The secrets of Snapchat recruiting

Recruiting via social media is already a thing, but recruiting via Snapchat is still brand new. Snapchat is a photo messaging app, used by over 200 million people on a monthly basis that allows it’s users to take photos, record videos, add text and drawings and then send them to a list of recipients.
As social media recruiting is becoming more and more popular, Snapchat has just got recruiters’ attention based on these two facts: the first one is that this app’s videos only last few second, and the second one is that a statistic  proved that it only takes 6 seconds to evaluate a CV. Some people argue that Snapchat is for young people and teenagers, but more than 50% of new Snapchat users are over the age of 25 and the percentage of user over 35 is currently growing. If you research Snapchat you’ll discover that many people and companies already use this app.

Some companies are pioneers in this and trying this totally new but very up-to-date way of finding talents. Here some examples of best practices of companies that went for Snapchat as an hiring tool:

1. GrubHub.com: this online food ordering company used Snapchat to look for a summer interns with some Snapchat Skillz. GrubHub used Snapchat Stories and posted a six image photo slideshow explaining how interested candidates could have snapped their doodle.
2. AOL: this company, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications, used Snapchat’s Discover section to run one 10-second video that promoted #BuiltbyGirls, a project that invested in women-led startups. The other video gave the chance to snapchatters to actually take a look at what the offices of AOL looked like.
   The week-long campaign reached 8 million users and generated 17million views, according to Snapchat.
3. MailChimp: they decided to directly show how their team worked, giving applicants a gimpse of the offices and of the team members. In few seconds, you can transmit culture and vibe. During the Inman Park Parade, employees even shared a live footage, giving a real look and perspective on the team spirit.
4. McDonald: the app just started using a 10-second video of McDonald’s employees talking about the benefits of working there. In USA, the chain’s corporate and franchise stores want to hire about 250,000 workers, about a 9 percent increase. If the Snapchat users wants to know more about the job prospect, there’s a link to McDonald’s career page within Snapchat itself.
5. JPMorgan: not only companies, but also banks used it. The thought behind their strategy is to show students that you don’t have to go down a traditional route to find employment at a bank.  They highlight different roles and jobs that one might not even think of when looking at the banking industry.
6. Last but not least: Snapchat itself! It would have been hypocrite the opposite, right? Well, they’ve been known to go talent-hunting from mega-startups, and few of the companies they’ve targeted recently are Uber, Airbnb, and Pinterest. By the use of their geolocation filter, Snapchat sent out a filter that said “This place driving you mad?” with a graphic that depicts cars driving through a map that was shaped like the Snapchat logo.  This filter could be used by anyone in that geolocation, which at the very least, sparked conversations and potentially recruited leads.

We use social media to communicate and share. On a social media platform you can start discussions, Q&A, webinars. Nowadays, actually, almost everything.
Snapchat can be used in this matter to involve candidates, and to push them to answer questions like ‘Why would you like to work for us?’ to identify a potential fit for the company culture. Six seconds can be enough when you have something valuable to say.
Also, on Snapchat you could compliment the new hires for a successful interview with a welcome video. The options and the ideas that can arise are so many!

Unlike other social media, Snapchat is about sharing a playful and real content. You cannot edit a picture, find the best light, or shoot from the perfect angle: it will only last for a few seconds, after all, and that’s all you need to prove your true nature and who you really are. It’s all about capturing real moments, so don’t overthinkit. Just Snapchat it!