Social Recruiting Guide: Pitfalls, Tips & Strategies

Since the pandemic first hit in 2020, it has shuttered offices and industries had to adapt on the fly to continue working remotely. The tech industry needed to throw out ancient processes and discover newer avenues, especially in the field of tech recruiting. If you guessed where I’m heading with this, then you are on the right track!

Yes, I am talking about social media, its massive reach, and one form of recruiting that has shot into the limelight – Social Recruiting. Tapping into brand new spheres of talent while adopting creative recruiting strategies is the crux of social recruiting.

Although social recruiting has been around since 2008, it has become the need of the hour and a weapon to have in your corner with the pandemic rendering everything to a remote workspace. A study by Pew Research Centre found that a whopping 72% of Americans surveyed use social media heavily. This should put into perspective the large number of promising candidates you as a recruiter are not considering by failing to source candidates through social media.

Here are our 2 cents on everything you need to knowabout social recruiting and how to kill it #likeapro, true social media style!

What is social recruiting?

Social recruiting or social media recruiting is a talent acquisition strategy that refers to the use of social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to source and hire candidates. You can narrow down your target audience to quickly and effectively find candidates who are the right fit for your company.

Why traditional recruiting methods will no longer cut it

The global talent, mainly Gen Z do not spend time scouring newspapers for job vacancies, rather they are busy switching between Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram on their phone. Posting job ads on social media is easy, attracts a wider, more diverse pool of candidates, and is cheaper. “Some companies use tools to post to Instagram from PC, schedule content, and complete other tasks.”

Bidding adios to the old ways of recruitment has become necessary to stay competitive in these fast-paced, digital-forward times. It has been proven multiple times that the traditional approach towards recruiting brings no diversity to the company, stagnates growth, eliminates a large pool of passive candidates, and lowers profits in the long run.

Providing relief to time-consuming, archaic hiring practices is the new age social recruiting approach that is considerably cost-effective with a greater chance of bridging the ever-widening gap between recruiters and talented job seekers.

What do the numbers look like for social recruiting?

Still not convinced to make the switch? Here are the current statistics of the social media recruiting landscape in 2021.

✔️A Career Profiles study shows that 91% of companies rely on social media when recruiting.

✔️86% of job seekers use social media in their job search, according to CareerArc.

✔️35% of employers increased their social recruiting efforts from last year to now, according to CareerArc.

✔️A report by PostBeyond shows that 82% of companies attract passive candidates via social media.

✔️49% of professionals use Linkedin to scout for job opportunities, as stated by HackerEarth Developer Survey, 2021.

Pitfalls of social media recruiting

Now that you’re sold on the awesomeness of social recruiting, there are some DON’Ts that you need to take note of before you kickstart your social hiring journey.

Don’t jump headlong into social media without a cohesive plan in place. Nobody is interested in being bombarded with generic content across different social media platforms. Identify your goals, tailor your strategy according to each platform, and measure ROI periodically to see what is working.
Not creating quality content to best showcase your brand, company values, workplace culture, etc., and simply posting job vacancies will never attract or engage potential candidates. Bring the personal factor to your hiring strategy, nurture relationships via your content, and maintain consistency in your efforts.
Don’t forget to take stock of your efforts regularly. Choose key metrics like reach, engagement, and conversion to measure activity; the results should guide your way forward.

What makes for a good social media recruiting strategy?

Social recruiting takes a little work to get right, but when well executed it represents a robust advantage. Tips to kickstart your social media recruiting strategy the right way.

#1 Put together candidate personas

Speaking to the right people is of the utmost importance. It helps you narrow down who you’re looking for. Establishing candidate personas enables you to have a targeted approach on social media.

Know what kind of profiles will be a good culture-fit and balance that with the skills necessary to be successful in the role.

#2 Choose the right social media platform

The role you’re hiring for, the industry you’re in and the persona you are trying to reach out to, dictates the platform you need to use.

Some roles may require digging deep into more niche social media platforms rather than the popular ones. You may even need to use a social media management tool to keep everything organized.

#3 Track metrics to create your pipeline of candidates

Every social network has its set of metrics that need to be monitored. For example, the best time to post on Instagram may be different than on Facebook or LinkedIn. Don’t get too engrossed in the likes and follows; make sure you’re tracking suitable recruitment metrics.

Depending on your platform and social media strategy, evaluate the given metrics monthly or quaterly to see where you stand, which platforms and strategies yield the highest quality candidates and what needs to be tweaked in your approach.

