Today, people live their lives through social media. Whether they’re getting invited to parties, finding great deals, or looking for part-time jobs, they will turn to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social networks.

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Job boards are a great place for job seekers, but more and more, people are using social media to find that perfect job. If you’re an employer with an open position, you should think about going social as well. Here’s why:

Go Where the Action Is

Social media is all about engaging and connecting. While some people will go to job boards to look for a job, it’s much more likely that they’ll connect to you through platforms that they’re using for other things. A recent survey revealed that 61.5% of respondents used LinkedIn to find jobs, 30.7% used Facebook, 23.1% used Twitter, and 7.7% are using only job boards. If that tells you anything, it should tell you to post your job on LinkedIn right away, but other social networks are gaining popularity for the job hunt. It’s hard to engage with people when you’re waiting for them to come to you, so make sure to go where the action is.

Extension of Your Brand

Your company has a brand, and hopefully, you’ve extended that brand onto social media. If you’re posting job opportunities solely on job boards, that will only reach a small number of people. On social media, you can make job opportunities an extension of your brand, where you’ve already connected with a large audience. Make sure to use hashtags to reach an even wider audience. For example: #JobHunt, #NowHiring, #JobOpening, or simply #Job.

Social Media is Immediate

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, these are tools you can be using to make sure that you communicate exactly what you want when you want. And you will receive immediate feedback. You can connect with potential employees through these platforms, and even conduct interviews. Skype is a great tool for this. Social media provides a way to get to know employees quickly and easily. This makes the hiring process much more efficient, saving those valuable hours you might have spent having people come in for multiple interviews. Instead of a pre-interview by phone, you can send a potential employee a private message on social media asking them a few questions to see if they might be a good fit. Instead of a physical handshake, give them a virtual one. The sooner you know whether you want to continue with the hiring process, the better it is for both you and the candidate.

Social Media is a Wake-Up Call for Job Boards

Like most things now, the job hunt has gone mobile. More than 89% of job seekers say they will be using their mobile devices for their job search. It’s an essential tool and resource for people, and connecting to them on those devices is an essential tool and resource for employers looking for future employees.

So, if you want to reach the widest talent pool possible to find the perfect person for your position, you’ll go where the people are: social media.

How will you increasing your job boards presence on social media?