We’ve come a long way since the days of scouring the newspaper for help wanted ads. Modern job seekers are much more likely to take to internet job boards and social media, where it’s easy for a single employment posting to get lost in a sea of other opportunities. If you want to attract the best talent, you need to reach them, first– and that’s where a recruitment hashtag strategy can really pay off.
Hashtags can give your visibility a huge boost. On LinkedIn, they can increase a post’s impressions by 29.5% (1). And on Instagram, users are 12.6% more likely(2) to interact with a post that has hashtags than one without. The statistics are pretty clear: if you want to get noticed on social media, your hashtag strategy matters.
Why should Recruiters use Social Media to find the best talent
You may be wondering– why would you take to social media to find talent in the first place?
The fact is, the workforce is changing. Older Gen Z’ers are graduating college and looking for jobs, all the while glued to social media. Even Millennials and Gen X’ers often integrate social media in their job search. As a recruiter, you might as well meet the talent where it’s at, and in modern times, that’s on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other similar platforms.
It’s no longer true that social media is a hindrance to job seekers. Rather, many of them see it as a resource, allowing them to connect with potential employers and learn more about the organization. Nowadays it’s just as important for a business to maintain a mindful social media presence as it is for an individual. If you’re struggling to attract quality talent, consider beefing up your social media presence and using it to target new employees.
How to Get Started Using Hiring Hashtags
The first step is really to have a social media presence in the first place. If your business doesn’t have an Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook page, it’s time to start one. Each medium provides its own value and allows you to connect with different groups of people.
Once you have established your social media pages, you can begin posting about job openings. To integrate recruiting hashtags into your posts, it’s first helpful to know which ones to use. If the goal is to meet potential recruits where they’re at, you need to know what hashtags they’re following and using themselves. There are some tried-and-true options that you should definitely throw in– we’ll get to those in a minute– but it doesn’t hurt to see what’s trending right now, either.
There are a few sources you can use to do that. For Twitter, there is Hashtagify, which allows you to look at popular hashtags or, for a price, receive recommendations for your own posts. Sites like All Hashtag analyze popular hashtags across multiple platforms. To get an idea of what hashtags to use in your post, take a look at what hashtags are popular right now. If any are relevant to your post, find ways to integrate them.
Another way to check on the popularity of a hashtag is to do a search on your platform of choice. For example, on Instagram, a search for #jobopening shows that this phrase has been used in over 140,000 posts. That means people are actively using that recruitment hashtag and adding it to your post may be an effective way to reach them.
The actual number of hashtags you should use varies by platform. On Twitter, for example, it’s recommended that you use one or two solid, targeted tags per tweet. Using too many can come off as spammy. On Instagram, however, the limit is 30 and some experts say you should use them all for maximum visibility. Others recommend five or six, tops. Meanwhile, on LinkedIn, you’re better off using two to three.
Tips for Using Hashtags for Job Postings
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Use hashtags that are already common.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel– stick with what works. There’s nothing wrong with a little creativity but using hashtags that no one else is following won’t exactly get you seen. Do your research before posting for maximum visibility. #wewantyouforXYZCompany may sound catchy to you, but odds are that’s a hashtag no one is following. You’d have much better luck with #nowhiring.
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Be careful about which job hashtags you use.
Make sure that the hashtags you’re using aren’t associated with anything controversial or potentially negative that could reflect poorly on your organization. You can do this by checking out some of the other posts using that hashtag. If you see any red flags, scratch that hashtag off your list and move on to the next one. There’s no sense using a tag that may offend someone or put anyone off.
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Use hashtags to share professional content.
A TGIF meme tagged with #employmentopportunity doesn’t make much sense. Use recruitment hashtags to share professional content, such as job postings or news articles that may be relevant to job seekers. Feel free to let some personality through, but the overall tone of your post should be professional if you’re using hiring hashtags.
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Use hashtags sparingly
In most cases, less is more. Don’t bog your tweet down with 30 hashtags. Stick with the guidelines we mentioned above. Instead of arbitrarily using a bunch of hashtags, use a couple of well-researched and targeted tags to reach the right people. It’s better to reach a few people who are qualified for the job than a bunch of people who are not.
( Also Read: Social Media Recruiting Guide for Recruiters )
Best Twitter Recruiting Hashtags for Recruiters
When it comes to Twitter, keep it simple. Draft a brief tweet that includes some kind of message with a link to a job posting. It should be followed by one or two hashtags, potentially including the position title and/or the job company. For example: “Now hiring for an administrative assistant with XYZ Company! (link to the job description) #XYZCompany #nowhiring”. With those two recruitment hashtags, you’re targeting two groups: those following XYZ Company, and those searching for jobs.
