Social media is the next hiring frontier

Americans are largely happy in their jobs. Research by Harris Poll for CareerArc found that 86% of US workers are somewhat or very happy; just 14% of the 2,000 Americans surveyed are not very happy with their roles.

CareerArc’s study found that American women are particularly happy in their roles – 90% of employed female workers said they were somewhat or very happy, compared to 83% of men.

But the report found that “employee happiness may not equal employee retention”.

50% of all workers surveyed said they were looking for a new job – 36% passively, and 14% actively. In fact, 46% of those workers who said they were happy in their roles are looking around – 34% passively, 12% actively.

30% of active job seekers said they were very happy in their current role, while 66% of passive candidates ranked themselves as somewhat happy at work.

Younger workers are particularly keen to look for a new job. Although 89% of millennials (26 to 41-year-olds) and 82% of Gen Z (18 to 25-year-olds) were happy at work, 60% of millennials and 66% of Gen Z workers are looking for a new job. This declined to 16% for boomers (57+) and 32% for Gen X (42 to 57-year-olds).

According to CareerArc, this is important to note, because “employers who survey employees on job satisfaction to gauge retention may be under projecting their future turnover rate.”

Social media helps companies hire better

Interestingly, CareerArc’s study found that workers were largely turning to social media to support them in their job search.

58% of all workers are using social media to find information about potential, future employers.

Two in five also said social media was important in their job search. This rose to 62% for Gen Z and 56% for millennials, plus 31% of Gen Z and 12% of boomers agreed.

48% of Gen Z and millennials applied to jobs they found on social media – this was also the case for 24% of Gen X and 7% of boomers.

Gen Z and millennials also use social media to tap into their networks to find the best opportunities (48% and 47% respectively). They also use social media, like Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok, to connect with recruiters and employees at prospective employers.

Hispanic and Black Americans are also more likely to turn to social media when job hunting. 49% and 46% respectively have discovered job opportunities on social media, compared to 28% of White Americans surveyed.

These demographics are also more likely to apply for jobs on social media; 42% for Hispanic, 39% for Black, and 21% for White US workers.

All of this data suggests that employers need to get laser-focused on how they present themselves on social media to prospective candidates.

Organizations also need to encourage their employees to advocate for the company on social media. Ultimately, for CareerArc, “employee advocacy and social media recruiting are crucial in reaching more talent in this highly competitive market”.

The report adds that “empowering happy employees to be brand ambassadors and advocates to boost candidate exposure to their open jobs and employer brand—which may even influence current employees to stay or consider new jobs within the organization.”

“This begs the question of how organizations can do a better job of encouraging employees to share employer content and be active participants in their talent acquisition strategy,” said CareerArc’s CEO and chairman Jim Bramante.

It’s as simple as asking workers to share on social media more – 26% said they would re-share company content on their personal social media channels if their manager or senior leadership asked them to.

In addition, marketing teams can make sharing easier by providing links to content, as well as templates. 27% of Gen Z and millennials respondents agreed.

Talking about the results of the survey, Bramante commented: “The value candidates are placing on a company’s social media content and presence makes social recruiting and employee advocacy more important than ever.

“It’s clear that when it comes to hiring, Gen Z and Millennials are turning to social media, whether it’s to find job openings or to assess what your company culture is like, and they’re willing to get involved in company social media if employers simply ask.”

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