How to refer effectively (and earn money) using Facebook

Can Facebook be an effective recruitment tool? The safe answer is: it depends. You have to take into account factors as diverse as the position, location, and the relationship between the person offering the job and the candidate. It is also necessary to distinguish whether we are talking about a tool for a professional recruiter or an instrument supporting a referral program. In this text, we will focus on the latter.

Our involvement in ShareHire, a social recruitment platform, gives us a fairly unique perspective on the use of social media in the search for work – or workers. Every day, we observe the activity of our users generating referral links with the intention of recommending friends for the job openings posted on our site. We track statistics, conduct in-depth interviews, and have all sorts of alerts set up; in short, we really want to listen to the voice of internet users.

One might think that referrers would immediately turn to LinkedIn, considering other social platforms to be inefficient for finding employees. That is what a professional recruiter might think. However, a member of a digital community who wants to recommend friends must be where those friends gather. Some of them have Messenger at their fingertips, and most probably check it more often than their competing InBox. Let's also remember that Facebook is more egalitarian and open – it does not expect any fees for the opportunity to start a conversation with a potential candidate. If we only know someone by sight, we can try to send them a link without having to buy InMails or wait for them to accept our invitation.

We should also not lose sight of the fact that Facebook has 1.5 billion users, while LinkedIn has "only" 380 million. In Poland, this proportion is even more favorable for Facebook – over 13.4 million vis-à-vis 1.7 million on LinkedIn. According to data published by the company Work4, 50% of those surveyed considered a Facebook fan page the best way to obtain information about an employer. 81% declared that they would "like" a company's career page on Facebook, considering it a good source of knowledge about new offers. According to findings by Mashable.com, as early as 2012, 51% of people actively looking for employment used this very service to find work.

What does this mean in practice? Among other things, it means that Facebook is full of professional interest groups, including those dedicated to professionals in various industries. Their membership ranges from a few dozen to tens of thousands of people. No "thematic" platform offers such reach. We have often seen how a properly placed job offer in one of these groups quickly generated hundreds or even thousands of visits. This type of post does not require refreshing – it moves to the very top on its own whenever someone comments on it.

It is therefore good to have an interestingly presented offer that encourages discussion (or praise). If we don't have one, well – we can always write "Up" and hope for a better return after a few days.

Groups also provide simplified hyper-targeting. Looking for a PHP developer? Let's visit groups like "PHPers:Jobs", "Praca Kariera-IT", "Praca w IT"... The list goes on, but the mechanism is the same every time: ctrl+C, ctrl+V, and we wait for the CVs to roll in. Analogous groups can be found for practically every professional specialization and location. The more groups we find that fit the target, the greater the chance that we will reach the right candidates.

However, one should not waste time posting links on "general purpose" groups when looking for people for specialized positions. In that case, let's focus on more niche groups that guarantee a return of more valuable CVs. When looking for, for example, a banking product specialist with 5 years of experience, let's visit the "Finance Jobs" group, not "Jobs in Warsaw".

You should also always count on the engagement of other users. In the photo above, we see how members of a group aimed at professional graphic designers react to an ad from the Mosqi.to agency. They simply perceive it as good content, due to the funny photo, the interestingly written offer, and also the salary range provided. Every "like" increases the credibility of the offer we have pasted. Similarly, every positive comment. We can try to respond to unfavorable remarks, and further comments and likes will show how effectively we do so.

Groups teach us a specific netiquette. Some administrators are very liberal and allow almost any ad to be posted on their group, in any form. Others will insist on precise selection and even sticking to a once-established post format (e.g., the order: employer, position, workplace, salary, requirements, conditions). Employers also benefit from listening to discussions held on the Web. If we receive a message again that this or that wording on the offer page is unclear to potential candidates, such information should be passed on.

Of course, Facebook is not just about groups. You should not underestimate your own friends who check your wall every day. A good salesperson will inevitably have other people interested in sales work among their contacts – it is worth drawing their attention to a new offer. Above all, however, you should rely on the power of personal relationships. A short message from a good friend on Messenger can do more than many an employer branding campaign or native advertisement.

When getting involved in referrals, it is worth remembering that Facebook offers us the ability to reach good candidates easily, quickly, and for free. Copying one referral link takes about 40 seconds. The average reward on ShareHire is 1000 PLN, and the highest is 3000 PLN. And who said that sitting on Facebook is a waste of time?

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