In this podcast summary transcription, we delve into how social media is reshaping the landscape of talent attraction, offering a strategic edge for recruiters!

Drawing insights from a recent podcast episode by our innovative client MeyerHaugen featuring Adway’s co-founder Viktor Nord, we’ll explore practical strategies for leveraging platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, the role of AI in recruitment, and why job boards alone are no longer enough to attract the best candidates. 

"When we started working with Adway last year, we expanded our job postings across the Nordics and saw impressive results in Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Not only did we see a surge in applications, but the standout factor was the quality of candidates. Adway's approach made a big difference, especially for roles that are usually tough to fill - like IT Project Managers."

Introduction: Why Talent Attraction on Social Media Matters

MeyerHaugen - 00:08: "You’re listening to "Rekrutteringsrådet" and my name is Birgitte, and today, I’ve brought my colleague Charlotte along for a "Rekrutteringsrådet Marketing Takeover". Charlotte, who are you?"

"My name is Charlotte, and I’m a Senior Advisor at MeyerHaugen. I’ve been working here for over two years, focusing on recruitment. Not so much on marketing like you, Birgitte. Can you tell us a bit more about yourself and what you do here?"

"Sure! I'm Birgitte, and I’m a digital specialist responsible for marketing and communication here at MeyerHaugen."

The Story Behind Adway’s Journey

MeyerHaugen - 01:04: "Both of us have a background in marketing, which is why we attended a very interesting seminar in Gothenburg recently. It was about recruitment and talent attraction through social media—an area we’ve been very active in. At the event, we met you, Viktor. Who are you?"

Adway: "It’s great that you came to Gothenburg! We love when people travel from Norway to Gothenburg, and we hope to see more of that in the future. I’m Viktor, one of the co-founders of Adway. I’ve been in the industry for quite some time—since 2006. We’re getting close to our 20th anniversary now, which feels a bit daunting since it reveals how old I am."

The Shift from Traditional Job Boards to Social Media

MeyerHaugen - 02:06: "Tell us a bit about the background and story behind Adway, and what led you to where you are today."

Adway: "I’ll try to keep the 20-year history short! My background started around the time of the last economic downturn, around 2007-2008. It hit Sweden quite hard, but Norway wasn’t affected as much due to the booming oil and gas sector. That gave me the idea to find Swedish engineers interested in working in the subsea industry on offshore platforms. We started a company to facilitate staffing across borders, and this evolved into creating a product similar to a CV database, but specifically for Swedes who wanted to work in Norway."

Adway - 03:13: "We ended up with around 200,000 Swedish candidates and 5,000 clients in Norway, primarily recruitment agencies but also some direct clients. I did that for several years, sold the company, stayed on for a year, then started a new company focused on improving the online experience for candidates. We developed a system for building career pages, showcasing companies as employers, and later evolved into an ATS (Applicant Tracking System). This led to us building a product that managed candidates and career pages, aimed at mid-market clients."

How Adway's Talent Attraction System Works

Adway - 04:14: "I sold that company as well and then did some consulting work. This consulting experience, working with larger companies, is what led me to Adway. We noticed that job boards weren’t always effective. Companies were spending a lot on job ads on job boards across the Nordics and internationally—on platforms like Blocket in Sweden, MetroJob, and NAV in Norway, or Indeed internationally. But what we saw was that despite significant investment, the returns in terms of hires were declining. Meanwhile, we noticed a shift in the statistics, showing that social media was becoming increasingly influential."

🔎 Read more about this shift in our article From Job Board to Full-Service Agency: Indeed’s $327B Pivot."

Adway - 05:14: "We saw that job postings were starting to come through on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other platforms. With that idea in mind, I reached out to another tech entrepreneur, and we decided to build a company that could help employers extend their job postings to social media. With that simple idea, Adway was born. Now, we’ve grown significantly, taken on over 100 million in venture capital, and have built a robust technology platform that heavily incorporates AI, adapting to the changing landscape."

MeyerHaugen - 06:15: "It’s fascinating—you’ve worked on every aspect of recruitment, and now, you’re almost working before the typical recruitment process begins, by finding candidates through social media. Can you briefly explain how Adway works and how you use social media to attract candidates?"

Adway: "Absolutely. We’ve built a Talent Attraction System that connects directly to the client’s ATS, primarily targeting recruitment agencies or larger companies that use an ATS. Our system pulls in all available roles and the first thing it does is automatically generate social media ads for those roles."

Adway - 07:08: "For example, if there’s a job opening for a project manager, our system creates an ad using a high-quality image library, adds the client’s logo, applies the brand’s design elements, and formats it to look great on mobile devices for platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. We currently support ads on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and LinkedIn. We create a lot of ads in this way. Then, our algorithms find the right person for each ad, which is where the real complexity comes in—how do you find the right candidate who would otherwise be impossible to reach?"

The Power of Retargeting in Recruitment

MeyerHaugen - 09:11: "What is retargeting exactly?"

