When it comes to searching for healthcare jobs, the landscape across the Internet has changed dramatically over the last several years. While the job board remains the foundation for online recruitment, some job board managers may worry that with all the new social media options, the job board is on its way to extinction. What they may not realize, however, is that when social media is used in conjunction with the job board, it can actually work as a powerful tool for the manager instead.

Connecting with Social Conversation

One of the disadvantages of job boards is that they are often somewhat cold and impersonal. The boards have posts of job openings, but provide little else for the healthcare professional. By using social media sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, you can actually have conversations with potential job candidates, build trust, and make the job board seem more personable. Social media is also an excellent tool to gather feedback about whether your job board is meeting the needs of those seeking jobs in the healthcare industry or whether you need to make changes to help serve this niche better.

SEE ALSO: The Many Niches of Healthcare Blogs

Marketing with Social Media

Although social media is a great way to interact on a more personalized level with healthcare professionals, it is important to realize there is a difference between connecting with those who are seeking employment in the healthcare industry versus simply advertising ‘at’ them instead. Take caution and avoid using social media platforms as merely a platform to list job vacancies. Madgex.com states that filling up a social media screen by posting nothing but vacant jobs is an invitation for social failure. Instead, build your social media platform up by sharing information that can help users. Ask questions and promote articles or blog posts that could help healthcare professionals by providing them with information that is interesting and beneficial.

Which Social Media Platforms are Right for You?

Not all social media platforms are created equally. Since your job board caters to the healthcare industry, it will take some experimentation to determine which social media platform will work best for you. Pay attention to the reactions from your posts. Are more people visiting your job board at certain times of the day? Use tools such as Google Analytics to see how much traffic is coming from each site and when the traffic is arriving.

As an example, you may discover that your audience prefers to search for jobs in the afternoon and that most of them click on the links that you have provided on LinkedIn as opposed to Twitter or Facebook. Once you know which social media site works best for your industry and at what times you receive the best response, you can then adjust your platform to better suit the healthcare professional’s needs.