7 Advantages of Social Media Recruitment

Understanding Social Media Recruitment

What It Really Means

Social Media Recruitment: The practice of leveraging platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to find, attract, and hire talent through a mix of organic posts, paid campaigns, employee advocacy, and one-on-one outreach.

It Goes Way Beyond Job Listings:

• Building and showcasing your employer brand
• Proactively searching for and contacting candidates
• Encouraging employees to share openings in their own networks
• Cultivating talent communities over time
• Engaging potential hires long before a position opens

Key Statistics:

• 79% of people looking for work turn to social media during their search
• 86% of recruiters report finding strong candidates via social channels
• 73% of millennials landed their most recent role through social media
• LinkedIn hosts more than 900 million professional profiles
• Facebook provides access to over 2.9 billion users worldwide

Seven Core Benefits of Recruiting Through Social Media

1. Significantly Reduced Hiring Costs

How the Costs Compare:

Traditional Job Boards:

• Indeed: roughly $5-$15 per click
• LinkedIn Job Posts: starting around $495 per listing
• Monster/CareerBuilder: between $400 and $1,000 per posting
• Recruitment agencies: typically 15-25% of the new hire's annual salary
• Average cost-per-hire according to SHRM: $4,700

Social Media Recruiting:

• Organic job posts: no cost
• Referrals shared via social networks: no cost
• Targeted ads on Facebook or LinkedIn: around $1-5 per click
• Boosted posts: roughly $50-$200 per successful hire
• Average cost-per-hire: between $1,000 and $2,000

Sample ROI Breakdown:

Traditional hiring (20 new hires per year):
20 x $4,700 = $94,000

Social media recruiting (20 new hires per year):
20 x $1,500 = $30,000

Yearly savings: $64,000 (a 68% reduction)

What Drives the Savings:

• You tap into followers you already have at zero cost
• Each employee's network multiplies your reach
• Posts remain visible indefinitely, unlike time-limited job board listings
• Retargeting campaigns bring interested candidates back
• Ongoing community development builds a steady talent pipeline

Worth Noting: On average, each employee is connected to 400-500 people on social media. If 100 team members share a single job opening, that equates to 40,000-50,000 impressions at no additional cost.

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2. Reaching Candidates Who Aren't Actively Looking

Tapping Into the Hidden Workforce:

Active Job Seekers (roughly 25% of the workforce):

• Currently searching for new roles
• Present on job boards
• Easier to find but heavily pursued by competitors
• May be unemployed or in career transitions

Passive Candidates (roughly 75% of the workforce):

• Currently employed and not browsing job sites
• Would consider the right opportunity if it appeared
• Tend to be higher-caliber and more stable
• Absent from traditional job boards
• Best reached through social platforms, personal networks, and referrals

Why Passive Talent Is So Valuable:

• Roughly 70% of professionals worldwide fall into the passive category
• These candidates are 120% more likely to deliver meaningful results
• They present lower turnover risk because they are already employed and selective
• They tend to be stronger cultural fits since they are not applying indiscriminately
• On average, their skill levels are higher

How Social Channels Connect With Them:

1. Employer Branding Posts

• They are not looking to apply, but they notice your company
• Culture highlights, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and team achievements build familiarity
• Awareness compounds over weeks and months

Precision Ad Campaigns

• Messaging like "professionals like you thrive here"
• These are not people browsing job boards -- they are seeing your story in their feeds
• The approach inspires rather than pressures

Personal Outreach

• LinkedIn InMail messages
• Direct messages on Twitter
• Thoughtful engagement on Instagram
• Building a relationship before ever discussing a role

Practical Example: Spend six months sharing genuine culture content. When a role eventually opens, passive candidates who have been following your brand already feel connected and are much more likely to start a conversation.

