The other day, I was scrolling through Instagram (something I do entirely too much of) when a reel appeared from an outdoor retailer I follow. I had initially followed this brand to claim a social media discount, but I enjoy seeing their posts because they have useful reviews of outdoor gear that are relevant to me.
This particular reel, though, was different. It was shot from the perspective of a customer service associate as they moved through a shift at the store. They straightened shelves, rang up customers, and answered questions. The reel ended with them opening their paycheck and flashing a 30% off employee discount card with a big grin, accompanied by the call to action ‘Join Our Team.’ If I weren’t happily employed as the leader of this company, I could see where they might have gotten my click for more information.
Unfortunately, most companies I see posting their job openings on social media don’t go to the trouble of creating such engaging content. Instead, they do the standard thing: a generic headline like ‘We’re hiring!’ followed by a link to the job posting. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this approach (and it’s certainly better than not posting at all), it’s so ordinary that 95% of users are likely to scroll right past without stopping.
Today’s social media landscape is crowded. Users have an endless stream of content available at their fingertips at all times. If you want to make candidates stop scrolling and watch, click, or most importantly, apply, you have to put in a little more effort than a boilerplate ‘help wanted’ post.
We’ll share 13 ideas to spark inspiration for your next social media recruiting campaign. But first, let’s explore why you’d want to invest in promoting your jobs on social media in the first place.
The Benefits of Promoting Jobs on Social Media
Broaden your reach
Social media platforms have massive global audiences, making them an excellent tool for reaching an expansive, diverse pool of candidates. With a single post, you can engage not only the people in your network but their connections through likes, shares, and comments. This organic sharing widens the visibility of your job postings beyond what traditional methods can achieve, helping you attract candidates you might not have reached otherwise at a low cost.
Target specific audiences
One of the greatest advantages of social media as a recruitment medium is its targeting capabilities. With advertising tools on channels like Facebook and LinkedIn, you can create highly tailored audiences based on location, interests, education level, professional background, and more, helping you ensure the most relevant candidates see your openings.
Reach passive candidates
What are the top three apps in the world? Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. People spend time on social media apps whether they’re job searching or not, making them a great place to get in front of candidates who aren’t actively applying for new jobs. On average, passive candidates have a high new hire success rate, bringing valuable skills and expertise when they change jobs.
Related: How to Attract Passive Candidates
Establish a strong employer brand
Promoting jobs on social media isn’t all about bringing in applications. It’s also about creating a permanent record of your employer brand. By consistently posting engaging, positive content about your company culture, mission, and employee value proposition, you’ll establish a virtual catalog of how great it is to work for your company that prospective applicants can view anytime.
Access useful analytics
Another huge advantage of promoting jobs on social media is that it gives you highly detailed metrics that traditional advertising mediums can’t offer. Analytics on user actions like views, clicks, shares, and completed applications can reveal valuable insights about the types of content that resonate most with your intended audience. Plus, you can use the historical data to refine future campaigns, like retargeting people who previously clicked on a certain post.
Innovative Strategies for Promoting Jobs on Social Media
Here are 13 strategies to help your company stand out when promoting jobs on social media.
1. Use niche platforms
Mainstream platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn are great for reaching large audiences, but niche platforms that cater to specific industries or groups should not be overlooked. Sites like GitHub for developers and Behance for designers can help you connect with targeted candidates who possess specific skills.
Also, consider posting on emerging platforms. Bluesky and Lemon8 are two examples to check out in 2025.
2. Go live
I was skeptical the first time my team and I went live on our LinkedIn page. My hesitations quickly evaporated, however, when I saw our viewer count go from 0 to 1… to 10… to 20, and it just kept growing. People were tuning in simply because we were giving them something to watch!
Pretty much every social media platform offers a live streaming capability, and it’s a great way to capture viewers. Plus, it’s such a versatile style of content. You can do Q&A sessions, give a look at what’s going on behind the scenes, broadcast live tours of your office to engage potential applicants, and more.
And one more upside to going live–it’s a great way to be rewarded by social media algorithms, which favor real-time content.
3. Zero in on key details
Posting the duties and requirements of a job opening is useful, but take it a step further by zeroing in on specific details that make the position unique, desirable, or interesting.
