Why Have a Side Hustle?

At first glance, a side hustle might seem like just another task on your plate. But delve a little deeper, and its benefits become clear. It’s not just about money; it’s about personal growth and exploration.

• Extra Money: One big reason is extra cash. Who doesn’t like that? You can save, spend, or invest it.
• Learn New Stuff: It lets you try out new things and learn skills you might not use in your main job.
• Meet New People: Different jobs mean meeting different folks. This can lead to new chances and paths.
• Express Yourself: Most side jobs start from what we love doing. It’s a fun way to show off our hobbies and talents.

But, There Are Challenges

As with all good things, side hustles come with their own set of challenges. Understanding these can help you navigate and manage them better.

• Finding Time: Managing both a full job and a side gig? It can be tough.
• Feeling Drained: Doing too much can tire you out. You need to be careful not to burn the candle at both ends.
• Job Rules: Some jobs don’t want you doing other work, especially if it’s in the same field.

How to Balance Both

Maintaining a full-time job and a side hustle might seem like a magic trick. But with the right strategies, it’s more than possible. Here’s how.

• Keep Them Separate: Decide when you’ll work on each. Stick to this, so they don’t overlap.
• Use Tech to Help: There are cool apps that can do some tasks for you. This way, you save time for the fun parts.
• Relax and Refresh: Always make time to chill. If you’re feeling fresh, you’ll do better at both jobs.
• Plan Well: Keep a calendar or use an app. This way, you won’t mix up tasks or meetings.
• Talk About It: If you can, tell your main job about your side hustle. Being open might get you more support.

Think About the Rules

While the side hustle world is thrilling, it’s crucial to ensure you aren’t crossing any lines, especially with your primary job. A few considerations can keep you on the safe side.

1. Non-Compete Clauses: Before starting a side hustle, check if your primary job has a non-compete clause. This could prohibit you from undertaking similar work on the side.
2. Intellectual Property: Be cautious not to use resources, tools, or information from your primary job for your side hustle.
3. Tax Implications: Earning additional income has tax implications. Consider consulting with a tax professional to understand these better.

People Doing It Right

Many individuals have successfully mastered the art of balancing their job with a side passion. Their stories can offer both inspiration and practical insights.

Sarah, the IT Specialist: Sarah worked full-time in a tech firm but loved photography. Weekends were dedicated to her photography gigs. She networked, used her tech skills for online marketing, and soon had a flourishing side business.

Ravi, the Finance Guru: By day, Ravi was an accountant. By night, he ran a successful YouTube channel offering financial advice, making use of his expertise and reaching a wider audience.

Wrapping Up

The journey of maintaining a side hustle alongside a regular job is filled with learning curves, exhilarations, and challenges. With the right balance and a passion-driven approach, the rewards can be immensely fulfilling.

About the Author

BCjobs.ca is Western Canada’s largest job board, with the majority of the jobs coming from Vancouver. For nearly 20 years, BC Jobs has connected job candidates with companies looking to add talent to their teams. Here at BCJobs, we understand that looking for a job is difficult and sometimes our motivation is low. When you need some inspiration, tune into our podcast to hear from Marketing Leaders about how they approach work and how they grew in their careers. The podcast is perfect for those in marketing or marketing-related fields.

The post Side Hustles: Balancing Passion with Profession appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

5 Benefits Of Diversity in the office

Increase in creativity

Growing up in a different country or culture can give people a different perspective from Canadian citizens. When people with such diverse journeys come together to brainstorm, it can create some unique ideas and efficient problem-solving. 

One study suggests a diverse group of people can solve problems faster and more efficiently than a group of people with high intelligence. 

More Sales

One research predicts a 3 to 9% increase in sales for a company for every 1% increase in diversity. In addition, a company with diverse employees has a higher chance of succeeding in the long run than those with a less diverse workforce. (lifetimesmilesbellevue.com)  

The innovative minds work together to create amazing products and improve performance in a way people restricted by the same backgrounds can’t. This leads to a natural increase in sales and high profit. 

Low Turnover Rate

Companies open to a diverse workforce show employees they are accepting. Not only do marginalized people feel happy and satisfied with the company, ready to work there for years, but accepting non-marginalized folks also feel better about working in an open environment. 

The fewer employees leave, the fewer companies have to worry about recruiting every year and spending a new budget on it. Not to mention they get to retain talented people. 