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3. Stronger Candidate Quality

Why Hires From Social Media Tend to Perform Better:

1. Improved Cultural Alignment

• Candidates effectively screen themselves
• They get a transparent look at your workplace culture before applying
• They understand your values and working environment upfront
• Those who apply have already self-selected as a good fit

2. Better-Informed Applicants

• They research your company through social profiles before submitting
• They read firsthand employee stories
• They gain a deeper understanding of your product and mission
• They apply with intention rather than mass-submitting resumes

3. Amplified Employee Referrals

• Team members share openings within their personal networks
• Referrals come with a personal endorsement
• Referred hires have retention rates four times higher than average
• They typically ramp up faster during onboarding

4. Built-In Skill Verification

• LinkedIn profiles reveal detailed work histories
• GitHub showcases technical contributions
• Portfolios on Instagram or Behance display creative work
• Published content demonstrates subject-matter knowledge

Comparative Quality Metrics:

Metric	Job Board Hires	Social Media Hires
90-day retention	65%	85%
Time to productivity	4.2 months	3.1 months
Cultural fit score	6.8/10	8.4/10
Manager satisfaction	72%	91%
Referral likelihood	58%	79%

Real-World Example: A technology company shifted 80% of its hiring to social media channels. After twelve months, they observed:

• Quality-of-hire scores up 34%
• 90-day retention reaching 89%, compared to 68% previously
• Time-to-productivity shortened by six weeks
• Employee Net Promoter Score increased by 22 points

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4. Accelerated Hiring Timelines

Side-by-Side Comparison of Hiring Speed:

Conventional Recruiting Process:

• Post the job: Day 1
• Wait for applications: Days 1-30
• Screen resumes: Days 31-38
• First-round interviews: Days 39-50
• Second-round interviews: Days 51-58
• Offer and negotiation: Days 59-65
• Typical total: 65+ days

Social Media Recruiting Process:

• Share the role socially: Day 1
• Employee networks amplify reach: Days 1-3
• Applications and referrals flow in: Days 1-14
• Pre-qualified candidate shortlist ready: Day 3
• Interviews with warm candidates: Days 10-18
• Offer extended: Day 20
• Typical total: 20-30 days

What Makes It Quicker:

1. Immediate Distribution

• The opening reaches thousands of people right away
• Employee networks serve as free distribution channels
• Posts can go viral through organic sharing

Candidates Already Warmed Up

• They are familiar with your company before they apply
• Cultural fit has already been partially validated
• Fewer applicants who are not serious

Pre-Existing Relationships

• You can reach out directly to passive candidates you have engaged with before
• The relationship predates the recruiting conversation
• Decisions happen faster on both sides

Streamlined Screening

• Social profiles serve as preliminary vetting
• Endorsements and recommendations are visible
• Work samples are readily accessible
• The proportion of unqualified applicants is much lower

Urgency Advantage: When a critical role needs filling fast, rally your team to share the opening. You can reach 50,000+ people within a single day, compared to waiting weeks for traffic to trickle in from a job board.

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5. Continuous Employer Brand Development

The Cumulative Advantage:

Job Boards:

• Purely transactional: "We need to fill a role"
• No ongoing relationship with candidates
• The listing vanishes after 30 days
• Communication flows one direction only

Social Media:

• Relational: "This is who we are as a company"
• Fosters ongoing dialogue with talent
• Establishes a permanent brand presence
• Enables authentic two-way conversations

Employer Branding Content That Resonates:

1. Insider Glimpses

• Day-in-the-life video features
• Workplace tours and environment showcases
• Team meetings and collaborative moments
• Product walkthroughs and project previews

2. Team Member Spotlights

• Career progression narratives
• "Get to know the team" profiles
• Employee account takeovers
• Direct quotes and testimonials

3. Culture and Mission

• Celebrations of team milestones
• Company events and off-sites
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs
• Volunteer work and community participation

4. Professional Development

• Learning and growth opportunities
• Conference and industry event attendance
• Certifications and training programs
• Mentorship initiatives

5. Transparent Wins and Setbacks

• Product launches and major milestones
• Customer success stories
• Candid discussions about challenges faced
• Lessons drawn from real experiences

Business Impact of a Strong Employer Brand:

A well-established employer brand delivers:

• 50% more qualified applicants per opening
• 28% lower employee turnover
• Hiring speeds that are twice as fast
• The ability to offer up to 10% lower salaries without losing candidates (brand premium effect)

Illustrative Calculation:

100 hires per year
Strong employer brand = 2x faster hiring

Traditional approach: 65 days x 100 = 6,500 days of productivity lost
Social media approach: 30 days x 100 = 3,000 days lost

Recovered: 3,500 days = roughly 14 FTE-years of productivity
Estimated value: $1.4M+ (assuming $100K average salary)

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6. Precise and Diverse Candidate Targeting

Advanced Targeting Capabilities by Platform:

LinkedIn Advertising:

