How Starbucks used social media to humanise recruitment

  “What’s happened with our Twitter and Facebook recruitment accounts is people do ask us questions… If someone applied and didn’t get a job, we give them advice, even if it’s just broad stuff like how they should apply three months down the road.” Today, Langhans works with travel company Expedia, rolling out its social […]
Myriam Robin
Myriam Robin
How Starbucks used social media to humanise recruitment

 

“What’s happened with our Twitter and Facebook recruitment accounts is people do ask us questions… If someone applied and didn’t get a job, we give them advice, even if it’s just broad stuff like how they should apply three months down the road.”

Today, Langhans works with travel company Expedia, rolling out its social recruitment system.

He says keeping in touch with unsuccessful candidates after they apply is one of the most important things an employer of choice can do. Of course, he says, that’s very difficult when you’re a huge brand such as  Starbucks or Expedia.

Expedia employs 8000 workers, and currently has 500 openings. “But still, there are tons of great people we just don’t have openings for on that given day,” Langhans says. “The trick is to give them an easy, portable web experience through which they can stay in touch.

“If you don’t do Facebook for work, fine, use LinkedIn. We’ve created multiple channels segmented by interest, so people can chose which channel they want to use to keep in touch with us. Our promise is that if they put up a comment, or in any way attempt to reach out to us, we’re ready to respond.”

But isn’t it expensive to make such a promise?

Langhans says not when you consider it relatively. “For smaller companies, to get started, it’s free. It then costs more the larger you are and the more people want to work for you.

“But even then, it’s way, way less expensive than using employment agencies. It’s probably a tenth of the cost of traditional advertising.”

And it doesn’t risk losing customers.

Employers who use automated reply forms are taking a huge risk, Langhans says. It can seem cheaper to just have perspective employees spend hours filling out online forms. But if you don’t put back any effort in engaging with them, you risk losing them as both a customer or as a potential recruit.

“I think the state of affairs we’re in, it’s really sad,” Langhans says. “When I started, 13, 14 years ago, we didn’t have these systems. We’ve created this problem. And the top employers are moving away from it now. I’d say most of the Fortune100 don’t do it anymore.”

“The companies that are going to hide behind ‘apply online’, and are apathetic and insensitive to the human element, well, they’re going to get the second- or third-rate candidates.

“The best candidates expect to be able to access you. Those people will engage with my team, and we’ll hire them at Expedia.”

“If another big company makes them fill out all these online forms, and then gives them an automated negative experience, well, they’re going to choose my company over that other company.”

Jeremy Langhans will be speaking at the Australian Talent Conference in Sydney on December 4 and 5.