#4 Optimize your social media profiles

Most recruits consider a company based on its social media presence, which is why it is important to maintain a cohesive voice across all platforms being used. Maintain consistency in messaging that potrays the true reflection of your company’s brand and mission. Adjust settings to protect social media accounts. So you wouldn’t have to deal with the Facebook security issues or report Instagram account for getting hacked.

#5 Rope in your employees to be your ambassadors

Your existing workforce is your biggest ambassador. Leverage this at every opportunity by creating some guidelines so that employees understand the goal at hand and will create content with that in mind.

You can also create readily shareable content to make it easy for everyone to re-share, repurpose, and post on their personal social media profiles.

#6 Make use of video content

There are a lot of companies competing for top tier talent right now. The last thing you want to have happen is to get lost in the mix and lose out on a rockstar new hire.

Cut through the noise by using videos to portray the day-to-day life at your company is an effective way to reach prospective candidates.

#7 Measure how well your strategy is working

Speaking in numbers may not come naturally to recruiters but this is how you convince your stakeholders that your social hiring efforts are paying off.

Review the KPIs, goals and impacts of your social media recruiting strategy. From there, you can find your strengths and weaknesses to better adjust your resources and efforts.

Leverage social recruiting like a pro

Social media recruiting is fast becoming the most effective hiring tactic in 2021. It enables you to showcase your company culture, reach a larger talent pool, be authentic and connect with your ideal candidates. As Gen Z and millennials make up more and more of the workforce, social media dictates the hiring strategies for recruiters to leverage upon.

Are your potential candidates on social media? Then your recruiting efforts should be, too.

Discover more articles

Gain insights to optimize your developer recruitment process.

Hackathons

Vibe Coding: Shaping the Future of Software

A New Era of Code

Vibe coding is a new method of using natural language prompts and AI tools to generate code. I have seen firsthand that this change makes software more accessible to everyone. In the past, being able to produce functional code was a strong advantage for developers. Today, when code is produced quickly through AI, the true value lies in designing, refining, and optimizing systems. Our role now goes beyond writing code; we must also ensure that our systems remain efficient and reliable.

From Machine Language to Natural Language

I recall the early days when every line of code was written manually. We progressed from machine language to high-level programming, and now we are beginning to interact with our tools using natural language. This development does not only increase speed but also changes how we approach problem solving. Product managers can now create working demos in hours instead of weeks, and founders have a clearer way of pitching their ideas with functional prototypes. It is important for us to rethink our role as developers and focus on architecture and system design rather than simply on typing code.

The Promise and the Pitfalls

I have experienced both sides of vibe coding. In cases where the goal was to build a quick prototype or a simple internal tool, AI-generated code provided impressive results. Teams have been able to test new ideas and validate concepts much faster. However, when it comes to more complex systems that require careful planning and attention to detail, the output from AI can be problematic. I have seen situations where AI produces large volumes of code that become difficult to manage without significant human intervention.

AI-powered coding tools like GitHub Copilot and AWS’s Q Developer have demonstrated significant productivity gains. For instance, at the National Australia Bank, it’s reported that half of the production code is generated by Q Developer, allowing developers to focus on higher-level problem-solving . Similarly, platforms like Lovable enable non-coders to build viable tech businesses using natural language prompts, contributing to a shift where AI-generated code reduces the need for large engineering teams. However, there are challenges. AI-generated code can sometimes be verbose or lack the architectural discipline required for complex systems. While AI can rapidly produce prototypes or simple utilities, building large-scale systems still necessitates experienced engineers to refine and optimize the code.

The Economic Impact

The democratization of code generation is altering the economic landscape of software development. As AI tools become more prevalent, the value of average coding skills may diminish, potentially affecting salaries for entry-level positions. Conversely, developers who excel in system design, architecture, and optimization are likely to see increased demand and compensation.
Seizing the Opportunity

Vibe coding is most beneficial in areas such as rapid prototyping and building simple applications or internal tools. It frees up valuable time that we can then invest in higher-level tasks such as system architecture, security, and user experience. When used in the right context, AI becomes a helpful partner that accelerates the development process without replacing the need for skilled engineers.

This is revolutionizing our craft, much like the shift from machine language to assembly to high-level languages did in the past. AI can churn out code at lightning speed, but remember, “Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.” Use AI for rapid prototyping, but it’s your expertise that transforms raw output into robust, scalable software. By honing our skills in design and architecture, we ensure our work remains impactful and enduring. Let’s continue to learn, adapt, and build software that stands the test of time.

