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Clara looks at the empty chair in her office - where the lead developer at her software company should be sitting. Since his departure six months ago, her team has had to work overtime and the consequences are palpable: projects are being delayed, the error rate is rising and employees are unhappy. They urgently need a successor!
According to the Federal Employment Agency, the average vacancy period is over 135 days. And filling a vacancy costs money: on average, vacancy costs amount to 49,500 euros (Stepstone, 2024). In this article, we show you how we were able to fill two vacant positions with a cost per hire of €1,478 in just 34 days using social recruiting.
Social recruiting, also known as social media recruiting, is the use of social networks to find new talent (or be found by new talent) and hire them. Social recruiting goes beyond publishing simple job ads: with a clever strategy, a multi-platform approach and the right online recruiting tools, your company can use social recruiting to its advantage.
The major advantage of social recruiting can be summed up simply: fast staffing and the resulting low costs. This is primarily based on
However, there are also disadvantages to social recruiting: The sometimes variable quality of applications can take up quite a bit of time and processing effort. In addition, companies must take data protection concerns seriously, as the handling of personal data on social media platforms is sensitive. However, if the social recruiting strategy is carefully planned and implemented, it is an effective tool for modern recruitment.
We follow this 7-step plan for social recruiting:
Step 1: As-is analysis & briefing
First, we talk to our clients about which position needs to be filled. What are the requirements of the position? Is the position local or remote? What are the expectations of applicants? Are there any exclusion criteria or special qualities that would be a particularly good fit for the team? We also need to know what salary expectations are realistic for the position.
Step 2: Platform selection
Depending on the job, the industry and the position in question, we find the optimal channels for our customers. In principle, any social media platform can be used: LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram are particularly popular. Xing, YouTube, TikTok or Pinterest can also (depending on the position) attract new talent to your company. The platform selection is based on several factors that we have developed through extensive tests and comparisons. For example, we do not recommend Meta for recruiting C-level executives and LinkedIn less for tradespeople.
Step 3: Design & copywriting
For an efficient campaign, you need an attractive design that offers the optimum user experience and corresponds to your corporate design. To match this, you need a targeted approach to your target group that gets to the heart of your message. For example, your logo and corporate colors provide the recognition value that shows who you are. We place the appealing headline in such a way that it is the first thing that catches the eye, and with the clear call-to-action we invite the prospective customer to take the next step.
Step 4: Lead generation
Based on the briefing, we define the criteria for the campaigns: if it is a local position, we limit the search radius to approx. 50 km. This allows us to exclude applications from Hamburg for a position in Munich. Depending on the position and customer requirements, we ask for various contact details and information on previous professional experience or salary expectations. This helps us to make an initial pre-selection so that only relevant people are contacted by us. Please note: The more information we ask interested parties to provide, the higher the quality of the applications will be, but at the same time the number of inquiries will decrease.
Step 5: First contact
As soon as the ads have been placed, interested parties can apply using a form designed by us. This can be implemented via your own website or via the social media platform used. After submitting the form, applicants will receive a response within one working day. The leads generated in this way are imported into a tool and informed of the next steps by email within 24 hours. Thanks to the automated process, very little effort is required to make a positive first impression. Because the applicants notice: This company delivers what it promises.
Step 6: Qualification & pre-selection
At this point, we can hand over the applicants to you or go one step further and qualify the inquiries for you. We then make a pre-selection based on the application documents submitted in accordance with the agreed criteria and contact all suitable candidates by telephone. In a personal interview, we check whether the applicants really meet the desired requirements and only hand over suitable applications to you.
Step 7: Handover & feedback
After we have checked and qualified the leads, we forward them to you. You can now start your application process with the fresh talent. Of course, we are still there for you: if it turns out after your first interviews that your new team member has not yet been included, we will optimize together. Does the search radius need to be adjusted? Are more experienced people required? Do the salary expectations not match? We can use your feedback to optimize the campaigns until you have found the right employee.
The costs for the complete social recruiting process depend on several factors and can therefore vary. The most important points are: Number of vacancies to be filled, number of social media channels used, number and complexity of the campaign design and duration of the campaigns. Depending on the type of campaign, our social recruiting packages start at around €3,000 per position, which includes advertising costs as well as campaign design, creative, support and lead qualification.
Practical example: For one of our mechanical engineering clients, we generated so many high-quality applications in just 34 days that we were able to fill two service technician positions. The costs amounted to just €1,478 per recruitment. You can find more facts and figures about this project in our case study: Download Case Study Social Recruiting
Advice no. 1: The careers section on your website is your flagship and should always be up-to-date. Important here: Can it be easily found by interested parties? Does it reflect the image of your company? Is it easy for applicants to view relevant information or do they have to download PDF files, for example, to read a job advertisement? Do the ad texts present your company and the job in a positive and realistic way?
Advice no. 2: Even the best campaign cannot compensate for a poor image. We therefore recommend that all employers maintain and optimize their Kununu profile. Often, particularly dissatisfied employees write reviews, which can lead to a poor score and reduce your chances of receiving high-quality applications. However, a bad review does not mean the end of your company: actively ask satisfied employees for positive reviews and respond professionally to feedback.
