instagram is typically more playful and engaging than other platforms.

You might be wondering why focusing on these aspects is necessary when you only want to recruit new people. However, you can attract potential candidates and establish brand credibility by showcasing your company culture through high-quality photos and videos. Whether it’s a photo of employees working together, team outings, or even lunch meetings, use photos to give potential candidates a real sense of what it’s like to work with you. This approach helps to build a large pool of potential talent and a strong following for your brand, so when you later post a ‘we are hiring’ photo, you have already created a strong foundation for attracting the right people.

Advertise job openings

You can use Instagram Ads to reach a broader audience, such as those who may not follow your page or be actively looking for a job. Advertising on Instagram is easy and cost-effective – you can create ads directly from your company page, which will then appear in the main feed of users who fit the demographic profile of the people you’re trying to reach.

Remember that Instagram Ads can be targeted very specifically, so make sure that your ad reaches the right audience and is tailored to their interests. You should also consider using influencers and posts from satisfied employees to spread the word about job openings.

Decide on what hashtags to use

Including hashtags on Instagram is an important aspect of your content strategy. To ensure brand consistency, add your brand hashtag from other social media platforms, and use other strategic hashtags to attract your desired audience.

Using relevant hashtags in your posts can help job seekers find your company. Hashtags such as #hiring, #newjobs and #joinourteam are commonly searched by candidates. It’s also important to include your location in all posts so that potential candidates know where the job is located.

When searching for candidates, you should consider the hashtags that job seekers use in their posts. They often use #hireme and #jobhunting. You can use Instagram’s direct message feature to easily message potential candidates.

Get employees involved on Instagram

It’s a good idea to involve your employees once you have a strong group of brand supporters and a consistent hiring process. Third-party endorsements can be more trustworthy and help expand your network of potential employees. Employees’ involvement on social media boosts their sense of pride and workplace satisfaction.

To motivate your employees to share about your business on social media, utilize both direct and indirect tactics. Start by ensuring that all employees understand the brand’s values, hashtags, and guidelines. You can achieve this by organizing frequent meetings with staff to educate them on all brand matters and how they can effectively promote it on their social media profiles.

Encourage employee involvement by including social media links and hashtags on social media accounts so that job candidates can discover the company’s presence on these platforms.

Follow and interact with relevant profiles

To discover tech-related companies and influencers to follow on Instagram, use the search bar to look for “tech” and follow those you already know. Interacting with other posts by commenting and liking is also recommended. Use the search bar to locate relevant content.

However, avoid spamming people with identical comments or following an excessive number of profiles. This behavior can indicate to Instagram users that your engagement is not sincere. While quick following and unfollowing may aid your growth strategy, it is looked down upon in the Instagram community. Instead, follow individuals and companies who are relevant and valuable to your field and interact with them in a personalized way to avoid being generic.

A word from SublimePeople

After outlining all of the potential benefits of recruiting staff through Instagram, it’s plain to see why this social media platform is increasingly being used by employers to reach talented and desirable candidates. Not only can businesses expand their reachability beyond local job fairs and networking events but they also have the ability to precisely target certain demographics that best fit their organization’s needs. This opens the gateway for businesses to get a much broader and more diverse group of applicants, all sharing unique traits that could potentially prove immensely valuable. So, if your company is in need of fresh recruits, don’t be afraid to consider social media; with Instagram’s user-friendly nature and countless features, you won’t regret making it part of your hiring process. Take action today and start searching for new employees on Instagram – you may be pleasantly surprised by what you find.

At SublimePeople we work hard to find your perfect team. Focus on what’s important and leave your talent selection tasks in our hands. Contact us to learn more about our services!