Adway: "It’s the same concept as when you shop online. You look at a product, add it to your cart, and then leave the site. The next day, you see an ad offering you a 10% discount on that product—it finds you again. We’ve applied this concept to recruitment. If a candidate shows interest in a job, we make sure they keep seeing ads for that job, reminding them of the opportunity."

Adway - 10.10: "The key is that you continuously build out your retargeting database by reaching new candidates over time. When you reach out to candidates with an open position, they’ve already seen the brand and the job role before. This makes it easier to persuade candidates because they are already familiar with the role and the employer. Sometimes, we hear from candidates who say, “I saw the ad pop up on Facebook, and it kept following me around. We’re happy to remind them about exciting opportunities."

☝️ For a detailed look into how social media can enhance your recruitment efforts, download our full Ultimate Guide: Recruiting on Social Media.

Why Social Media Recruitment is Essential for Companies

MeyerHaugen - 11.06: "Can you share why companies, not just recruitment agencies, should use social media for recruitment?"

Adway: "Absolutely. Social media isn’t the solution to everything, but it should be a crucial part of your strategy. Traditional job boards like Finn or other job portals play their part, but if you’re trying to reach those hard-to-get candidates, the ones who are satisfied in their current roles and maybe even winning awards at their current companies, they probably won’t be actively looking on job boards. These are often the exact candidates you want to poach from competitors. That’s where social media comes in, allowing you to reach these candidates where they already spend their time."

Reaching Your Target Audience Through Social Media

MeyerHaugen - 12:16: "Or you can use social media since nearly the entire population in Norway is on one platform or another. The platform you use might vary—Snapchat, Facebook, LinkedIn—but the point is, they are all there. So, you can reach your entire target audience with social media ads. And today's algorithms are so sophisticated that they can help you target the right people. For example, last year, when we were in the early stages of working with Adway, we had a role that needed to be filled across Norway, Sweden, and Finland. We saw a huge effect from this approach, generating many applicants. But not only did we see a surge in applications, the standout factor was the quality of candidates. Adway's approach made a big difference, especially for roles that are usually tough to fill - like IT Project Managers!"

Adway: "Exactly. It’s about making sure the ads reach the right individuals. Sometimes, you might not get as many applications, but what that really means is that you are targeting the right people. The algorithms ensure this. You might see a lot of engagement on the ad, like clicks and people viewing the job ad, but if you're not getting applications through the usual job boards, this often means that you’re hitting the right audience. But sometimes, the competition for certain roles is just too high, like when you're searching for a SAP specialist in a specific location with a salary below market rates."

Understanding Social Media's Impact on Recruitment Outcomes

Adway - 14.04: "But you don’t necessarily see that reflected in applications on traditional platforms like Finn or NAV. However, when you target through social media, you might notice that some roles attract a lot of competition and some don’t. It’s like trying to find a SAP specialist in Sarpsborg for a salary below market rate—it just won’t happen. But that’s a valuable insight for the employer, too. It forces you to consider: Are the requirements realistic for this role? Is our offer competitive enough to attract the right talent?"

MeyerHaugen: "And that’s a great point because it puts the responsibility back on the recruiter. Can we meet all these job profile requirements? Is the job offer competitive enough? If we’re up against highly attractive employers like Spotify or Klarna, it can be challenging to reach the target."

Adway: "And it's not always about the number of applicants but about reaching the right ones. For example, we might see that 100 people have viewed and engaged with a job ad but haven’t applied. This gives you insight as an employer—why are people not finding this role attractive? It’s a valuable learning opportunity for the employer. But when it works well, like with that IT project manager role, it can lead to a significant number of quality applications, which in turn creates a new challenge: handling the volume of qualified candidates."

The Power of Targeted Advertising for Niche Roles

MeyerHaugen - 15.07: "That's a great problem to have, though, especially when you’re working with difficult-to-fill roles. It’s rare for us at MeyerHaugen to have roles where hundreds of candidates apply. When we do, it’s usually for the more challenging positions, where targeted advertising is essential for a cost-effective solution."

Adway: "And it’s not just about immediate hires; it also boosts the employer brand over time. When you reach out to candidates you’ve already targeted, it’s much easier to engage them because they are already familiar with your brand."

Building a Strong Candidate Database with Retargeting

MeyerHaugen - 16:06: "Right, and it becomes a valuable database for us. Take that IT project manager example. There were a couple of hundred applicants, but thousands of people clicked on the ad. All of those who clicked became part of a retargeting database. So, if you run 10 more IT project manager roles, you move from 1,000 potential candidates to 10,000 in the database. This means that when a new client wants to hire an IT project manager, you can tap into this pool, either through direct advertising or by targeting those candidates who are now familiar with your brand."

Adway: "Absolutely, it creates an ongoing engagement, and that’s where social media recruitment becomes so effective."

Why Social Media Beats Traditional Platforms

MeyerHaugen - 17:41: "And this is where social media really shines. It’s about building a valuable, long-term strategy that helps you maintain relationships with candidates over time. It’s an asset for us, and it means that Meyer Haugen never has to start from scratch. Viktor, do you see certain social media platforms working better than others?"

