By: BrightMove Staffing Software
Pinterest hit the social media mainstream with a sonic boom a few years ago and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. What became popular through homemaking mothers and crafty teachers has evolved into a well-organized place for all walks of life to share what they like and pass on interesting ideas. Users go to Pinterest not only to share, but also in search of new ideas. If someone can come to Pinterest for a new room design, outfit, or recipe for supper, why shouldn’t they be able to add “career change”? After all, a new job fits into the Pinterest motif of everyday life. However, as Pinterest relies on pinned images as a way to distribute information, how can that be parlayed into a job advertisement?
The Undercover Recruiter showcased the unique board created by Work Club for a Creative Director position they had open. Using this creative approach, users had the opportunity to become interested in pin after pin to gain details about the position and the organization. Also suggested was stepping away from the job specific. “You could create boards that show the perfect elements of an employee at your company (or the perfect elements that you want to see from a candidate), or a board that gives a photographic tour of your office, introduces the members of your team (or recruitment team – especially if people are going to be engaging with them during the process) – the possibilities are endless! Why not promote your company’s culture and values through Pinterest?”
With over 10 million users, Pinterest has become a place to ramp up your company image, recruit potential employees, and with a following made up of 70% females (according to Media Bistro), potentially impact the diversification of your organization. Site after site recommend ways to boost marketing campaigns and draw candidate interest, all with similar advice: Be creative, be trendy, and be social.
When pinning to Pinterest, use both types of media available – photos and video – and make sure that they are different to each other. Pinterest is all about getting repins (the same as retweets on Twitter) and being trendy. The biggest demographic of users is woman aged 25-34, so post the job boards, but also make yourself relevant to Pinterest – make some boards about fashion trends, travel trends etc.
As with all social platforms – you need to be social! As well as creating boards and posting jobs, make sure you comment, like and re-pin other users content. That way you may even catch the attention of a possible candidate, who will check out your boards and maybe follow you.
One of the best features of Pinterest is the linking feature – and use it to your best ability. Above every pin, there is a ‘from’ link (seen right), which will link to an outer website. In the example to the left, it links to the workshop page that the video promotes (Pinterest shortens all web addresses to just the first part). Ensure everything on your board is linked back to your website – make every pin link to the job application/description if on a job board, and back to your general website if on any other board. These links can be edited properly by clicking ‘Edit Pin’ on any of your pins. You want users to click the link to see more, and possibly stumble across your website – it’s free advertising! In addition, add a description that holds all the keywords for your job, pin or photo – and this way your pins are more likely to turn up in search results if someone is looking for that certain job!
Pinterest is no longer just a place to find DIY baby booties. The third-most popular social media site after Facebook and Twitter, it’s hard to think of a reason not to utilize Pinterest in your recruitment campaign. Happy pinning!
Comment with any other ideas you have used or come across for utilizing Pinterest!
For more recruiting and engagement strategies, continue on in the Social Media Series for articles about: LinkedIn. Facebook. Twitter. Google+. YouTube. Instragram. Yammer. Quora, Dribbble, and GitHub. Also look into advice on Managing Employee Use of Social Media, How to Create A Social Media Policy and Social Media Branding and Marketing strategies.