Social tech is the new window…
We can see into offices and learn about work cultures before even applying for a job. But, the window is always two-way. Through social media, we have been given the ability to get a glimpse of what goes on in company offices every day.
LinkedIn offers up employee lists. Instagram contains photos of office dogs and Twitter shares news and snapshots of office events. Businesses now use social media to entice new applicants. By allowing the public to see what goes on ‘behind closed doors’ we get a sense of their company culture.
Builtvisible and The Student Room use Instagram perfectly to display office culture and what it’s like to work there, another example of social media transparency is iCrossing. Just by scrolling through these company Instagram’s, you can see the effort they make to promote a fun office culture.
Another great example is Hootsuite. Their employees even have their own hashtag #hootsuitelife to use across social media to show off the company’s work culture!
Finding out what pizza the SEO team of your favourite brand had on Friday is all well and good, but we can go further still…
It’s easy to find out who works at a business, employee retention & treatment with a quick LinkedIn search. We live in a society of reviews and recommendations and this covers jobs too.
How can your current employees help clear the mist?
To create brand transparency, you need to get insiders to spread the word! Many businesses are now treating employees as brand ambassadors. They encourage staff to share and engage with the company’s social media content. This is a great way to increase brand awareness and credibility.
3 Things you should ask for from employees…
- Complete LinkedIn Profiles- ensuring your company is listed as their employer. There is nothing more off-putting than looking at a business on LinkedIn whose Employee list is full of fake profiles
- Encourage Social Media Use- Some employers think this is distracting but allowing your employees to connect with industry leaders and events through social will actually improve their productivity and your business’ reputation
- Sharing is Caring- Encourage positive things about the business to be shared online, photos to be taken at your office events, social media loves a good #PizzaFriday photo!
The way to make good use of staff on social media, if they aren’t producing their own, is to ensure the brand content is shareable. Staff are much more likely to share your content on their personal accounts if it fits in with their regular social media posts. i.e. content that is personal to the business and its staff but also relatable to outsiders.
Top Tip! Office Dog photos are always a hit on social media and staff are usually more than willing to share photos of them!
(Note: it’s always good to remember that some employees will wish to keep their personal social profiles private. It’s best to ensure staff know social media activity is optional.)
The other side of the glass…
Like the business pages, your personal social media profiles allow readers a peek into your life! Recruiters and employers want to inspect candidates in detail and there is no better place to do this than through social media.
That’s right- When your lecturers at University told you to keep your social profiles clean, they weren’t joking! An instant reaction, after receiving a CV, for employers is to track the person down on social media. They do this to gain a better understanding of how they might fit into their business.
They aren’t on the hunt to find photos of you drunk at a party in 2013 (although it’s probably still worth hitting that remove tag button!), they are instead looking to gauge who you are, what your everyday life is like, your interests and how you communicate with peers. These employers could make judgements on whether you’ll fit in with their company culture based on their findings.
You should try and make your personal brand clean and consistent across all social networks, especially if you are job hunting. Simply having the same profile photo on LinkedIn as your Twitter page allows people to easily connect with you.
Mass delete my past button…
At the beginning of this month, we heard the news that the government has plans to enforce new laws on Social Media Platforms. The laws would mean Social Media platforms will have to offer their users the ability to mass delete posts. For example, you would be able to wipe your Facebook profile clean of embarrassing teenage posts up to a chosen date without having to create a new account.
As an obsessive social media profile cleaner and serial untagger, I love this idea! I expect lots of people would like to remove things from their pages without having to do it one by one. I wonder if Facebook will ever let me mass unlike the 15 billion ‘like this if you love spaghetti’ pages I liked when I was 14? IF ONLY!
Recruitment has been revolutionised by transparency all thanks to social media technology. You should use it to your advantage in job applications, research what employees say about the company etc. In job interviews, talk about the office culture and events.
But remember, however much you can see into a business, they can see just as much of you!
Looking for a new job in digital marketing or need some advice during a tricky job search? Our recruitment specialists can help! Get in touch by emailing jobs@clockworktalent.com or browse our blog.
