Build Your Online Presence to Attract Talent

Build Your Online Presence to Attract TalentBuild Your Online Presence to Attract TalentIts no secret Skilled finance professionals are hard to come by with todays low unemployment rates. So how do you attract CPAs who can afford to cherry-pick the jobs they want? One way is to build your online presence.We live in an internet-driven world. One of the first things job seekers do is to check out potential employers digital footprint to see if theyd want to work there What are the firms values? Whats the company culture like? How innovative or community-oriented is the company? How do the benefits and perks stack up against those of area competitors?Your efforts at getting your companys brand online are probably working great for business purposes - targeting current and prospective clients. But how are they helping you locate and draw in the employees you need now and in the future? Here are six ways to harness the power of the internet using your companys online presence to attract candidates.1. Bring in web professionalsAlmost all companies and accounting firms have at least a website. If yours is just a stub or bare-bone template, start by expanding it. The homepage should be appealing and intuitive. Think eye-catching images, compelling text, cohesive color transportpalette and attractive typefaces. For your official online presence, its false economy to go the DIY route. Better to spend a little extra and work with a good web designer and copywriter. Once the website is filled out, a trained in-house employee can update the content.2. Maximize the Careers pageHere is where you speak directly to potential employees and wow them with your work environment, work-life balance and generous employee perks and benefits. Dont forget to highlight professional development opportunities, as the most skilled professionals are keen to advance their accounting career. An integral part of this section is a list of open positions with an easy-to-navigate application proce ss.3. Write an appealing job postingYour online presence will be for naught if the accounting job description is flat and boring. Add dynamism to your text with active verbs, clean formatting and a detailed but not overwhelming list of duties and requirements.If your compensation package is competitive - as it should be in todays candidate market - list the starting salary range and most popular benefits. Find out what local accounting talent expect by using resources like the 2018 Salary Guide for Finance and Accounting.Use the Salary Calculator to get a quick, customized salary target for mora than 190 accounting and finance jobs in more than 135 U.S. cities. 4. Tend your social media profilesWhen doing company research, todays job seekers want to see more than the official website, which tends to be static and corporate-y. Theyll be looking on social media to see what your firms personality is like. LinkedIn and Facebook are obvious places to build your online presence. Here is where you share company news, upload photos of happy employees and engage in conversations with potential candidates. Other good channels for getting your company online include Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and even Snapchat.Caution Expand your social media presence only if you can post content regularly. A good rule is to have something new at least twice a week. Lackluster or inactive accounts are worse than no social media footprint at all.5. Have employees help your online presenceExpand your online presence by taking advantage of your staffs networks. deutsche post ag job openings on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn so staff can easily share and retweet them. Offer a cash incentive to employees who lead you to an eventual new hire. Coupled with a robust social media presence, employee referrals are a powerful recruitment tool.6. Speak the language of socialTo build your online presence with todays job seekers, especially those from the millennial generation, take note of social m edia trends and best practices. These includeHashtags - Use existing ones like careers or jobopening, or create ones unique to your company. Lets say youre recruiting for Acme Accounting. Some possible hashtags are AcmeJobs, AcmeCareers and WorkingAtAcme.Tagging - Encourage employees to tag your company when they upload work-related posts and photos. Likewise, tag employees when your post includes them and when appropriate, such as when they celebrate a work anniversary or have won an award. But use discretion whenever tagging an employee. When in doubt, get their permission before posting or tagging.Videos - Youve seen those short clips for crafts and cooking. The internet loves them. Do something similar by creating snippets that show your staff learning, working together and having a good time. Then share those videos on your social media channels.Building your online presence takes time, commitment and, most likely, the efforts of a social-savvy marketing specialist. But the results - a dream gruppe of talented finance professionals - are well worth the investment and efforts.Go online to see how we can help you with your staffing needs.