Facebook, with over 850+ million users, is the go-to place for recruitment advertising and employer brand-building, but you can’t deny the benefits of being on Twitter.

If you aren’t looking at Twitter as a recruiting tool, here are some quick stats to show you why you darn well should be:

1. 39% of all jobseekers are on Twitter
2. 23% of all job seekers (71% of those with a profile) have leveraged Twitter in their job hunt
3. 8% have updated Twitter with their professional information
4. 6% have received a job referral through Twitter
5. 8 million Americans credit Twitter as a source that led to their current job

So it’s vital for companies to create an employer presence on Twitter, and also understand that Twitter is about conversations, relationships and community. Twitter can be an extremely powerful recruiting tool if used right.

Let’s see how these 6 employers are using Twitter for recruiting:

UPS Jobs

@UPSJobs

UPSjobs’ Twitter background highlights other UPS Twitter accounts, empowering visitors to connect with the brand in a number of ways based on what they are looking for. UPS has a Twitter Bio with a clear call to action, and also provides the link to a landing page designed for Twitter followers.

UPS doesn’t only share tweets about PR or open Jobs. They also engage their followers and respond to questions candidates might have. This makes them less of “just a faceless entity,” and allows them to be seen as having real, live, breathing human beings behind the scenes. This goes far in helping their followers see them as more of a “partner” than a mere presence on the Web.

Life at Google

@googlejobs

Google, as their Twitter account name “Life at Google” suggests, shares what it’s like to work with Google and their culture, through pics, videos upcoming events and open jobs at different Google offices worldwide.

Google uses a picture of its employees as the profile picture, and have a clear, crisp bio with a link to the Google jobsite. Note how inviting the profile photo alone makes their company seem.

EY US Careers

@EY_CareersUS

Ernst & Young has a custom background informing people about its employer presence on other social networks. In the bio, they encourage candidates to ask questions and interact. Ernst & Young is driving its Twitter followers and visitors to its career presence Facebook.

 Join The Flock

@JoinTheFlock

Twitter is leveraging itself for recruitment purposes as well, from their employer account. You can find tweets on such things as what’s happening at Twitter, their latest job openings, and a more “inside look” at the company.

Twitter is promoting their funny video, “At Twitter, The Future is You!” by providing the link to watch the video. (It is actually pretty funny too)

 Disney Corp Jobs

@TWDCjobs

One of the oldest employers, Walt Disney, are also engaging prospective employees through Twitter. Disney retweets relevant news and content from other Disney Twitter accounts. Walt Disney uses Twitter hashtags quite well, in order to increase their reach.

 PepsiCo Jobs

@PepsiCoJOBS

PepsiCo has given a very human face to their Twitter presence by showcasing their talent acquisition team in the Twitter background. PepsiCo openly invites its followers to participate in the conversations, and explore global career opportunities with PepsiCo. PepsiCo shares videos, pictures, new product releases/offers, job openings, and always promptly responds to candidate queries.

Key Takeaways

1. Create a stellar employer presence with a customized Twitter background and profile pictures
2. Provide a crisp, clear bio and a clear call to action, to encourage candidates to join the conversation
3. Link your Twitter account to your social presence elsewhere, your career website, or a custom page based on your objective and social recruiting strategy
4. Be responsive, consistent, and engage with the candidates
5. Don’t spam followers with PR and job feeds
6. Tweet about company culture, informative articles, exciting inside stories at your company and jobs, evenly throughout the day

Are you using Twitter to tap prospective talent? What are the Twitter employer accounts you like? Share it all in the comments below.

This blog written by Prafull was originally posted on The Undercover Recruiter – Top 5 HR blogs.