There’s no denying social media now plays an increasingly important role in matching technology candidates with the companies that need their talent. The days of perusing the want ads of the Sunday newspaper for interesting opportunities are long gone. With millennials essentially tethered to their smartphones, recruiters must hone their social media skills to reach these potential new employees.

Here are a few insights on how to integrate social networking into your recruiting efforts. Access to the brightest young talent in the tech world requires it.

Ensuring You Reach the Most Candidates Possible

The emergence of recruiting on social networks doesn’t mean the other channels typically used to find candidates are going away. It only ensures your net is cast as widely as possible to reach the most talent. Torin Ellis, a diversity and recruiting strategist, commented on this point.

“Social media is just another way for recruiters to practice their craft. It’s got to fit into your foundational recruiting skills. I still believe in the phone, but social media lets me get in front of more people,” said Ellis. The key involves adding “social” to your normal routine when sourcing candidates.

Steps to Integrate Social Media into Your Recruiting Workflow

Recruiters new to social media should focus on one network to start instead of multiple channels. The most important point is to maintain a consistent level of activity. This is the advice of Emily Ceskavich, the social media marketing manager at Social-Hire.com, a social marketing agency serving recruiters.

“Find tools that will allow you to cut down the time you’re spending on things that can be automated or better organized than copy and paste, so you’ll have more time to focus on high-impact activities such as engaging your audience and building relationships with the influencers they already trust and hold in high regard,” continued Ceskavich.

While LinkedIn seems like an obvious choice for your initial social community, focusing on technology-specific forums like GitHub or Stack Overflow may be more fruitful, especially when sourcing development talent. Spend a half hour or so each day before building up to a larger effort.

Take good notes on what approaches and messages work the best and refine your process as necessary. Building a reputation for trust and transparency will serve your recruiting endeavors well.

When you need additional insights on building a great team at your office, talk to the knowledgeable staff at MindFinders. As one of the top technology staffing agencies in Washington DC, we also provide a great resource of talented IT pros. Connect with us as soon as possible.

Written by Tim Booker, President and CEO of MindFinders, with over 20 years of industry experience.