NetSocial Blog

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Keep reading to learn:

• Why recruiters need a personal brand
• The 4 keys to a successful personal brand
• How to start building your peronal brand

So what is the big deal about PERSONAL BRANDS in staffing?

Candidates want to work with recruiters they trust. Hiring managers want staffing partners they can rely on. But there are 21,000 staffing companies in the U.S. and another 50,000+ executive recruiters. In an industry this competitive, how do you get people to trust your company?

You can spend piles of money on advertising. You can tell people about your service. You can build your company brand.

But recruiting is a people business. And in a people business, it’s your salespeople and recruiters that matter most.

That’s why personal branding is essential to salespeople and recruiters.

When recruiters are present on:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Instagram & other social platforms

candidates can see how they interact. They can learn about the staffing firm and see how the recruiter does business by reading and engaging with social media posts.

Did you know 80% of consumers say they are more likely to do biz with a company if it offers a personal experience? Social media personalizes the experience for candidates, bringing the firm into a more casual environment. When candidates see recruiters as humans, maybe even humans who share their interests, they begin to see them (and the firm) as trustworthy partners.

What are the keys to a successful personal brand?

Four factors play into building a fantastic personal brand:

• Be real. Be you. Your posts should showcase who you are in your everyday life. How much you share about yourself is a personal decision, but your online self should be an extension of your offline self.
• Across platforms, days, and posts, your words and pictures should add up to a picture of the same person. If your tone and attitude are all over the map, candidates won’t know what to expect from you.
• When your posts show you care, candidates will trust you to do your best for them.
• Share resources and valuable information for job seekers.

How can you get started building your personal brand?

Start with whatever platform is most familiar to you, and use this 3-step process:

1. Build Your Profile

• Make it easy for someone to find you by using your own name as your username, if possible. Complete your profile so people know who you are and what following you will do for them. Followers will want to know what you do, what service you provide, and what content you’ll deliver to them.
• Use a professional-looking picture that represents your true look.
• Link your company in your profile.

2. Join Conversations

• People want to be heard and to get a response. If you ignore messages on social media, you lose the trust of your potential connections. Even worse, your competition could get back to them first. This doesn’t mean you have to live on all those platforms, but you do need to be responsive when your candidates connect with you.
• Find opportunity. Circle newsfeeds like a hawk, and add value by offering resources and help. Your community will grow as you make individual connections.
• Join LinkedIn and Meta (Facebook) groups based on your location and industry. Being in the right place at the right time with the right value will build your brand as a person candidates know can help them find a job. Even if you can’t help, can you refer? That adds value, too!

3. Start Conversations

• Share 3 times a week, and scale up from there. What should you share? Document your journey, events in your life, what it’s like to do your job, post a video of you in your office, basically anything that will answer recruitment questions, entertain, or help clients and candidates with their problems.
• Ask questions. Asking for advice shows you trust the community and could open other paths of connection for you.
• Earn trust and THEN share jobs in groups. Avoid looking like a spammer by becoming an essential member of the group before you begin sprinkling your best jobs into the community.

Looking to grow your personal recruitment brand? Get your team to help! NetSocial makes social sharing ridiculously easy. Learn more about expanding your organic reach through team-wide social sharing.

Learn more about maximizing your recruiting, branding, and sales efforts with NetSocial

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