Reach local and international market

21.5% of the Canadian population consists of immigrants. 

When you hire a diverse group of people, your employees serve as a reflection of the community. The local people tend to appreciate this effort. Your employees naturally understand the need of their people, and this is visible in how the brand communicates with its customers. 

Communities recommend your brand, leading to a wider reach. 

Immigrants also have massive knowledge about their home country. So if you plan on setting up a base in a new country, you can do so through your talent instead of outsourcing. 

Enhancing Goodwill

An accepting business is perceived as socially responsible and relatable by the community. This naturally increases the reputation of the business. Your brand will have a positive reception in the press, and people might recommend your product solely because of the brand’s inclusive message. 

Final Thoughts

While a diverse workplace benefits business from a business perspective, it is also a natural, human thing to do. If you truly want your business to connect with your customers, you must consider things from their perspective. You can’t do that without a workforce that might have the same experience as your diverse customers.

About the Author

BCjobs.ca is Western Canada’s largest job board, with the majority of the jobs coming from Vancouver. For nearly 20 years, BC Jobs has connected job candidates with companies looking to add talent to their teams. Here at BCJobs, we understand that looking for a job is difficult. To support our candidates, we recently launched a podcast to help you stand out during your job application. Listen to weekly episodes on our podcast to hear what recruiters are thinking and what companies look for when considering their next hire.

The post 5 Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

6 Skills for Personal and Professional Growth

1. Time management

You could be the best at your job, and it would amount to nothing if you don’t do it on time. It’s critical to improve your time management skill. In the same way, you shouldn’t make someone wait after agreeing to meet at a particular time, you also need to finish your projects at the given date. Your productivity level also improves significantly once you learn to use your time well. 

You can take productivity classes for this. Productivity apps, or asking a trusted friend to hold you accountable also helps. Planners are another way people improve this skill by time blocking. 

2. Improve your communication skills

The crux of anything in a professional environment comes down to your communication skills. These skills can get you a job, save you from terrible misunderstandings with a client over email and help you with time management as you communicate effectively. 

There are all kinds of communication workshops you can join. Online classes are also just as good of an option. You can read books and articles for that matter. Find out your weakest communication type and go from there. Make a conscious decision to note down how you communicate. 

3. The energy to learn

A willingness to learn, in itself, is a key skill. Besides communication and time management, think about areas in your job you can improve upon. Would your job benefit if you took this one online course? Do it.  Get in this mindset that you need to keep learning. Listen to podcasts, read books related to your industry, and learn about new tools and technology. You need to stay on top of the current trends. 

Not only would your company benefit from it, but your career will also. 

4. Amplify your emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the skill pertaining to perception and a deep understanding of feelings. Not only are you acutely aware of your own emotions, but you are also good at guessing others’ feelings and how they are likely to react to certain things. 

In a way, it is a part of communication skills. You quickly build a rapport with your employer and colleagues when you better understand the reason behind their actions. Emotional intelligence also saves you from falling into the trap of going with the flow. Because you know your emotions, you are unlikely to do things bad for yourself. 

5. Improve your writing skills

Again, this might be a part of communication skills in some way. However, in the present-day social media environment, it’s essential to know what to post online. It’s even better if you know what not to post online. 

A clear but humorous writing style can quickly make you liked in your professional network. If your in-person communication skills aren’t the best, your writing skills can save you a lot. You have already formed a good impression on others through it. 

6. Better your networking skills

Your networking skills can open the opportunity for new jobs, higher positions, or new businesses. When you connect with people in your industry, making them aware of your existence can help you in the long run. To network, you can workshops, online forums, and attend conferences. These days, platforms like LinkedIn also allow you to connect with people in different industries you wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to know otherwise. 

Final Thoughts

These are skills you want to keep improving no matter what phase of life you are in. Even if you aren’t actively pursuing a professional career anymore, these skills can help you in your personal life. So, keep on reading those books and taking those fun courses.

About the Author

Simon Chou is the Vice President of Operations and Growth at BCjobs.ca. Over the course of his career, he carved a niche in brand development, marketing strategy, and online presence for startups. Prior to joining BCJobs.ca, Simon was an advisor for several global blockchain projects including Litecoin, NEM, and Ripple. In the past, he also worked with Fortune 500 companies in the healthcare space through SM Digital—a global marketing agency.