• Filter by job title and function
• Target specific companies and industries
• Focus on particular skills and endorsements
• Narrow by years of experience
• Specify education and certifications
• Define geographic areas
• Target members of relevant groups

Facebook and Instagram Advertising:

• Demographic filters (age, gender, location)
• Interest and behavioral targeting
• Life event triggers (recent relocation, graduation)
• Device-based targeting
• Connections-based reach (friends of current employees)
• Lookalike audiences modeled on your existing team

Twitter/X:

• Keyword and hashtag targeting
• Followers of specific industry accounts
• Interest and behavior categories
• Geographic parameters

Targeting Examples in Practice:

Example 1: Senior Software Engineer

LinkedIn campaign:
- Job title: "Senior Software Engineer", "Staff Engineer"
- Skills: Python, AWS, Kubernetes
- Company size: 500+ employees
- Location: San Francisco Bay Area
- Exclusion: direct competitors

Example 2: Entry-Level Marketing Position

Facebook/LinkedIn campaign:
- Age: 22-26
- Education: graduated within last 2 years
- Field of study: Marketing, Communications
- Interests: social media, content creation, brand strategy
- Location: major metropolitan areas

Diversity and Inclusion Advantages:

Social recruiting enables intentional outreach to underrepresented groups:

1. Engage Underrepresented Communities

   • Women in technology groups on LinkedIn
   • LGBTQ+ professional associations
   • Professional organizations for Black and Hispanic professionals
   • Veteran career transition networks

2. Collaborate With Diversity Advocates

   • Amplify openings through diversity-focused channels
   • Partner with employee resource group leaders
   • Sponsor diversity-oriented events and conferences

3. Highlight Your Diverse Workforce

   • Feature employees from varied backgrounds
   • Make DEI initiatives visible
   • Demonstrate inclusive culture through real content
   • Attract candidates who share those values

Outcome: Organizations that use targeted social recruiting typically see candidate pools that are 24% more diverse than those generated through traditional job boards alone.

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7. Measurable, Data-Driven Improvement

Metrics You Can Monitor:

Campaign-Level Data:

• Impressions and total reach
• Click-through rates
• Application conversion rates
• Cost per application received
• Cost per hire
• Source-quality tracking

Content-Level Data:

• Which posts generate the most applications
• Top-performing content formats
• Best times of day and week to post
• Cross-platform performance comparisons
• Employee-shared content performance

Candidate Behavior Insights:

• Where in the funnel candidates drop off
• How long it takes from first touchpoint to application
• The average number of interactions before someone applies
• How well retargeting campaigns perform

Funnel Analytics Example:

Awareness: 50,000 people reached via social channels
  5% click-through rate
Career page visitors: 2,500
  20% application rate
Applications received: 500
  10% move to interview
Interviews: 50
  20% receive offers
Offers made: 10
  80% acceptance rate
Hires: 8

Cost per hire: $1,200
Time to hire: 28 days
Average quality score: 8.7/10

Where to Optimize When Numbers Are Low:

Click-through rate below 2%:

• Refresh your ad creative
• Refine your audience targeting
• Strengthen your value proposition
• Run A/B tests on messaging

Application rate below 15%:

• Simplify the application form
• Ensure the experience works well on mobile
• Make the job description clearer and more compelling
• Proactively address common candidate objections

Interview rate below 8%:

• Improve initial screening questions
• Tighten sourcing criteria
• Adjust targeting parameters
• Strengthen your employee referral program

Split-Testing Illustrations:

Test 1: Ad Creative

• Version A: team photo with culture-focused messaging
• Version B: office space with benefits-focused messaging
• Result: Version A outperformed with 2.3x the click-through rate

Test 2: Application Process

• Version A: full application required upfront
• Version B: quick-apply first, details collected later
• Result: Version B achieved 3.1x the completion rate

Test 3: Job Title Wording

• Version A: "Marketing Manager"
• Version B: "Growth Marketing Manager"
• Result: Version B attracted higher-quality candidates

Real-World Data Story:

A SaaS company meticulously tracked all recruiting metrics and discovered:

• Instagram produced the highest-quality creative hires
• LinkedIn was most effective for engineering positions
• Employee shares on LinkedIn converted at 4.2x the rate of paid ads
• Friday morning posts generated 2.1x the engagement
• Video-based job descriptions received 3.5x more applications

By reallocating budget based on these insights, they reduced cost-per-hire by 63% while simultaneously improving quality scores by 28%.

