The old ways of recruiting are dead – sending cold messages, hounding with phone calls, follow-up emails, with no response. These things are still a part of the talent acquisition process, but recruiters have been forced to be creative in their hiring approaches. That includes employer branding, and recruiting not only for the short game, but the long game, as well.
Military recruiters from all branches have hopped on the “employer branding” train by becoming influencers in the armed forces hiring space. Instagram accounts (I still don’t recommend TikTok) that range from 10K – 100K+ followers provide answers to potential recruits questions, hilarious LOL content, and help to reach candidates or get them interested in serving.
 
 
 
Cleared recruiters can certainly model this approach, as savvy digital stalkers. With it still being a candidate’s market, it’s ever more important that you try to reach passive talent as an influencer online.
How Recruiters Can Emulate Military Influencers Online
Here are a few tips to becoming a recruiter influencer and build your candidate circles.
1. Decide on your type of content.
Whether you decide to be the type of recruiter that offers helpful tips to job seekers, a hiring professional that shares breaking news, an HR manager that answers tough workplace questions, or some mixture of all of the above, you will need to decide on the type of content and the audience you are trying to reach.
2. Create content that begs to be shared.
Bringing out emotion, having high visual appeal like a meme or reel, using power words, and infusing the trendy element into your posts, will be shared by whatever target audience or candidates you are trying to reach. Check out a few other ways on How to Make a Viral Social Media Post to Up Your Recruiting Game.
3. Make it controversial.
Whether it is controversial, hilarious, or shocks your audience, content that evokes high emotion instigates engagement. And controversial posts tend to get more commenters and shares.
4. Stay true to your brand.
Switching your content up too often will lower engagement, produce a loss of followers, and seem sporadic. Staying true to your brand and whatever type of content you decide will keep a loyal following.
5. Know your company’s rules and regulations.
DoD components and defense contractors care about what their employees are posting online. Whether it is a disclaimer on a post (“These are only my thoughts and do not reflect those of the DoD”) or noting that sharing ≠endorsement, understand what can get you in trouble on social media.
Happy influencing, recruiters!
THEÂ CLEARED RECRUITINGÂ CHRONICLES: YOUR WEEKLY DoD RECRUITING TIPS TO OUT COMPETE THE NEXT NATIONAL SECURITY STAFFER.