The post Six Skills for Personal and Professional Growth appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

Sometimes referred to as job fairs or recruitment fairs, these events are dedicated to scouting future employees. Often hosted by universities or colleges, some fairs are designed with student’s futures in mind. There are also career fairs organized around a specific industry. These fairs welcome everyone interested in that particular field.

The Help

Typically, career fairs host stations or booths where businesses have representatives to answer questions and scout for new talent. There will be presentations throughout the event. They may be in the form of seminars or panel speakers. These presentations can be very beneficial for gaining insight into a particular business or industry, so note your areas of interest and schedule your day.

Most career fairs won’t end with you having a firm job offer, so don’t get your hopes too high. Rather, these fairs are an opportunity to learn from leaders in your field, and form relationships to help further your career. This may come in the form of a future employer, business partner or mentor. To ensure you’re putting your best foot forward, make sure you’ve appropriately prepared for the career fair.

The Harm

Though there can be splendid opportunities found at career fairs, not all fairs are created equal. Some fairs may truly be a waste of your time. With the dawn of the Internet age, talent scouting, recruitment and job hunting have become more and more accessible without the need to attend a fair.

Attending a career fair with little opportunity or participation will be a waste of your time. You may end up walking away with nothing more than a bag full of branded pens and notepads. If businesses aren’t really invested in hiring (and are taking part out of obligation), you may end up being endlessly directed to filling out online applications. That’s not a position you want to put yourself in, your time is valuable!

Check out Workopolis’ guide to the best career fairs in Canada to help you pick out the fairs worth attending.

Virtual Fairs

While not a solid replacement for a face-to-face, virtual fairs offer some advantages.  Since CoVID-19 has changed much of the business world, virtual fairs are currently trending. Some platforms have launched specifically from CoVID-19, but others existed prior to the pandemic and should be considered as more reputable options.

When considering a job fair, prioritize fostering relationships for the future as well as the present. You never know when you may need those connections along the way.

BCJobs Virtual Career Fairs

On May 13, the largest virtual career fair in BC was hosted by BCJobs.ca in partnership with BC Tech Association, WorkBC, and HR Tech Group. The event featured 200 attendees, including 15 moderators and company representatives from 9 organizations. Follow our Meetup Group and Eventbrite Page to be notified of the next virtual career fair.

Click below to learn more about our virtual career fairs.

• Virtual Career Fair – May 13th – Virtual Tech Talent Day
• BC Jobs: Hosts 1st Virtual Marketing Career Fair

About the Author

Simon Chou is the Vice President of Operations and Growth at BCjobs.ca. Over the course of his career, he carved a niche in brand development,  marketing strategy, and online presence for startups. Prior to BC Jobs, he served as a marketing advisor for high-profile blockchain projects including Litecoin, NEM, and Ripple. He’s also worked with fortune 500 companies in the healthcare space.

The post What Are Career Fairs: Are They Worth It? appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

Short staffed? There’s an app for that

Here we review 10 HR apps for transforming stressed managers into weapon-savvy productivity ninjas during those busy periods, because your job needn’t be so stressful!

1) Tribe HR $$

With multiple tools in one app, Tribe HR offers features such as applicant tracking, recruiting, performance reviews and absence management. It is suitable for small to mid-sized businesses with 250 employees or more.

The perks

• It comes with a 60-day free trial
• It includes great features such as ‘skills tracking’ where organizations can build a list of skills for each employee by position

The downsides

• Midsized businesses may end up paying more for the service, since its price is based on the number of employees
• Transparency of the pricing is unclear

2) IEmployee $

Available to download free from iTunes, this web-based time and attendance management app can track expenses, travel, leave and purchases whilst on the move.

The perks

• It’s free!
• Ease of use makes training new users relatively simple

The downsides

• Only compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
• Limited range of features compared to other apps

3) Salesforce Labs – Employee Manager $

One of Salesforce Labs range of apps, this one is perfect for managers specifically and helps them to keep track of employee info, salary history, benefit info, unpaid time off etc.

The perks

• Easy to customize for your own needs
• Great for organizations with a large staff turnover, e.g. those hiring seasonal employees

The downsides

• Basic design
• Limited functionality

4) Workable $$

Workable is great for HR teams with multiple managers as it allows users to designate others to take over the process. Users can also attract candidates, track applications and prepare for interviews.

