How to Refer Effectively (and Earn Money) Using Facebook

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

Our involvement in ShareHire, a social recruitment platform, gives us a rather unique perspective on the use of social media in looking for a job – or for an employee. Every day we observe the activity of our users generating referral links with the intention of recommending their friends for the jobs published on our platform. We track statistics, conduct in-depth interviews, and have all kinds of alerts set up – in short: we really want to listen to the voice of internet users.

One might expect referrers to turn immediately to LinkedIn, dismissing other social platforms as inefficient for finding employees. That is what a professional recruiter might think. However, a member of the digital community who wants to refer friends must be where those friends gather. Some of them have Messenger at hand, and most probably check it more often than the competing InBox. Let us 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 sending them a link without having to buy InMails or wait for them to accept our invitation.

Nor should we 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 versus 1.7 million on LinkedIn. According to data published by Work4, 50% of people surveyed considered a Facebook fanpage the best way to get information about an employer. 81% declared they would like a company's Facebook Careers page, considering it a good source of knowledge about new job offers. According to Mashable.com, as early as 2012, 51% of people actively seeking employment were using this very platform to find work.

What does this mean in practice? Among other things, that Facebook is full of professional interest groups, including ones dedicated to professionals from various industries. Their membership ranges from a few dozen to tens of thousands of people. No "niche" platform offers such reach. We have seen many times how a well-placed job offer in one of these groups quickly generated hundreds or even thousands of visits. This kind of posting does not need refreshing – it moves to the very top by itself whenever someone comments on it.

It is therefore good to have an interestingly presented offer that encourages discussion (or praise). If we do not 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? Visit groups such as "PHPers:Jobs", "Praca Kariera-IT", "Praca w IT"… The list goes on, but the mechanism is always the same: ctrl+C, ctrl+V, and wait for the CVs to flow in. Similar groups can be found for practically every professional specialization and location. The more groups we find that fit our target, the greater the chance of reaching the right candidates.

However, you should not waste time posting links in "general-purpose" groups when looking for people for specialist positions. In that case, focus on more niche groups that guarantee a return of more valuable CVs. When looking for, say, a banking products specialist with 5 years of experience, visit the "Praca w finansach" group rather than "Praca w Warszawie".

You can always count on the engagement of other users, too. In the picture above, we can see how members of a group aimed at professional graphic designers react to a job ad from the Mosqi.to agency. They simply perceive it as good content, thanks to the funny picture, an interestingly written offer, and the salary range provided. Every like increases the credibility of the offer we posted. The same goes for every positive comment. We can try to respond to unfavorable remarks, and further comments and likes will show how effectively we do it.

Groups teach us a certain netiquette. Some administrators are very liberal and allow virtually any ad to be posted in their group, in any form. Others will insist on careful selection, or even on sticking to a fixed post template (e.g., the order: employer, position, workplace, salary, requirements, conditions). Employers also benefit from listening in on discussions held online. If we receive yet another message that this or that wording on the job offer page is unclear to potential candidates, that information should be passed on.

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

When getting involved in referrals, it is therefore worth remembering that Facebook offers us the possibility of reaching good candidates easily, quickly, and free of charge. Copying a single referral link takes about 40 seconds. The average reward on ShareHire is PLN 1,000, and the highest – PLN 3,000. And who said that spending time on Facebook is a waste of time?

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