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Maximizing Each Platform

LinkedIn: The Professional Recruiting Hub

What Sets It Apart:

• Over 900 million members in the world's largest professional network
• Comprehensive work history and skill data
• Peer recommendations and endorsements built in
• Users are already in a professional, career-focused mindset
• LinkedIn Recruiter offers powerful advanced search
• InMail provides a direct line to candidates

Ideal For:

• White-collar and tech roles
• B2B sales and marketing positions
• Executive and leadership searches
• Remote-friendly opportunities

Recommended Approach:

• Publish openings on your company page
• Encourage employees to share with their connections
• Use sponsored content aimed at precise demographics
• Reach out directly via InMail
• Participate actively in industry-specific groups

Facebook: Broad Reach and Laser Targeting

What Sets It Apart:

• 2.9 billion users ensure enormous reach
• Highly granular advertising options
• Video content performs exceptionally well
• Particularly strong for local and regional hiring
• Generally lower ad costs than LinkedIn

Ideal For:

• Local and hourly positions
• Retail, hospitality, and healthcare roles
• Entry-level opportunities
• Skilled trades and blue-collar work
• Culture-focused hiring

Recommended Approach:

• Create video job descriptions
• Produce employee testimonial content
• Use location-based targeting for physical workplaces
• Build community through engagement
• Leverage Facebook Groups for specialized talent pools

Instagram: Visual Storytelling for Employer Branding

What Sets It Apart:

• Centered on visual storytelling through photos and video
• Ideal for authentic behind-the-scenes glimpses
• Core audience skews younger (18-34)
• Stories showcase day-in-the-life content
• Reels offer strong viral potential

Ideal For:

• Creative positions (design, content, marketing)
• Retail and direct-to-consumer brands
• Hospitality and travel companies
• Fashion and lifestyle organizations
• Businesses with visually appealing workspaces

Recommended Approach:

• Feature employee account takeovers
• Share day-in-the-life stories
• Post authentic culture and workspace visuals
• Showcase products, projects, and creative work
• Run branded hashtag campaigns

Twitter/X: Industry Dialogue and Thought Leadership

What Sets It Apart:

• Real-time conversation and trending topics
• Strong for industry-level networking
• High visibility for thought leadership content
• Audience tends to be tech-savvy
• Enables direct, public engagement with candidates

Ideal For:

• Technology roles
• Media and communications positions
• Executive and senior leadership
• Remote-first organizations
• Startup hiring

Recommended Approach:

• Share original thought leadership from your company
• Join trending industry conversations
• Post threads about what it is like to work at your organization
• Contact active users directly
• Engage in relevant Twitter chats and Spaces

TikTok: Reaching the Next Generation

What Sets It Apart:

• Dominated by Gen Z (ages 18-24)
• Algorithm-driven distribution means strong viral potential
• Favors authentic, unpolished video content
• Engagement rates are among the highest of any platform
• Recruiting competition remains low

Ideal For:

• Internships and entry-level roles
• Retail, hospitality, and service positions
• Creative and social media roles
• Companies that want to connect with Gen Z
• Organizations known for a fun, dynamic culture

Recommended Approach:

• Produce day-in-the-life videos
• Create "why I love working here" clips
• Film office tours and behind-the-scenes footage
• Encourage employee-generated content
• Participate in trending formats and challenges

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Putting Social Media Recruitment Into Action

Phase 1: Laying the Groundwork (Month 1)

Step 1: Assess Where You Stand

• Which channels are you currently hiring through?
• What is your current cost-per-hire?
• How long does it typically take to fill a role?
• What quality-of-hire metrics are you tracking?
• How visible is your employer brand online?