The perks

• Extremely intuitive
• Easy to organize information

The downsides

• Can’t include attachments on email templates
• Can’t link Twitter accounts to Workable

5) Job Science $$

The number one choice for those organizations hoping to boost their social profiles, this staffing and recruitment app allows users to create job listings and post onto sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook.

The perks

• Easy to upload attachments such as resumes
• Great customer service team if you encounter any issues

The downsides

• Desktop view is easier to use than the mobile version, so may not be the best choice for managers on the move
• Inability to drag and drop documents with email

6) Financial Force HCM $$

A great app for organizations looking to use technology to improve HR delivery without investing in a large system.

The perks

• Free trial available
• Self-driven and customizable to your organization

The downsides

• This app is upgraded frequently, so features may be harder to get to grips with
• Users can experience low load times

7) Effortless HR $$$

Effortless HR helps employers to manage the most important asset in their organization – their employees. This app features such as an employee portal, where employees can update information and request time off

The perks

• Three flat-rate plans (no per-employee pricing)
• Great range of training in person, online and through webinars

The downsides

• No payroll management feature
• Price dependant on size of organization

8) Zoho Recruit $$

Find the right person for the job with this recruitment-focused app.  With Zoho Recruit, you can promote job postings, publish career pages and even communicate with potential employees.

The perks

• Lots of add-ons available
• Easy to use – employers only need a short demo to understand its features

The downsides

• Users say mass email can be difficult to set up
• No automatic job alerts sent to candidates

9) Nimble Schedule $

Versatile, and easy to use, this app is great for managing the day’s schedule, with a snapshot of hours and shifts scheduled.

The perks

• Easy to use for both managers and employees
• Great layout and extremely visual!

The downsides

• Some tasks require extra steps, which cuts down on efficiency
• Difficult to compare your schedule with others

10) Bamboo HR $$

This easy to use, user-friendly product can save your organization a great deal of time when it comes to managing employees. Organizations using Bamboo HR don’t have to worry about maintaining records of their own.

The perks

• Great customer service team and support staff
• Extremely user-friendly

The downsides

• Limited calendar functionality
• Staff can’t update their own training information

Are you a weapon-savvy HR professional? Make sure you use the right tools to keep on top of your game!

Dawn O’Connor is the Director and Master Productivity Ninja at Think Productive Canada, personal productivity and time management training company serving knowledge workers across Canada. With a team of Productivity Ninjas in most major cities, they deliver a range of stress-reducing and time-savings workshops including their most popular session—Getting Your Inbox to Zero, where participants walk away with transformed inboxes, increased focus, and a greater drive for productivity.

Ready to find some great candidates? Set up your employer account on BCjobs.ca!

The post Short Staffed? There’s an App for That appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

New technologies are changing the rules of the war for talent.

Competitors are targeting your candidate pool. On a global scale, with multiple networks, and innovative tactics based on big data.

Resistance to adopting these technologies is futile.

But, why resist?

The future of recruiting is both social and automated, and these two trends will make your recruiting easier, and more effective.

So don’t wait, bring your recruiting into the future today!

Social Recruiting

Social media has become an integral part of the recruitment process, with 94% (Source: Jobvite) of companies using social networks as a key part of their hiring strategy.

Social media is being used to interact with candidates, post jobs, and boost employer brand.

In the past, big companies, with widely recognizable brands had a huge advantage over small – medium sized companies… And they still do.

Social media does, however, give non-Fortune 500 companies a much better chance at creating an employer brand to attract job seekers.

Take the recruitment video, for example. You can now shoot an inexpensive, even free, recruitment video with your smart phone, and upload it onto YouTube for all to see (and share.)

Why is this a big deal?

Job posts that include a recruitment video have 36% higher rate of application. – Click to Tweet

Recruitment videos give job seekers a real glimpse into what it’s like to work at your company, which makes them one of the most effective employer branding tools.

Then there are social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. By creating a presence on these networks, you become “searchable”. Being searchable matters to today’s candidates as it gives them more ways to engage with you, assures them of your company’s legitimacy, and establishes social trust.

To gain these benefits, set up accounts on major social networks and share content like blog posts relevant to your job seekers, pictures of staff parties, and updates about job openings.

