Heather HuhmanTweet all about it! If you’re wondering why everyone is talking about social media this week, the answer is obvious: the last week in September is also Social Media Week. With the movers and shakers of the social media universe getting together to talk about the future of connecting and sharing, it seemed like a good time to look at how social media giants find the best employees to keep innovating their services.
On Monday, we took a look at how Twitter uses 140 characters to snag great employees. Today, we’ll be looking at the papa bear of all social networks: Facebook. It’s the biggest social network at 955 million users from all over the globe. It’s also the only social network to have an Oscar winning movie made about its origins. If you want to hire like the best and biggest social networks, Facebook is where you should start.
Facebook might have been created in a dorm room by founder Mark Zuckerberg, but today the company has 3,976 employees in offices all over the world. Here’s how Facebook gets top talent to keep “liking” their company:
Put Your Values Front and Center
The first thing you see on Facebook’s career webpage is a list of the company’s most important values. This is because Facebook recognizes the importance of having employees who align with their core values, not just the skill sets they need at the moment. Employees who live up to the values of the company are going to be the same employees who stick around your organization for the long haul.
When you’re interviewing a candidate, whether in person or through a video interview, keep a sharp eye out for organizational match. What are the candidate’s goals? What values do they hold? Will they thrive in a fast-paced environment where things change rapidly from day to day? Or are they better in a more stable environment where they can watch projects they’ve implemented flourish? There is no perfect employee, but there is a perfect employee for your company. If you put your values front and center, you’re more likely to attract candidates with similar working styles.
Give Examples of What Life is “Like”
On the Facebook career page, directly below the company values are a variety of videos. Just like we mentioned with Twitter earlier this week, Facebook realizes the value of online video in the hiring process. As a company, Facebook uses these videos to give an insight into what the company is really like and what life looks like for an employee. Some of the videos give concrete examples of specific projects Facebook employees have worked on, including the challenges and the rewards for employees who were ready to meet those challenges head on.
You need to give interested applicants a taste of what life is like at your company. We’ll talk about discussing perks below, but you know your company isn’t just a bunch of benefits. It can be hard work and you need motivated employees who are going to relish the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and get moving. Utilizing online video is one way to give a peek inside your company. You can also stress what life is really like in the video interview. The important thing is to give candidates insight so you end up with employees who stick around, not bail at the first sign of trouble.
Stress Company Culture
Facebook isn’t shy about discussing its company culture. The first video on their career page opens with an employee skateboarding through the office. Facebook knows it’s laid-back attitude will be a plus for the kind of workers the company is looking to nab. Thus they promote their no rules, innovation first attitude everywhere to stress that this is a place where ideas are welcome.
When looking to attract great candidates, don’t be shy about promoting your company’s benefits. What are the things that make your workplace innovative, fun, and exciting? Get those things front and center while you’re recruiting top talent. If your company culture is attractive, you’ll find great candidates desperately want to work with you to develop and grow your business. A good company culture is the best recruitment tool you have.
Cultivate Diversity
As the biggest social media network, Facebook understands the power of diversity. By creating a diverse work environment, Facebook is constantly bringing in the new ideas the company needs to survive. In fact, Facebook has a whole fan page devoted to diversity.
Your company needs diversity to thrive, and not just because the EEOC says you do. Diversity is the best key to solving stubborn problems and coming up with creative solutions. We’ve talked before about how a video interview is 100 percent compliant with all EEOC regulations regarding discrimination. But go beyond compliance and start making your company a more diverse workplace to continue innovating.
Facebook might be a social media giant, but that doesn’t mean companies of all sizes don’t have valuable lessons to learn from the network Mark Zuckerberg built.
What are some hiring lessons you’ve taken from Facebook? Share in the comments!
IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr by Sean MacEntee
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