Step 2: Define Specific Objectives

• Cut cost-per-hire by a target percentage
• Shorten time-to-hire by a set number of days
• Raise the average quality score of applications
• Improve diversity representation in candidate pools
• Build a talent pipeline of a target number of prospects

Step 3: Select Your Primary Platforms

Most organizations should begin with:

• LinkedIn for professional and corporate roles
• Facebook for local and hourly hiring
• Instagram for culture-focused storytelling
• Prioritize whichever platforms your target candidates use most

Step 4: Polish Your Company Profiles

• Fill in every section completely
• Apply professional branding (logo, cover imagery, bio)
• Ensure messaging is consistent across all platforms
• Include clear calls-to-action
• Link prominently to your careers page

Step 5: Build a Content Calendar

• Commit to at least 2-3 posts per week
• Alternate between culture content, job postings, and industry insights
• Feature an employee spotlight at least once a month
• Share behind-the-scenes content weekly
• Post open roles as needed

Phase 2: Going Live (Months 2-3)

Step 6: Begin Publishing Employer Brand Content

Weeks 1-2: Culture Foundations

• Film an office tour video
• Publish "meet the team" introductions
• Share your values and mission in a relatable way

Weeks 3-4: Employee Narratives

• Conduct short employee spotlight interviews
• Post day-in-the-life content
• Share career journey stories

Weeks 5-6: Work and Impact

• Highlight interesting projects and products
• Capture moments of team collaboration
• Tell stories about customer impact

Step 7: Mobilize Employee Networks

1. Launch an Employee Advocacy Program

   • Distribute shareable content to your team
   • Provide pre-drafted post copy so sharing takes seconds
   • Publicly recognize employees who participate
   • Optionally gamify participation with friendly leaderboards

2. Formalize an Employee Referral Program

   • Offer incentives for successful referrals
   • Make job openings easy to share with a single click
   • Track which referrals come from which sources
   • Reward employees when referred candidates are hired

Step 8: Share Your First Openings Socially

1. Organic Posting

• Announce the role on your company page
• Ask employees to share it to their networks
• Respond to comments and questions actively
• Pin high-priority roles to the top of your feed

Paid Amplification

• Boost job posts with budgets of $50-$200
• Target specific audience segments
• A/B test different messages and creatives
• Retarget visitors who have been to your careers page

Phase 3: Scaling Up (Months 4-6)

Step 9: Begin Proactive Sourcing

1. LinkedIn Recruiter (Optional)

   • Use advanced boolean search queries
   • Save and organize candidate lists
   • Reach out via InMail
   • Monitor engagement and response rates

2. Direct Candidate Outreach

   • Identify ideal-fit candidates manually
   • Send personalized, thoughtful messages
   • Focus on building rapport before pitching a role
   • Take a warm-introduction approach whenever possible

Step 10: Invest in Paid Campaigns

LinkedIn Sponsored Posts:

• Targeting: specific job titles, employers, and skills
• Starting budget: $500-$1,000 per open role
• Creative assets: video testimonials, culture pieces
• Destination: direct link to application or careers page

Facebook/Instagram Campaigns:

• Targeting: demographics, interests, geography
• Starting budget: $200-$500 per open role
• Creative assets: video, carousel, and story ad formats
• Destination: mobile-optimized application page

Step 11: Track Results and Iterate

Weekly Reviews:

• Check application volume by source
• Monitor source-level quality indicators
• Review cost-per-application trends
• Stay responsive to comments and messages

Monthly Analysis:

• Compare platform performance side by side
• Evaluate cost-per-hire across sources
• Assess quality metrics for each channel
• Reallocate budget and adjust tactics as needed

Quarterly Deep Dives:

• Conduct a full ROI analysis
• Benchmark social recruiting against traditional methods
• Codify best practices
• Double down on what is working

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Calculating Your Return on Investment

Essential Metrics to Watch

Cost Indicators:

• Cost per click
• Cost per application
• Cost per interview
• Cost per hire (the metric that matters most)
• Total recruiting spend

Time Indicators:

• Time to first application
• Time to hire (the metric that matters most)
• Time to full productivity
• Total days the position sits vacant

Quality Indicators:

• Application quality score (rated 1-10)
• Interview-to-hire ratio
• 90-day retention rate (a critical quality signal)
• Hiring manager satisfaction
• Performance review outcomes

Volume Indicators:

• Total impressions and reach
• Click-through rate
• Application submission rate
• Interview rate
• Offer acceptance rate

Sample ROI Formula:

Social Media Recruiting ROI:

Investment:
- Ad spend across platforms: $5,000
- Internal team time: $3,000
- Content production costs: $2,000
Total investment: $10,000

Outcomes (20 hires):
- Savings vs. job boards: $60,000
- Productivity gains from faster hiring: $40,000
- Retention value from higher-quality hires: $30,000
Total value generated: $130,000

ROI: 1,200%

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Overcoming Common Obstacles

Obstacle 1: "We have no employer brand presence yet"

How to Address It: Begin with small, authentic content:

• Simple employee quotes paired with photos
• Casual office environment shots
• Sharing relevant industry news and insights
• Showing up consistently matters more than production quality

Realistic Timeline: Expect to spend 3-6 months building presence before seeing measurable hiring impact.