You can also use BCjobs Social to increase traffic to your job posts by allowing you to create a branded Facebook Career Page where you can post jobs, and share them to your Facebook Timeline, Twitter account, and LinkedIn Page.

Automate tasks: Don’t do it yourself!

There are several ways that you can use technology to automate aspects of your hiring strategy.

One of the most obvious is the use of scheduling tools.

As mentioned above, sharing pertinent content to social networks like Twitter, and Facebook, is a key part of building a strong employer brand. To make this process easier, and save time, you can use tools like Hootsuite, Buffer and Swayy to automate the process.

These apps suggest content that is relevant to your field, or popular with your audience, so that you do not have to waste time sifting through page after page of irrelevant Google search results!

Hootsuite, Buffer, and Swayy also allow you to schedule the content you select ahead of time, so that you can share it at peak times for engagement… And make sure that your networks don’t go dead if you decide to take a day off!

You can also schedule job posts to be shared with these tools, so that the jobs you have trouble filling get re-posted regularly.

Integration is another automation tool that can make your recruiting efforts quite a bit easier.

These days, many apps can integrate with your career site and ATS.

For example, BCjobs.ca offers an enterprise package that integrates with your career site so that the jobs you post there are automatically shared on the BCjobs.ca job board.

Automation reduces redundant tasks, so that you have more time to focus on all the other work that you need to get done in a day!

The post How to Bring Your Recruiting into the Future appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

What if you gave them the chance to participate in, and expand your social strategy?

What if you could inspire them to become social media brand ambassadors for your organization?

Social media is made powerful by people.

The more people spreading your message, the better.

If you can engage your entire team in the process, harness all of their social channels, and leverage their connections; then you have successfully gone viral and you’ll see your social reach soar!

Consider these three examples, and I’m sure you’ll agree, socially engaged employees are one of the best assets a company can hope to have.

Brand Ambassadors

Train your employees in social media best practices: show them how to engage with customers online, explain to them the importance of reaching out to clients through social channels, and make them aware of all of the different networks you use.

Then give your team permission and incentives to get involved. They may make the occasional blunder, but with proper encouragement and training, most of your people will handle all this technology like pros. Just make sure you keep things fun, positive, and offer treats or other incentives to let them know their help is appreciated.

With an inclusive social strategy like this, it won’t be long before you start seeing them jump in with a positive response when a disgruntled customer leaves negative feedback on your Facebook wall, or jump at the chance to answer a potential client’s question about your product.

This kind of engagement makes everyone involved feel good!

Social Proof

Nothing is beets social proof when it comes to building a trusted employer brand, or any kind of brand for that matter!

Think about it like this: when you’re interviewing candidates what would make a bigger impact, the candidate telling you that they hard working and highly skilled, or, a former colleague of your candidate describing them as such?

The colleague’s opinion holds more weight because they have less to gain from praising their former co-worker. The same is true for branding.

You can shout from the rooftops that your company is a great place to work, that your company culture is awesome, and your employees are happy, but as far as your audience is concerned, you have to say those things because it is your job to do so.

If, on the other hand, your employees share their own positive experiences working for you, respond to potential hires’ questions about your company culture with enthusiasm, and Like and share the content you post, their actions “prove” the authenticity of your employer brand message.

Referrals 2.1 (Because 2.0 is totally passé)

Referrals are still the number one most effective way to boost quality of hire. You know what one of the best ways to boost quantity of referrals is? Social media!

Social networks are just that, networks. They provide an easy, effective way for your employees to reach out to their connections and share job opportunities.

Instead of getting on the phone, or setting up face-to-face meetings in order to set up referrals, with social media, your employees can reach out to entire groups with a single post or message.

Your team members can even create permanent groups on Facebook of connections who they think are a good fit for your organization and reach out to those groups whenever a new position opens up.

Another huge bonus feature of social referrals is that they make it extremely easy for your employees to make introductions. They can simply begin a group chat and connect you, or your recruiting team, with potential hires.

Successful companies around the globe are already building their social employee culture. They know that in today’s socially driven world, leveraging employees’ connections and networks isn’t just a good idea; it is an essential part of staying competitive. (https://www.qualityhotelgander.com/)

To get your people on board won’t be easy, you’ll need to give them training, incentives, and, most importantly, trust. But, if you do, you’ll see that a social employee culture will improve your employer brand, your hiring, and your retention.