An example that comes to mind is a client that was hiring for a field technician role. One of the most unique aspects of the job was that the employee would spend virtually 100% of the time working on and traveling between job sites. We knew not being tied to a desk would be a key selling point for a certain type of candidate, so we highlighted this aspect of the job prominently when posting about it on LinkedIn.
Find the perfect fit for your team.
Speak to one of our recruiting experts today.
4. Let employees do the talking
Employee-generated content is one of the most powerful ways to promote your employer brand. Enlist team members to share their experiences in specific roles and as an employee in general through testimonials, photos, and videos. This authenticity can resonate deeply with prospective applicants.
Here are a few prompts to inspire employee-generated content:
“My favorite part of working for [COMPANY] is…”
“I love being part of the [COMPANY] team because…”
“I’m a [JOB TITLE] and here’s what I do all day…”
5. Encourage interaction
Social media algorithms love to see people interacting with your posts. If a piece of content is getting a high number of likes or shares, it’s shown in even more feeds, creating a snowball effect of engagement.
Ask a question, invite people to share experiences, prompt users to tag a friend, or create a poll. The more interactive your posts, the better.
6. Make the most of comments
When I see an unanswered comment on a company’s social media account, a little part of my recruiter heart cries. That’s a candidate relationship begging to be nourished!
When people leave comments on your posts, respond to them whether they’re asking a question, expressing interest, seeking more information, or tagging others. You can even ask a follow-up question to invite further interaction.
7. Engage on others’ posts
Don’t wait for candidates to come to you. Go to them by seeking out conversations to participate in within groups for specific industries, job specialties, or geographic regions. Leave thoughtful comments or offer advice on Reddit. This is an especially useful tactic for brands with a small following that may not have as much organic reach.
8. Answer frequently asked questions
Here’s another angle: instead of just posting the job listing, be proactive by answering questions candidates often have about the position. A video with a catchy headline like “How Much Will I Make As A [JOB TITLE]?” or ‘How Much PTO Does [COMPANY] Offer?” is sure to get good traction.
9. Target people who already know you
Familiarity breeds trust. Just like when you’re selling a product, it often takes multiple touchpoints to convert a casual viewer into an applicant. Enter one of social media’s most powerful tools: retargeting ads. Retargeting allows you to show content specifically to people who have already viewed your posts or taken an action, like clicking a link or visiting a particular page of your website.
By creating content that speaks to these users more closely, you make it more likely that they’ll take your desired action. Here’s an example for a piece of content retargeting users who viewed your careers page.
“Interested in careers at [COMPANY NAME]? Take the next step by sending a message to one of our recruiters who can answer your questions about the hiring process.”
10. Encourage specific actions
Every post should include a clear call to action, but it doesn’t always have to be ‘complete an application.’ For example, on Instagram you can encourage users to ‘save this post!’ to come back to it for helpful information, or to ‘tag a friend who’d be perfect for this role.’
11. Experiment with different content styles
What works for a larger brand might not perform well for a small company, and vice versa. Experiment with different types and formats of content to see what resonated with your audience. For example, test images versus videos, long-form versus bite-sized captions, and so on.
12. Collaborate with micro-influencers
A micro-influencer is a social media user with a small following (comparatively speaking, usually under 100K followers) who posts about a niche subject. Micro-influencers tend to have highly targeted audiences, and when you find one that’s aligned with your ideal candidate, the results can be excellent.
For example, suppose you were looking to hire medical assistants. In that case, you might partner with an Instagram influencer like @themdjourney, who shares med school tips to a highly tailored audience of ~20,000 medical students.
13. Use humor
Humor is one of the best ways to garner engagement and make your posts stand out. A witty caption or a clever meme is much more likely to be noticed and shared than a job listing written in corporate jargon. Here’s one for all you recruiters out there.
You can also take advantage of humor by jumping on board timely trends. A couple of years ago, it was viral dances on TikTok. Now, voice-over dubs from popular movies and TV shows are common.
Note that humor may not make sense for all companies. Consider your brand voice and candidate persona when deciding if a lighthearted tone is aligned with your goals.
Promoting jobs on social media offers more than visibility. It’s a way to make an impression and cut through the noise of endless job board postings and recruiter messages. Incorporating these ideas into your recruiting strategy allows you to connect with the right candidates, showcase your company’s culture, and build long-term relationships with potential hires.
