6 ways to reach young talent on professional social media platforms

Nick Frey – Founder of Avoida global platform connecting graduates and young talents with fast-growing companies.

Working in talent recruitment and HR means that my team and I spend a lot of time on professional social media platforms – PSMP. These include LinkedIn, Xing, Viadeo and other public and private networks. This is perhaps our most valuable tool. PSMPs allow us to network, learn from our peers and offer professional advice to people internationally. What’s more, it gives us a huge pool of talent that we can tap into to build our teams.

As someone who works directly with young talent (0-3 years of experience), I spend a lot of time explaining to students and young graduates the importance of attending PSMP and how career seekers can use these professional platforms to optimize their job search. However, I see a disconnect between higher and entry level professionals on this kind of platform, let’s fix that.

Here are six things you can do to reach out to young talent at PSMP and build a network of potential soon-to-be-great team members.

1. Use PSMP targeting features to advertise to specific age groups.

All professional social platforms are built around connection and networking, which means you can use this to your advantage when targeting younger professionals. Keeping up with the hottest current keywords and hashtags and using them in your posts will drive those links.

2. Create and/or join university focused networking groups.

Q&A groups are great for anything, especially when they focus on topics that can be really helpful, like applications, interviews, and starting a career. Creating a group where young professionals can join and get advice on these topics is a great way to build a long-term network and help create a ripple effect of loyalty to your company.

3. Target and tag universities in your posts.

As many know, college students rarely spend time networking and connecting on professional social media platforms, but there is one surefire way to connect with them – use the basic information they have on their profiles. Tagging your old university, universities in your area or university clubs related to your industry can help your post be shared with hundreds of young professionals.

4. Use other social platforms to refer young professionals to LinkedIn.

Despite being the market leader in its niche, LinkedIn is not on the list of the top 10 apps used by teenagers on a daily basis, so the most effective way to reach them on LinkedIn is through another app that makes the cut. Using other social platforms to advertise roles, profiles and companies and focusing your CTA (call to action) on your LinkedIn platform will create more traction and build your network.

5. Share personal and professional insights and experiences to build a relevant and approachable personal brand.

Being connected is one of the most appealing aspects when it comes to connecting with the younger generations. Share stories about your first interview and what you did when you made your first big mistake at work. Letting them know they are not alone will create connectivity and in turn build your network and reach.

6. Reach out to young professionals in your network and offer to mentor them or be a resource for their career development.

If you have the time, offering one-on-one help to young professionals by reviewing their resumes and cover letters or giving advice on how to prepare for interviews will go a long way in winning over them and their colleagues.

Correcting the disconnect between senior and entry-level professionals when it comes to regular use of professional social media platforms is important for every professional, including those in HR. By meeting young people—like teenagers who will enter the workforce in the next decade—where they are, HR professionals can support the next generation of team members for their organization.

The Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR leaders across all industries. do i qualify?