The post 3 Reasons Your Employee Culture Must Get Social appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

But did you know that all of this can also be said about social recruiting?

Recruiters are now reporting that social media comes in just below referrals as a source of quality hires.  A third of recruiters report that using social recruiting has improved both the quantity and quality of the candidates they hire.

Mixing a little social into your referral program will increase its effectiveness and reach because you can harness your employees’ social networks to work in tandem with your own.

Here’s how you can mix social media with referrals to bring your hiring strategy to the next level

Leverage Your Employees Social Network

Your employees are connected. They are connected via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus, and the list goes on!

You can make their connectedness work for you by encouraging them to share the jobs you post with their social networks. Many tools even have automated sharing options to help you facilitate this for your staff.

Educating and assisting your staff to use social media when participating in your company’s referral program and you’ll gain greater access to higher quality candidates.

Teach your staff to fish… For very specific fish

You can teach your employees to use Facebook Graph Search to search their network for the type of candidate who best fits your specific job requirements.

Also teach them about how to best use these channels, give them examples of the kinds of messages they can send out, tips on how to get people excited about the idea of working you’re your company, and show them how to use tools like hashtags, so that when they share the jobs you’ve posted on BC Jobs with their Twitter accounts, those shares are searchable.

Educating employees about these tricks will help them leverage their own social networks’ data to help them get the word out, and even jar their memories about forgotten connections who would make ideal hires.

Reward a job well done

If you want your staff to put in the time and effort to send quality candidates your way, you have to give them something in return.

50% of workers report that incentives are what motivate them to take part in company referral programs.

Keep in mind; it’s important to reward the effort as well as the results. Thankfully, social media actually makes this a lot easier!

You can easily track which employees are the most active in sharing your job posts and offer rewards based on this activity. Small gift cards given to staff members, who share the most job posts on their Facebook Page, or hit a similar kind of goal, make great incentives. Then offer larger rewards for employees whenever one of their recommendations is hired.

Getting employees on board with your recruiting efforts through a socially optimized referral program is one of the best ways you can improve your hiring process, engage your current employees, and snag the best talent on the market!

The post Boost Your Hiring Success with this Effective Combination appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

Sharing the jobs you post to social networks is one of the best ways you can achieve similar results for your own organization.

But what networks should you use?

Well, in recruiting it’s always best to go where the fish are and, according to Jobvite’s 2014 social recruiting survey, the top networks for recruiting in order of candidate traffic are:

1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. Google Plus
4. LinkedIn

Here’s how you can leverage these networks to convert more candidates:

Facebook

This is where a lot of talent spends time. Not only does Facebook have the most members of any social networking service, its members spend an average of 405 minutes per month on the site.

Facebook is huge, so you must create a company Page that stands out if you want to be noticed. You’ll want to brand your company Page with your logo, your brand colors, and imagery, like a custom banner.

Use your Facebook Page to give job seekers a taste of your company culture and also to share industry-related content. This will give potential candidates an idea of what your organization is all about, and encourage them to want to work for your company. It will also grow your audience so, when you post jobs, they will be seen by more candidates.

It is important to be consistent with your posts, but it is not necessary to post more than once a day on Facebook.

Twitter

When recruiting on Twitter, you should focus on using hashtags and keywords to target potential candidates. Including location information, and commonly searched hashtags, like #hiring, in your tweets is very important.

You will also want to post consistently throughout the day; otherwise your job posts will be lost in a sea of tweets!

Google+

Google+ allows users to create “circles”, which means you can be selective about who sees what content. This is great for recruiting, because it means you can target your content so that it is relevant towards specific types of candidates.

For example, you can have one circle dedicated to finding employees to fill your tech-related job openings, a separate one for marketing positions, and yet another for retail. This makes your social sharing more efficient because you are only sharing content that is specific to the candidates you want to convert. (https://michaelpalance.com)

Another plus of Google + is that it allows you to connect with anyone, whether or not you have interacted with them in the past, by adding them to your circles, or creating open groups and inviting them to join. 

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is great for hiring professionals and upper management (it is less effective for younger, hourly, or blue collar workers).

The best way to use LinkedIn is by participating in group discussions, posting job openings, and sharing interesting content on your company page. You should also share your job posts on group pages that are relevant to your industry, so that they are seen by even more candidates.

It’s all good!