Adway: "Yes, it’s common for people in HR to default to LinkedIn as the primary recruitment platform. But advertising on LinkedIn can be extremely costly—almost ten times more than Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or other platforms. And when you look at the cost per qualified candidate, it’s often surprising to see that LinkedIn doesn’t always outperform the other platforms. Facebook and Instagram, in particular, tend to deliver the best results at the lowest cost, and you can reach a significantly broader audience there."

Adway - 18.12: "We’ve found that Facebook and Instagram tend to deliver the best results, and they’re also the most cost-effective. You can reach many more people, and it’s often surprising who you can connect with through these channels."

Reaching Diverse Demographics on Social Media

MeyerHaugen: "People often say that no one is on Facebook anymore or that only young people use TikTok, but 82% of the Norwegian population has a Facebook account, and 64% use it daily, which is significantly higher than TikTok’s 19%. Without Facebook, no one would remember birthdays, right?"

Adway - 19.19: "It’s a mix of all demographics. And just the other day, I did an informal test when my colleague suggested using Snapchat for recruitment. Some think you can’t reach senior managers or IT project managers on Snapchat, but I synced my contacts with the platform and found over 200 matches (try this yourself!). It’s not like my phone contacts are filled with teenagers. My daughter is six, so that generation isn’t on social media yet. The people I know are mostly business professionals in their 40s."

MeyerHaugen: "Yes, and that just shows how diverse the audience can be on these platforms. Yet many still prefer LinkedIn because it feels more professional. But the truth is other social media platforms can be just as effective—if not more so—for reaching candidates outside of office hours, when they’re scrolling through their feeds on the way to work or at home in the evening."

Adway: "Absolutely. Social media has changed how we approach recruitment. People are more likely to look for new opportunities when they’re browsing in their free time, not necessarily when they’re at work."

The Future of Recruitment: Embracing AI and Social Media

MeyerHaugen - 21.24: "Social media has certainly changed how we approach recruitment. What changes do you think we’ll see in the future?"

Adway: "That’s a great question! AI will have a significant impact. It’s becoming more generative, which means that job ads might be created by AI instead of hiring managers. Things like copywriting and creating images from stock libraries could be automated. We’re already seeing some of this happening. AI could also play a role in screening candidates, creating a set of unbiased screening questions tailored to each role. Imagine AI going through CVs and candidates' experience before presenting the top five candidates for an interview. AI could even conduct the initial screening calls. This would allow recruiters to focus more on the top candidates, rather than spending time on the initial selection process, which can be very time-consuming. It means recruiters can dedicate more time to the more complex parts of the recruitment process, like evaluating cultural add and team compatibility."

MeyerHaugen - 23:58: "It’s true, the harder parts of recruitment come later in the process, when you’re assessing whether a candidate is the right match for a specific role. That’s where skilled recruiters come in - working with the team to ensure a good match. But it also puts more responsibility on candidates to present themselves well, especially if their CV is going through an AI system."

Adway: "Exactly, and this raises the question of what role the CV will play in the future. Today, I see CVs that are beautifully written, often by AI like ChatGPT, but they don’t always reflect the candidate’s true abilities. A few years ago, you could assess a candidate’s communication skills, attention to detail, and enthusiasm from their CV. But now, it’s almost like a battle of AIs—one AI writing the CV and another evaluating it."

MeyerHaugen - 25:34: "We’re already seeing this, where software evaluates how well a CV matches a role. It means we need to be extra diligent in verifying what’s written on a CV. Most people have probably tried ChatGPT and seen how it can embellish things a bit. It’s about ensuring accuracy, which places new demands on recruiters. AI is making processes more efficient, but it doesn’t eliminate the need for human oversight."

Adway: "Definitely, and the role of recruiters is becoming more important than ever. If you don’t understand how to use AI, you risk being outperformed by those who do. AI won’t take our jobs, but those who know how to apply it effectively will have a competitive advantage. It’s about being proactive and willing to test new approaches."

MeyerHaugen - 27:08: "Any final tips, Viktor, for recruiters or HR professionals working in recruitment?"

Adway: "My number one tip is to regularly evaluate and refine your recruitment processes and challenge old truths you may have on using social media for recruitment. I really recommend being more open to using social media for talent attraction. People are often surprised by the number of qualified candidates they can reach on these platforms, but there’s sometimes this underlying barrier to trying it out. Yes, it’s easy to think, “I’m not on Facebook, so my candidates won’t be either,” but the truth is, you can reach almost everyone there."

Final words: Do You Need to Dance on TikTok for Recruitment?

MeyerHaugen: "A little bonus question here—do you have to dance on TikTok to run ads there?"

Adway: "Absolutely, you have to dance... just kidding! No, you definitely don't need to dance. It’s about understanding how you can use the platform effectively. It can remove a lot of manual work and make the process much more engaging from a recruitment perspective. And like you’ve seen internally, when you look at the data, the number of people who are on social media is much higher than many might think. That’s my second big tip—test the waters and don't let assumptions limit you."

Book a chat with the Adway team! 👏

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