TALENT ACQUISITION

of HR professionals believe recruitment is becoming more like marketing, as job seekers are now seven times more likely to apply to a job after seeing a company’ s brand at least 10 times

For example, companies including Cisco have adopted an“ Always On” approach to recruitment, heavily featuring employee voices and experiences across their social media channels to provide a continuous and authentic view of life at the organisation. Having this level of insight can make a significant difference for younger candidates – with a study from Deloitte finding that Gen Z job candidates consider a company’ s social impact and values before accepting a job offer.

A shift towards authentic, embedded content Looking ahead, the social-first approach to talent acquisition is set for rapid evolution driven by shifts in preferred content formats and the growing need to reach niche talent pools. Social-oriented talent strategies are shifting towards more employeeled, unscripted content among rising demands for authenticity and transparency in social strategies.

This includes a major shift towards video content, with platforms including TikTok giving companies the ability to communicate their culture and specific job roles in a more dynamic and personalised way. L’ Oréal uses this approach to provide genuine insights into the employee experience, using specific hashtags like # lifeatloreal and # lorealcommunity to curate video content that shows the company culture and engage passive candidates by building credibility. Amid ongoing skills shortages in technical roles, companies are also turning to sites like Reddit and Discord to hire. Companies including Amazon are finding talent on sites such as these, with dedicated Discord servers in place for hiring cohorts – such as“ Amazon New Grads” and“ Amazon EU Interns” groups. In these digital communities, employees can naturally share and discuss industry topics and experiences within the company, potentially engaging passive talent alongside recruitment efforts.

56 March 2026