You can choose to use only one of these networks, but you will actually get a much higher ROI if you use all four. They will all work together to increase your overall audience, and with tools of automated sharing, it takes the same amount of time to post to one network as it does to post to all of them.

In fact, it is extremely easy to set up automated sharing for all of the jobs that you post on BC Jobs. If you’d like more information about setting up social sharing for your job posts, just get in touch with us here. We’re happy to help.

The post Social Media and Job Boards: A Perfect Match! appeared first on BC Jobs Blog.

Facebook is an incredibly useful hiring tool. Not only does it have a massive user base, but Facebook also provides a wealth of sourcing and recruitment friendly tools such as graph search, and targeted ads.

“84% of job seekers have a Facebook profile”

This is why so many employers are flocking to the social network in an attempt to use Facebook to win the war for talent. Unfortunately many of them do not get the results that they are hoping for because they do not understand how to use Facebook effectively to get the results they want; applications from qualified candidates.

Why do they fail? That’s easy; they don’t have a strong Facebook recruiting strategy. Most of them have no strategy at all!

But not you. You’re smart, you’re reading this blog, doing your research, that fact alone already puts you ahead of most employers and recruiters out there! Now let’s put you even further ahead.

Building a strategy for your social recruiting is a crucial process, but it doesn’t have to be a complicated one. In this article I’ll provide you with the fundamental steps you need to take in order to successfully recruit candidates using Facebook, I’ll also include sources for further reading in case you want to discover more advanced tactics. Although, I doubt you’ll need them!

Here we go:

3 Basics of Facebook Recruiting Strategy 

Facebook Page

Your company Page is the heart of your Facebook presence. You must build it wisely.

If you are a smaller company, you’ll want to use your main company Page to build your brand so that you have a larger network to work with. You can simply ad a careers section to your current Page and combine your recruiting efforts with your existing marketing. They’ll actually complement each other very well!

If your company is larger, you have a recognizable brand, and a larger following already, then you’ll want to create a separate company Facebook career Page that is entirely focused on recruiting.

 Earls Restaurant has both a regular company Page and a Facebook career Page dedicated to recruiting

No matter what sized organization you have, your Facebook Company Page should have a look and feel that is consistent with both your online, and brick and mortar brand. Make sure and that your message is the same no matter what channel you are using to share it.

Your Page should also have a high quality banner, photo galleries, and, whenever possible, recruiting videos. Social job seekers are more likely to engage with video than any other type of content.

Employer Brand

Did you know that 58% of employers reported that building a strong employer brand has increased the quality of their applicants?

Employer branding has become one of the most important elements of recruiting. Nowadays the first thing job seekers do when considering a future position with a company is Google them, so having a positive social media presence is crucial.

Facebook is an incredible resource for employers and recruiters looking to improve their employer brand.

Along with Job listings and basic information about your organization, you can share content that expresses your company culture.

Posting recruiting videos, photos of staff parties, updates about your company’s community involvement or charitable efforts, and employee profiles to your Facebook Career Page. Sharing this kind of content will not only help you recruit quality candidates, but it is also a quick effective way to grow your employer brand, and your company’s social media presence.

Create an effective content strategy for Facebook recruiting with Reg Hamilton of Phoenix Group

Facebook Ads

Facebook ads are the social network’s gift to recruiting.

Their ROI is five times higher than that of regular web ads, and they receive on average 20 times more clicks!

The absolute best way to reach the talent you want is by created targeted Facebook ads. Facebook ads not only get your job posts seen by more candidates, but more importantly they get them seen by the right candidate, which means more quality applications. They’ll also improve your brand visibility, drive traffic to your Facebook Page, and help you build up your Facebook talent community while they’re at it.

Once you have your employer branding established, the first thing you’ll want to do is focus on creating targeted Facebook ads to promote your content and job posts. Make sure you use all of the targeting options provided, such as: skills, work history, and interests. The more specific you get, the more likely your ads are to reach the hires you want.

Guide to creating Facebook ads for recruiting

These basics are really all you need to get started with using Facebook to hire. Now, if you want to take your Facebook recruiting to the next level, using a top rated Facebook recruiting app is another awesome option that I highly suggest you consider.

60% of employees will share a job with friends or family members

What interests you most about Facebook recruiting? Have you tried using Facebook ads? Are there any other topics you would like to see covered on this blog?

Let us know in the comments!

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