Ready to streamline your recruitment process? Get a free demo to explore cutting-edge solutions and resources for your hiring needs.

Tech Assessment

Guide to Conducting Successful System Design Interviews in 2025

What is Systems Design?

Systems Design is an all encompassing term which encapsulates both frontend and backend components harmonized to define the overall architecture of a product.

Designing robust and scalable systems requires a deep understanding of application, architecture and their underlying components like networks, data, interfaces and modules.

Systems Design, in its essence, is a blueprint of how software and applications should work to meet specific goals. The multi-dimensional nature of this discipline makes it open-ended – as there is no single one-size-fits-all solution to a system design problem.

What is a System Design Interview?

Conducting a System Design interview requires recruiters to take an unconventional approach and look beyond right or wrong answers. Recruiters should aim for evaluating a candidate’s ‘systemic thinking’ skills across three key aspects:

How they navigate technical complexity and navigate uncertainty
How they meet expectations of scale, security and speed
How they focus on the bigger picture without losing sight of details

This assessment of the end-to-end thought process and a holistic approach to problem-solving is what the interview should focus on.

What are some common topics for a System Design Interview

System design interview questions are free-form and exploratory in nature where there is no right or best answer to a specific problem statement. Here are some common questions:

How would you approach the design of a social media app or video app?

What are some ways to design a search engine or a ticketing system?

How would you design an API for a payment gateway?

What are some trade-offs and constraints you will consider while designing systems?

What is your rationale for taking a particular approach to problem solving?

Usually, interviewers base the questions depending on the organization, its goals, key competitors and a candidate’s experience level.

For senior roles, the questions tend to focus on assessing the computational thinking, decision making and reasoning ability of a candidate. For entry level job interviews, the questions are designed to test the hard skills required for building a system architecture.

The Difference between a System Design Interview and a Coding Interview

If a coding interview is like a map that takes you from point A to Z – a systems design interview is like a compass which gives you a sense of the right direction.

Here are three key difference between the two:

Coding challenges follow a linear interviewing experience i.e. candidates are given a problem and interaction with recruiters is limited. System design interviews are more lateral and conversational, requiring active participation from interviewers.

Coding interviews or challenges focus on evaluating the technical acumen of a candidate whereas systems design interviews are oriented to assess problem solving and interpersonal skills.

Coding interviews are based on a right/wrong approach with ideal answers to problem statements while a systems design interview focuses on assessing the thought process and the ability to reason from first principles.

How to Conduct an Effective System Design Interview

One common mistake recruiters make is that they approach a system design interview with the expectations and preparation of a typical coding interview.
Here is a four step framework technical recruiters can follow to ensure a seamless and productive interview experience:

Step 1: Understand the subject at hand

Develop an understanding of basics of system design and architecture
Familiarize yourself with commonly asked systems design interview questions
Read about system design case studies for popular applications
Structure the questions and problems by increasing magnitude of difficulty

Step 2: Prepare for the interview

Plan the extent of the topics and scope of discussion in advance
Clearly define the evaluation criteria and communicate expectations
Quantify constraints, inputs, boundaries and assumptions
Establish the broader context and a detailed scope of the exercise

Step 3: Stay actively involved

Ask follow-up questions to challenge a solution
Probe candidates to gauge real-time logical reasoning skills
Make it a conversation and take notes of important pointers and outcomes
Guide candidates with hints and suggestions to steer them in the right direction

Step 4: Be a collaborator

Encourage candidates to explore and consider alternative solutions
Work with the candidate to drill the problem into smaller tasks
Provide context and supporting details to help candidates stay on track
Ask follow-up questions to learn about the candidate’s experience

Technical recruiters and hiring managers should aim for providing an environment of positive reinforcement, actionable feedback and encouragement to candidates.

Evaluation Rubric for Candidates

Facilitate Successful System Design Interview Experiences with FaceCode

FaceCode, HackerEarth’s intuitive and secure platform, empowers recruiters to conduct system design interviews in a live coding environment with HD video chat.

FaceCode comes with an interactive diagram board which makes it easier for interviewers to assess the design thinking skills and conduct communication assessments using a built-in library of diagram based questions.

With FaceCode, you can combine your feedback points with AI-powered insights to generate accurate, data-driven assessment reports in a breeze. Plus, you can access interview recordings and transcripts anytime to recall and trace back the interview experience.

Learn how FaceCode can help you conduct system design interviews and boost your hiring efficiency.