Obstacle 2: "Our employees do not want to share"

How to Address It: Reduce friction and make it worthwhile:

• Provide ready-to-post copy that employees can share with one tap
• Recognize and thank employees who participate
• Help them see how sharing strengthens their own personal brand
• Have leadership model the behavior first

Obstacle 3: "We do not have time to produce content"

How to Address It: Work with what already exists:

• Encourage employees to create their own short clips
• Repurpose user-generated content
• Turn existing blog posts into social-friendly formats
• Use simple smartphone videos rather than polished productions

Frequency: Posting 2-3 times per week is plenty to maintain momentum.

Obstacle 4: "We are worried about negative public comments"

How to Address It: Prepare in advance and respond professionally:

• Develop response guidelines before they are needed
• Address legitimate concerns openly and honestly
• Avoid deleting comments unless they are abusive
• Handling criticism well actually builds trust and authenticity

The Reality: Negative comments are uncommon, and when handled gracefully they demonstrate transparency.

Obstacle 5: "It is difficult to prove ROI"

How to Address It: Establish proper tracking from the beginning:

• Use UTM parameters on every link you share
• Add "How did you find us?" to your application form
• Set up source tracking in your applicant tracking system
• Use each platform's built-in analytics tools
• Maintain a tracking spreadsheet as a backup if needed

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Common Questions About Social Media Recruiting

How long before social recruiting starts producing results?

Brand building phase: Allow 3-6 months to establish a meaningful presence First hires through social: 1-2 months if you have an existing audience or use paid ads Fully optimized program: 6-12 months to reach maturity

Consider running paid campaigns for immediate results while you invest in growing your organic presence in parallel.

Should we hire an agency or build capabilities internally?

Start in-house:

• Content feels more authentic
• Costs stay lower
• You develop lasting internal expertise
• You can iterate and adjust quickly

Bring in an agency when:

• You lack internal social recruiting experience
• Hiring volume is very high
• You need professional creative production
• You want to launch faster than your team can manage alone

Which platforms deserve the most attention?

General recommendation:

1. LinkedIn for professional and knowledge-worker roles
2. Facebook for broad reach and local hiring
3. Instagram for employer brand storytelling

Adjust based on:

• Where your ideal candidates actually spend their time
• Your industry and company profile
• Your team's content creation capacity
• Your available budget

What budget should we plan for?

Minimum viable investment:

• $500-$1,000 per month per open role for ads
• 10-20 hours of internal time per month
• $50-$200 per month for content tools

Mature program budget:

• $2,000-$5,000 per month covering multiple roles
• One dedicated recruiter or recruitment marketer
• $200-$500 per month for an employee advocacy platform
• Additional support for content production

Can social media fully replace job boards?

For most organizations: A 70/30 split works well

• 70% social media recruiting for lower cost and higher quality
• 30% job boards for high-intent applicants and as a safety net

Some companies do run 100% social recruiting successfully if they have:

• A well-established employer brand
• An active employee advocacy program
• A mature content engine producing consistent output

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Wrapping Up

Recruiting through social media offers more than just cost savings over traditional job boards -- it fundamentally improves the quality of your hiring process. The ability to reach passive candidates, attract better-informed applicants, fill positions faster, and steadily strengthen your employer brand creates a compounding advantage that job boards simply cannot match.

The ideal time to start building this capability was months ago. The next best time is right now.

A simple way to begin:

1. Optimize your company profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (Week 1)
2. Start posting 2-3 pieces of culture content per week (Weeks 2-4)
3. Share your next open role across social channels (Week 5)
4. Measure the results and compare them against your job board performance

Within 90 days, you will have concrete evidence that this approach works. Within six months, you will question why you ever spent so much on traditional job board listings.

Recruiting has shifted permanently toward social channels. Your competitors are already out there building relationships with the candidates you have not reached yet. The question is not whether to embrace social media recruiting -- it is how quickly you can get started before more top talent goes to companies that already have.