The RF engineering field is an exciting and growing industry, and different firms are always competing to attract that best talent to their teams. But finding the best new employees isn’t as simple as just posting on job boards anymore. To stand out from the crowd, engineering companies use social media to present themselves in the best light to not only their customers but to potential new recruits as well.
In this article, you will learn how to use social media to attract high-quality engineering talent to your team.
Attracting Talent with a Marketing Mindset
In a way, using social media to attract high-quality employees is simply a different form of marketing. Instead of customers, your target audience is potential staff you want on your team.
To attract the best, you have to be your best, and that means presenting your company in the best possible way on the platforms where it will have the most impact. To accomplish this, engineering companies must use social media to present their organizations as an exciting and rewarding place to work.
Using Social Media to Attract Engineering Talent
There are many social media platforms to choose from, but the ones that are most suitable for attracting new staff are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Your social media strategy should be comprehensive, but also adapted to the nuances of each platform. LinkedIn is more professional and business-oriented, so more serious and in-depth content should go there. Twitter is good for short videos and articles. Facebook is the most dynamic of the three, so you can experiment with all kinds of content. Facebook is also the most effective platform for establishing relationships and building a community around your company page, because it allows you to quickly answer questions and respond to comments.
LinkedIn was originally created specifically for professionals looking to hire and be hired. It’s a good place to be upfront about how the hiring process works, your company’s mission and philosophy, and the benefits that come with being part of the team. Include a slide deck that details how what makes your company a great place to be.
Of course, it is important to keep in mind that not everyone uses all these platforms, so cross-promoting some of the same content across all three will help cast a wider net and expand your reach significantly.
Connect With Influencers
Find out who the influencers and thought leaders are in your engineering specialty. Do they have a blog or a social media presence? Establish a relationship with them - comment on their articles and videos, retweet them, and make your own content that expands on what they’re saying. These people have large followings of their own, and some of their followers include people who will be a great fit for your team.
Share Your Company Mission and Values
What does your company stand for? An explanation of what your company is, your company culture, and what your values are should be front and center. No one wants to work for an “evil corporation”. Is your company socially conscious? Do you contribute to great causes and are you engaged in the community? Share that as well!
Think about it: a potential employee who is looking over your LinkedIn page or Facebook profile is thinking “what kind of place is this? What is the culture like there? Are these the sort of people I’d want to spend 8+ hours a day with? Is this a company I’d have a future with?”
Don’t just tell, show. Using video to show potential recruits what your company is about and what kind of culture you have is one of the most powerful tools you can use. Embed videos on your Facebook timeline and Twitter that tell your employee’s stories. Get them to talk about why they enjoy coming in to work every day, and how they feel that working there has helped them. Use social media to highlight an individual employee’s achievements. This demonstrates that your company values its team and celebrates their hard work. No one wants to work for a company that exploits them or takes them for granted.
Share Job Openings and Current Projects
Post about job openings! This may sound obvious, but many companies neglect to do this on their social media accounts. Announce when opportunities are opening and where. Here’s a great example of a company that has used Facebook to allow job applicants to see what jobs are available, and they even included a pinned map showing where the openings are.
Post about cool things your company is working on. Highlight the difference your organization makes in your industry and the world as a whole. Smart, ambitious, hardworking people - the kind of people you’re after - want to be part of an organization that is going places. Smart engineering companies use social media to share content that clearly demonstrates how they are at the cutting edge of their industry.
Add Value to the Engineering Community
In addition to this, don’t be afraid to share content that is useful and relevant to your audience, even if it comes from other sources. Stay on top of new tech developments in your field; if you’re an RF engineering firm for instance, share a story about a big breakthrough in 5G technology, even if it was achieved at another company. Sharing value regardless of source helps build a social media community and positions you as an authority on your industry.
Most engineering companies use social media, but only a few are succeeding in attracting the best engineers. It’s not enough to simply present your company well on social media. Your company actually has to be a great place to work. For 80 years and counting, Bliley has attracted some of the best talent in the RF field. If you’re ambitious, hard-working, and interested in pursuing a career in the radio frequency industry, we’d love to hear what makes you stand out.