AI Recruiting

How Candidates Use Technology to Cheat in Online Technical Assessments

Impact of Online Assessments in Technical Hiring

In a digitally-native hiring landscape, online assessments have proven to be both a boon and a bane for recruiters and employers.

The ease and efficiency of virtual interviews, take home programming tests and remote coding challenges is transformative. Around 82% of companies use pre-employment assessments as reliable indicators of a candidate's skills and potential.

Online skill assessment tests have been proven to streamline technical hiring and enable recruiters to significantly reduce the time and cost to identify and hire top talent.

In the realm of online assessments, remote assessments have transformed the hiring landscape, boosting the speed and efficiency of screening and evaluating talent. On the flip side, candidates have learned how to use creative methods and AI tools to cheat in tests.

As it turns out, technology that makes hiring easier for recruiters and managers - is also their Achilles' heel.

Cheating in Online Assessments is a High Stakes Problem

With the proliferation of AI in recruitment, the conversation around cheating has come to the forefront, putting recruiters and hiring managers in a bit of a flux.

According to research, nearly 30 to 50 percent of candidates cheat in online assessments for entry level jobs. Even 10% of senior candidates have been reportedly caught cheating.

The problem becomes twofold - if finding the right talent can be a competitive advantage, the consequences of hiring the wrong one can be equally damaging and counter-productive.

As per Forbes, a wrong hire can cost a company around 30% of an employee's salary - not to mention, loss of precious productive hours and morale disruption.

The question that arises is - "Can organizations continue to leverage AI-driven tools for online assessments without compromising on the integrity of their hiring process? "

This article will discuss the common methods candidates use to outsmart online assessments. We will also dive deep into actionable steps that you can take to prevent cheating while delivering a positive candidate experience.

Common Cheating Tactics and How You Can Combat Them

Using ChatGPT and other AI tools to write code
Copy-pasting code using AI-based platforms and online code generators is one of common cheat codes in candidates' books. For tackling technical assessments, candidates conveniently use readily available tools like ChatGPT and GitHub. Using these tools, candidates can easily generate solutions to solve common programming challenges such as:
- Debugging code
- Optimizing existing code
- Writing problem-specific code from scratch
Ways to prevent it
- Enable full-screen mode
- Disable copy-and-paste functionality
- Restrict tab switching outside of code editors
- Use AI to detect code that has been copied and pasted
Enlist external help to complete the assessment

Candidates often seek out someone else to take the assessment on their behalf. In many cases, they also use screen sharing and remote collaboration tools for real-time assistance.

In extreme cases, some candidates might have an off-camera individual present in the same environment for help.

Ways to prevent it
- Verify a candidate using video authentication
- Restrict test access from specific IP addresses
- Use online proctoring by taking snapshots of the candidate periodically
- Use a 360 degree environment scan to ensure no unauthorized individual is present
Using multiple devices at the same time

Candidates attempting to cheat often rely on secondary devices such as a computer, tablet, notebook or a mobile phone hidden from the line of sight of their webcam.

By using multiple devices, candidates can look up information, search for solutions or simply augment their answers.

Ways to prevent it
- Track mouse exit count to detect irregularities
- Detect when a new device or peripheral is connected
- Use network monitoring and scanning to detect any smart devices in proximity
- Conduct a virtual whiteboard interview to monitor movements and gestures
Using remote desktop software and virtual machines

Tech-savvy candidates go to great lengths to cheat. Using virtual machines, candidates can search for answers using a secondary OS while their primary OS is being monitored.

Remote desktop software is another cheating technique which lets candidates give access to a third-person, allowing them to control their device.

With remote desktops, candidates can screen share the test window and use external help.

Ways to prevent it
- Restrict access to virtual machines
- AI-based proctoring for identifying malicious keystrokes
- Use smart browsers to block candidates from using VMs

Future-proof Your Online Assessments With HackerEarth

HackerEarth's AI-powered online proctoring solution is a tested and proven way to outsmart cheating and take preventive measures at the right stage. With HackerEarth's Smart Browser, recruiters can mitigate the threat of cheating and ensure their online assessments are accurate and trustworthy.

Secure, sealed-off testing environment
AI-enabled live test monitoring
Enterprise-grade, industry leading compliance
Built-in features to track, detect and flag cheating attempts

Boost your hiring efficiency and conduct reliable online assessments confidently with HackerEarth's revolutionary Smart Browser.

The Ultimate Guide To Social Recruiting