In 2015 we asked 125 employers from around the world that make use of social media for employer branding and recruitment questions on their objectives, channels used, management, measurement and their challenges. The results of the 2015 Social Recruitment Management Benchmarking Survey are in and have revealed some interesting changes in employers’ social recruitment management in comparison to our 2014 survey. Read on for more.

Managing social media takes serious investment in people, time, content, tooling and advertising. It is reported that on average, 41% of recruiters spend up to $999 dollars with 16% of them spending up to $4,999 per month on social recruitment (Jobvite, 2014).
The trend of employers’ use of social media in recruitment continues to strive as expected. Therefore, it is very interesting to get a better understanding of how other employers manage social efforts.

For the second consecutive year, Maximum Employment Marketing Group has conducted a global survey among social recruitment channel representatives that have their channels listed in the Social Recruitment Monitor. Of those representatives, a majority indicated that they own responsibility for the management of their company’s social recruitment channels. Therefore, the outcome of the survey does not only provide a good benchmark for employers currently active on social media, but also gives useful insights to employers willing to take the first steps into the social recruitment sphere. Here are the main survey insights:
 

1. Fan growth is less important.

In 2014, 60% of the recruiters responded that Fan growth is the most important social recruitment metrics. However, in 2015 survey, only 47% of the employers believe Fan growth is the most important social recruitment metrics. They also indicated that Engagement (82%) and Website visits from social media (54%) are more important factors in measuring employers’ social recruitment activity. Such change in priority of social metrics shows that employers are looking at the quality over quantity of their interactions with the target audiences. Also, employers want their social media platform to be effective in directing their audiences to their career website.
 

2. Challenges in increasing engagement.

In the 2015 survey, new questions were added to find out about common social recruitment challenges among employers. 61.3% of the employers find it challenging to increase engagement with their potential candidates in various social media platforms. Employers’ increasing concern about engagement could be interpreted by the fact that the number of followers on their social media does not guarantee a high level of engagement or effectiveness of social recruitment. Therefore, as it is aforementioned, employers are increasingly paying more attention to their reach and engagement level with potential candidates in social media than gaining more fans.
 

3. The rise of content sharing.

In 2014, only 30% of employers encouraged employees to share content through their own social media, but in 2015, 74% of employers encouraged their employees to share the content via their own personal social media accounts. This significant rise in social referral within the company shows that employers are more inclined to leverage on their employees’ networks on social media to expand their reach. Furthermore, social media referrals empower employees to be an ambassador of the company by representing their company’s content in their own capacity.  

Want the full report results? Please find them here.

The 2015 social recruitment survey and the Social Recruitment Monitor are managed by the global employer branding and recruitment advertising agency Maximum Employment Marketing Group.