Are you planning to hire staff in 2022? If you don’t have a solid and inspiring LinkedIn presence or are hesitant in using the platform, this is your wake up call.
Even if hiring is not on the horizon, that can change for a raft of reasons due to staff leaving or a big win requiring a team expansion.
In any scenario, finding top staff will be challenging with the volume of small businesses competing in the talent ring. And experienced candidates are being rightly choosy as hiring is a two-way street after all.
Being prepared in business is to lay a platform of attraction to meet goals and changes either planned or inadvertent. LinkedIn is an essential tool to lay a platform of sales, marketing and staff attraction with over 12 Million Australian and 810 Million global members.
But the truth is, many small business owners either avoid LinkedIn altogether, don’t use it well or just barely. Reasons can include a dislike of social media, not looking for clients, lack of time or understanding. I’ve heard them all!
Employer branding
LinkedIn is a premier digital channel to position small business employer brands and compete with the bigger end of town for culture.
And let’s not forget the wonderful talent pool on LinkedIn of wonderful experienced people of diverse cultures and ages to attract and influence.
I guarantee that scores of outstanding candidates don’t even bother applying for roles or network for fear of rejection. The pot of unfilled vacancies deepens and business opportunities go unmet. A small business can really flip that to their benefit.
It’s not about you
Even if you don’t give a duck’s behind about using LinkedIn, let me assure you that potential staff and candidates sure do.
It’s reported that 80 per cent of employees and consumers trust organisations whose leadership have an active and engaging social media presence. And business advisory firm Brunswick reports 60 per cent of candidates research a CEO’s social media with 83 per cent preferring to work with companies whose leaders use social media, factoring in greater satisfaction and retention.
What candidates seek
In LinkedIn’s ‘Talent Market Drivers since the Start of COVID’ report, the top five priorities of candidates when assessing a business to join were:
- Work-life balance
- Compensation and benefits
- Colleagues and culture
- Effective management
- Challenging work
- Flexible work arrangements
Karin Kimbrough, LinkedIn Chief Economist shared: “Companies need to recognize that the power dynamic has changed – workers are going to demand more from them on multiple fronts. Candidates are being much more selective about where they work, and workers are more vocal about what they want.”
How much influence would your business create by including the above elements in personal profiles, content and company updates?
How candidates research
Make no mistake, candidates research businesses, their staff and leaders. What will they find?
LinkedIn’s ‘Inside the Mind of Today’s Candidate’ research found candidates spend one to two months researching a business before applying to a role. And 73 per cent of time was spent researching LinkedIn & Google.
A Google search on a name or business ranks a LinkedIn URL in the top few searches so all roads lead to LinkedIn.
Also, remember people are lurk and observe the tone and style of member’s content and comments. This cannot be found on websites and impacts confidence and trust. Candidates seek evidence of values, social responsibility and humanity.
If you are LinkedIn hesitant and hiring staff, this is your wake-up call. Jump on board with clear intent and an inspiring value branding strategy.
