Using social media to advertise jobs and attract candidates

These are tips to increase engagement and reach on social media: 

• include enough ‘white space’ - don’t clump text together 
• separate sentences with line breaks 
• begin your post with a question that will spark interest 
• use hashtags in your post (LinkedIn recommends no more than 3 hashtags) 
• tag members of your senior leadership team or staff with large networks 
• encourage staff to retweet or repost with a comment 

Example of an English social media post on Twitter follows the social media best practice.

Example of a Welsh social media post on Twitter follows the social media best practice.

Social media networks or groups are often overlooked as useful tools. However, they are a cost-effective and quick approach that can be crucial when advertising your role to more diverse communities. 

At CDPS, we post all our social media bilingually. This encourages interaction and community outreach within Welsh talent pools. 

It’s also important to engage with LGBTQI+ and Contendiverse groups on Slack, LinkedIn or even Instagram and TikTok. Many members will be passive candidates who aren’t signing up for job boards. Meeting them on platforms that they will already be using is a way of reaching out.  

This engagement shouldn’t begin and end with a link to your job post. It should be a conscious, ongoing effort to work with and attract group members. You should also be honest about your progression on equality diversity and inclusion rather than take a copy-and-paste approach to the topic.  

Here is a list of Slack groups you may want to engage with if you work in tech.