Hiring Tip: Be Smart About Social Media

Struggling to find job candidates? Make sure you're posting openings on LinkedIn and Twitter.

An increasing number of advisory firms are embracing social media to aid their hiring practices, says Joanna Belbey -- social media and compliance specialist for Actiance in New York City  -- with advisors using LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to advertise available jobs and recruit better candidates

"Social media is a great way to identify who you are looking for," says Belbey, who serves on a communications & digital media committee with the Financial Women's Association. "I see dramatic growth in this because it's so effective and so immediate."

Yet Belbey, who led content development and marketing strategy education programs at FINRA for six years, says it is vital that firms make certain they comply with certain rules and regulations while using social media.

STEER CLEAR OF VIOLATIONS

Advisors must stay on top of two important issues when recruiting on social media, Belbey says: recordkeeping and anti-discriminatory practices. There are multiple tools available to help firms keep proper records of communications for compliance purposes. And be sure to use the same phrasing in social media job postings -- avoiding violations of anti-discrimination laws -- that you would use in any other hiring announcement.

Belbey urges firms to establish social media policies in tandem with legal counsel. 

One firm that uses social media to promote job openings is Carson Wealth Management in Omaha, Neb. The firm uses LinkedIn most often for recruiting, says Kelsey Ruwe, Carson's director of client and team services, but openings are also posted on the company's Facebook and Twitter pages.

"We view social media as the new battlefield to recruiting top talent," says Ruwe. "Social media has been a huge enabler to tackle a bigger talent pool."

Publicizing job openings on social media channels has an added bonus, she says, helping market companies to the general public. "We want people to look not only at the job available but our culture," says Ruwe. "It really helps our brand."

Read more:

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
Practice management Financial planning Career planning
MORE FROM FINANCIAL PLANNING