There might be plenty of job applicants lined up at your door, but that doesn’t mean they are the right people for your business. These days, employee recruiting requires a bit of going above and beyond, if you want to forge a winning team that stands out from the competition. For that reason, you should be using all of the tools at your disposal. Social media is one such tool that you can’t afford to overlook. If you don’t know how to incorporate social media into your recruiting process, then it’s time you learn.

Use networks properly. In some ways, virtual social networks are just like off-screen (off the computer screen, that is) social networks that you may be involved in. There are certain unspoken rules about how to communicate in online social networks and if you aren’t familiar with these niceties, you could shoot yourself (or your business) in the foot by overstepping certain boundaries.For example, did you know that promotions and advertising can make you a social piranha in social media, or that it is important for you to engage at a certain frequency if you are to stay relevant? Before you step into the world of online social networking to find employees, you need to be sure that you know what you are doing, so that you don’t misrepresent your business and attract the wrong kind of applicants.

Recruitment videos. Social media is all about being personable, even for businesses. One creative way to attract employees via social media is to post recruitment videos of the hiring manager or human resources officer (or anyone doing the recruiting) explaining the job opening. The purpose of the videos is to provide a face with a name, and to give a more human quality to the often nerve wracking process of application and interview. You can be sure that the more entertaining, informative, and personable your videos are, the more quality people will be interested in your job openings.

Establish credibility. High-quality employees seek out work with businesses that they can trust to put them on the path to success. This means that you must have a certain amount of established credibility if you want to bring the best job applicants to your door (or email box). Social media is the perfect way to establish this credibility, and in a number of ways, from blog articles to real-time industry posts. Choose the information you put out there carefully and present it in a way that represents your competence, and you will attract potential employees who line up with that philosophy.

Many employers in the now currently use social media to locate, screen, and network with potential employees before sending them to their online job postings at smartrecruiters.com and other online job engines. If you’re not in that group, then you’re missing out, plain and simple. It’s time to put social media to work for your workforce. Begin here, with these tips.