Other good hashtags to use on Twitter include:
#jobsearch
#careers
#jobhunt
#employment
#jobposting
#HR
#work
#staffing
#jobopening
#jobs
If your desired audience is more narrowly focused, you could also use hiring hashtags that are industry specific. An example of that would be if XYZ Company was hiring for an IT support specialist. In that case, the tweet might look like “Now hiring for an IT Support Specialist! (link to the job description) #XYZCompany #itjobs”. In that case, they are targeting followers of the company as well as those specifically looking for IT jobs. Targeting your applicant pool is one way to reach individuals who are already educated in that field.
Best Job Posting Hashtags for Instagram
Instagram may not seem like the most obvious choice for recruiting, but it’s actually an excellent way to connect and engage with potential new employees. Users of the platform spend an average of 53 minutes per day interacting with it, providing ample opportunity for you to reach them. And hashtags can help you do just that.
Instagram does allow for significantly more hashtags than other social media platforms, but the general rule of using hashtags sparingly still applies here. Since Insta is a more visual platform, the image you choose is important, as well. You can showcase your corporate culture, attracting applicants who are more likely to fit in. Combining those two things– powerful images with effective hashtags– is key to success on the platform.
Some hashtags you should consider using on Instagram include:
#hiring
#hr
#jobsearch
#recruitment
#nowhiring
#recruiting
#jobs
One last thing about Instagram– don’t limit yourself to “now hiring” posts. This is a great way to connect with new recruits and allow them to get a feel for your company, so don’t be afraid to show company parties, volunteer days, and even just average days at the office.
Best LinkedIn Recruitment Hashtags for Recruiting
LinkedIn is more of a professional platform than other forms of social media, and it lends itself very nicely to the recruiting process. Hashtag usage is becoming more common, as well, and they provide an easily searchable way to categorize posts. Another benefit of LinkedIn is that there are many professional groups where you can spread the word about your job vacancies, too– if you’re searching for an IT professional, you can post about it in the IT professionals’ group.
To draft an effective recruitment post on LinkedIn, keep it professional and concise. Something along the lines of “Come work with us! #XYZCompany #itjobs #nowhiring” is straight to the point in addition to highly-targeted. That’s really what it boils down to with LinkedIn– you want to include industry-specific keywords in your post.
Some examples include:
#devjobs
#writingjobs
#itjobs
#marketing
#hrjobs
#graduate
#legaljobs
#salesjobs
#adminjobs
#webjobs
Best Recruiting Hashtags for Facebook
A well-rounded recruitment strategy would be incomplete without the addition of Facebook. With over 1.66 billion active users daily(3), Facebook remains a highly-used platform that is a valuable addition to any recruiter’s toolkit. If you’re adding Facebook to your recruitment strategy, consider posting job openings not only to your wall but also to regional group pages.
On Facebook, you should follow a strategy similar to your approach with Twitter. One to two hashtags per post is best. One thing to note with Facebook, as well, is that hashtags with more than ten characters receive more engagement than shorter hashtags. That means using #employmentopportunity would receive higher engagement than #jobs.
Other hashtags to use on Facebook include:
#humanresources
#employment
#workwithus
You can also try your company’s name followed by jobs (for example, #XYZCompanyjobs).
Best TikTok Hiring Hashtags
TikTok is a relative newcomer to the social media space, but it’s gained quite a following. It was the fourth most-downloaded app of 2018(4), and it continues to grow. While it hasn’t taken off with every audience, it’s incredibly popular with those under the age of 30. If you’re trying to reach a younger demographic, you need to include TikTok in your recruitment strategy.
Hiring hashtags can be added to your videos or in the comments section, meaning you can theoretically add an unlimited amount. For best results, however, stick with three to five targeted tags. Unlike Facebook, try to keep your hashtags shorter here.
Some examples of hashtags to use on TikTok include:
#nowhiring
#yourcompanyname
#jobs
#work
#hr
( Also Read: Top Hashtag Tools for Social Media Marketing )
Final Thoughts
If your goal is to reach the most talented individuals, you should absolutely add social media and recruitment hashtags into your hiring strategy. Each platform is valuable in its own way, as well, so it’s important to have a plan that encompasses more than one platform. Simply recruiting on LinkedIn won’t do any more– Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and others all offer a unique audience, and are worth including in your hiring process. A few well-placed hashtags on each platform may just land you your next star employee.
