Six tips for successful recruiting through business social networks

The professional networking site XING has some 16 million members – predominantly in Germany, Austria and Switzerland – making it a huge treasure trove of experts, talent and executives in the German-speaking world. LinkedIn is even bigger, with more than 610 million registered users in over 200 countries. If companies wish to successfully break into these platforms, raise their profile and recruit new staff, they first need the right tools.

If you want people to find you on XING and LinkedIn, you need your own company page on both these platforms – think of it as a virtual sign for your business. Consider beforehand who your target audience is and who you want to reach with your profile. Your company’s profile should be compelling, but preferably not too extensive – nobody has a lot of time to spare online. Look after your profile – keep it lively and varied with new posts and pictures. This is a form of active employer branding that helps you present your company in the way you want it to be seen. Here’s another thing to remember – Xing automatically links your company page with the reviews you receive on the employer rating platform kununu.

Take advantage of business networks – that’s what they’re there for. Network with interesting users and send contact requests to partners, customers, colleagues, former coworkers and experts in your industry. This is not just about increasing your profile and reach, it’s also based on the fact that a large percentage of all vacant positions are filled by people within a company’s own network. To put this into figures, according to a study published by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) in 2017, one third (32 percent) of all new hires can be traced back to personal contacts, and for small businesses, it’s almost half (47 percent).

The search function on XING and LinkedIn enables you to search for suitable candidates yourself – this is known as active sourcing. The big advantage here is that you can very clearly specify who exactly you are looking for and who your preferred candidate is. Location, qualifications, skills, experience, education – simply select your desired criteria, and the business networks provide you with names and contact details. Recruiting experts suggest it can be a good idea to include related requirements in your criteria and not limit yourself too much when searching for candidates.

You can increase awareness of your company by spending money on advertising. Publicize your company profile and draw attention to your job vacancies and career page. Thanks to a wide variety of target settings, you can be sure your ad reaches the right audience.

Has someone left a negative comment on your company page? Take this critical feedback seriously and engage in a dialog. Customers generally appreciate this – whether they’re critical commenters or just attentive readers. Similarly, you should share interesting content from the internet, request information and ask your contacts for ideas or advice. Share links to your other channels – the more active you are on XING and LinkedIn, the sooner you’ll be found.

It doesn’t get much more convenient than this – as soon as you’ve created a vacancy notice for your website, you can also send it to Xing and LinkedIn using SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting. This means you no longer have to waste time posting vacancies on individual business networks. Once the ad is live, your candidates will be directed straight to the SuccessFactors application assistant for the vacancy. This is recruiting made easy...