This post was originally published in 2021 and has been completely revamped and updated.
Looking to get more out of your social media job postings? Get more clicks, reach more candidates, and improve your brand awareness all at the same time?
For that, you need to do more than simply tell the world that you’re #hiring.
You need to give them a reason to care.
Not sure how to do that? That’s okay. We’ve got a social media caption guide for busy recruiters like yourself right here. And if you’d like something more visual, then check these examples of some killer social media job posts, each hand-selected to showcase a different job posting tactic.
What to say when sharing a job post on social media?
First things first: what does a killer job post on social media even look like? As we explored over here, there are multiple types of job posts, but in general, you’re gonna wanna hit these key points:
- Make clear that you’re hiring. As you’ll see below, there are better and more exciting ways to tell the world that you’re hiring than just saying “We’re hiring,” but it should be clear to the reader that you are hiring. Otherwise, what’s the point?
- Share the position. Generally speaking, you’ll want to share what the job position is that you’re hiring for. (I say “generally,” because not all job posts are about specific positions. Some are for multiple positions at once.) Note, however, that if you have a super long and technical name for the job title (think “Data entry II (FT) Los Angeles County”), you don’t need to share the full title. Just what the position is.
- Highlight why candidates should care. This part is key. If you want candidates to care that you’re hiring, you have to give them a reason to care. This could be by highlighting the benefits, sharing the work culture, or demonstrating why this position benefits them, but this is what’s gonna make your post stand out. (For more information about what candidates care about, see our Future of Recruiting study here.)
- Throw in the right hashtags to optimize your post. We’ve got a pretty extensive hashtag guide over here, so if you’re unsure which hashtags to use, you can check them out here. But no matter the platform you’re posting on, you definitely want to add in a few optimized hashtags to get your post seen by the right candidates.
- Include a quality image or video. Using engaging and relevant images or videos in your social media posts is essential if you want to capture your candidates’ attention. Though branded images are best, it’s okay to use stock images, as long as they reflect the job position you’re hiring for (for example, stock images of nurses for a nursing position). There are a lot of tools out there that allow you to create quality images for social media in practically no time. (For example, CareerArc’s content library allows you to do that in-platform).
- Don’t forget the job link. Last thing: don’t forget to link to wherever it is you want to send them to, be it a job post or careers page.
And that’s it! That’s really all you need to turn a social media job post into a killer social media job post. But don’t worry—we’re not going to make you do all the work.
Here are some examples of what this looks like.
Approach every job post like it’s an employer brand post
The best way to do more with your social media job posts? Stop considering them merely job posts. Each job post is an opportunity to showcase your employer brand to your prospective candidates—telling them who you are, showing them what they’ll gain from working for you, and creating a lingering brand impression in their minds.
This post from ULTA Beauty is an excellent example of such a post:
They accomplish so much with just one post. They tell candidates they’re hiring, show them what they have to gain by working for them, and do a little employer brand boosting, too.
Another great example? This post from Inspire Brands:
It doesn’t just tell you that they’re hiring. It tells you about their work culture, their mission, and their values—in an emotional and humane way.
Rephrase “we’re hiring” as a benefit
Take a look at this post from H&R Block:
They could have started their post with, “We’re hiring.” But then it would have been all about them, and candidates, like all people, don’t care about what you’re getting out of it. They want to know what’s in it for them.
So instead, they started with, “Ready to change your life for the better?”
One small tweak. A world of difference.
Show them the benefits
Yes, you’re hiring. But how does that benefit your candidates (aside from offering them a job, obviously)? What do you have to offer that other places don’t?
Don’t wait ‘til the interview to address that. Show them right now, on social media.
There are so many ways to include benefits in your job posts, but of all the many examples I’ve seen, this one from Texas Roadhouse is my favorite.
The benefits are just there. You don’t even have to read the caption. The picture literally says it all. This is such a brilliant idea, I honestly don’t know why more companies aren’t doing it.
Related: How Texas Roadhouse attracted 400k applicants in 12 months with CareerArc.
Turn your employee spotlights into job posts
It’s really difficult to overstate the importance of employee spotlights. They have so many benefits, from increasing retention to reaching a wider audience to speaking volumes about who you are as an employer. They can even boost sales. But in terms of hiring, employee spotlights work because your employees are the customers of your employer brand, and their spotlights are your customer testimonials.
So using one to double as a job post is a great tactic.
Here’s a great example from Cellular Sales:
Another good example? This one from CVS:
This one hits especially hard, because it’s an emotional spotlight as well.
Show your culture at the same time
As you’ve probably picked up by now, candidates these days want to know a lot about you before they’re ready to apply. Your benefits, your culture, your DEI initiatives, and so on. Anything you can do to include more of those points in your job posts helps.
Which is what makes this post from King’s Hawaiian so effective:
Through use of both their image and the way they worded their caption, they make clear that this is more than just a job. It’s an opportunity to be part of a family.
Boost engagement with employee advocacy
Here’s an easy way to boost the effectiveness of your social recruiting posts: don’t just post them to your company’s channels. Make sure they also get posted by your employee advocates and ambassadors—those employees who’ve agreed to advocate for you on social media. It’s practically effortless to manage (when automated with a tool like CareerArc; manually managing employee advocacy can be a real hassle), and the benefits keep building the more employee profiles you post to. For example:
- Connecting just 5 LinkedIn ambassador profiles to CareerArc drives 54% more job clicks on average.
- Connecting 10 LinkedIn ambassador profiles drives over 2x as many job clicks on average.
- Connecting 15 LinkedIn ambassador profiles generates 3x as many job clicks on average.
Here’s an example of just such a post:
Seems simple? It is. Though ideally you’ll want to adjust the tone of an employee advocacy post to make them more personal since they’re coming from personal accounts, the basic idea of employee advocacy is exactly what you see above: reposting to your personal accounts.
Oh, and in case you’re concerned that none of your employees are gonna want to advocate for you on social media, worry not: our Harris Poll survey results revealed that 50% of employees are open to being advocates if they were asked.
Weave DEI into even non-DEI posts
We all know how important DEI is to recruiting these days (as well as employee retention, building a company culture, and so on). Today’s candidates care deeply about DEI, and want to see how it plays a part in your employer brand. We’ve talked about how to craft dedicated DEI posts on social media to help boost your recruiting here, but the truth is that you can do more to show that you’re a diverse and inclusive company than simply posting the odd DEI post here and there.
Instead, subtly weave DEI messaging into posts that ostensibly don’t have anything to do with the topic, like job posts. Not sure what we mean? Here’s an example:
By using imaging or wording that reflects DEI priorities even when you’re not talking DEI, you show that yours is a culture that embraces inclusion and diversity in everything you do.
Related: DEI Lookbook: How to promote DEI initiatives through social media.
Know how to use a specific tone for specific situations
Many of your social media recruiting posts are going to be geared towards hitting general goals: getting more candidates, broadcasting your employer brand, etc. But sometimes you’re aiming for something specific, and in those situations, it helps to adapt your tone to match those goals.
This post is geared towards hiring employees laid off by the recent mass layoffs. For this type of recruiting, you’ll want to adopt a more sympathetic and empathetic tone. These candidates are going through something really hard, and empathizing with them about that can really help.
Here’s a completely different example:
If you were trying to hire Gen Z employees, this post would be an excellent way to do so. Studies show that Gen Z candidates are looking for purpose and meaning in their work, so adopting a tone that reflects that helps get your message through.
Keep the language light and airy
Sometimes, all you have to do with a job post is make it fun. Like this post from United Pacific:
There’s no talk about benefits, or culture, or anything like that. But the caption is fun enough that it’s not needed.
Good copy is its own marketing tactic.
Not all job posts have to be specific to one job
While social media job posts usually are for a specific job position, they don’t have to be. Sometimes you’ll want to create a post to share that you have multiple job openings available. Here’s an example of what that can look like:
Remember: great job posts don’t have to be complicated
You don’t have to start creating flashy graphics and complex designs to make better social media job posts. For example, take this awesome post from Velocity Partner:
View this post on Instagram
This is an effective job post that says everything it needs to say–and it does really simply.
Job posts don’t have to be complicated to be effective.
Tailor your job posts to the job
The way you’ll word your job posts will often depend on the job you’re hiring for. Take this job post from Custodia Seniors Support:
View this post on Instagram
This works great, because they’re hiring for a part-time gig where how much you work is up to you. Making that clear is essential to finding the right candidate.
Now contrast that with this post from WECREATE MEDIA:
View this post on Instagram
This job post is for an experienced professional who wants to be challenged. So telling them that this role is going to be challenging—in other words, that it isn’t for everybody—is a great way to catch their eye, because that’s what they’re looking for.
Bonus: Leap on fun trends
We’re adding this one as a bonus because it’s not something you’ll be able to do all the time. When the opportunity presents itself, leap on fun social media trends to make your posts stand out more. Like CVS did here:
Again, don’t worry if you don’t know of any trends right now to leap onto. Just keep on keepin’ on and keep an eye out for what’s trending on social media.
Get ready to take your job posts to the next level
Looking for a platform that takes the guesswork out of creating job posts? A platform that can literally compose job posts for you, ensure they’re crafted, designed, and posted according to social media best practices, while also effortlessly automating your employer brand campaigns so you’re building a social media presence that’s always attracting more and better candidates?
Then check out this demo of CareerArc’s award-winning social media recruiting platform.
