Once you’ve established what roles you want to hire for to add to (or start!) your team, you probably are wondering, “But where do I find these people? How do I put the word out that I’m hiring?” It might seem like yet another tall, stressful hill to climb, but in all actuality, it really isn’t as hard as you think.

You have tons of options for putting the word out that you’re looking for potential team members! In our last post, we covered how to use LinkedIn to find potential talent. Another great option that most likely opens the door a lot wider for wedding pros especially is Facebook groups.

So, in this post, we’re going to cover why you might find Facebook groups more successful in terms of hiring, plus how to make sure you’re using them correctly!

Why Facebook Groups Might be For You

In this day and age, there’s a Facebook group for just about anything, and it isn’t uncommon to find groups with a member count in the hundreds of thousands. Especially for businesses and creative entrepreneurs, Facebook groups are an absolutely remarkable place for:

• Networking with like-minded individuals
• Seeking support
• Finding accountability
• Asking questions
• Getting feedback
• Sharing frustrations and roadblocks
• Seeking education
• Building a community

So, why would they be any less amazing for finding potential talent? The fact that you’re able to be so refined in your group search gives you the opportunity to really target a specific group of people, like Bookkeepers or Wedding Planners, or even groups for professionals around your location if you live in a larger city.

What this means for you is that you’re then able to save time filtering through applications because you’ve already been so intentional about who you’re putting your application in front of. (And we’re all about saving time!)

How to Use Facebook Groups to Hire Team Members

There are a few steps involved to really make sure you’re using Facebook groups to hire to your fullest potential. There’s a little more that should go into it than just posting a link to your hire form, so we want to help you take the steps you need now to avoid creating more work for you in the long run. After all, work smarter, not harder!

Get Extremely Clear on the Who, What, When, and Where

Before you start posting in groups, get as crystal clear as you can on the who, what, when, and where of your potential candidate and the position.

Who: Who are you wanting to hire? What sort of personality traits or characteristics do they have? Do you need a really creative person? A super organized, Type A sort of individual?

What: What role are they fulfilling? Describe as much about the job as possible. For instance, “Scheduling and posting my social media content, including Instagram Stories. The content is already written with graphics or photos uploaded, you just have to get it posted and engage for at least 30 minutes after the post or Stories have gone live.” Also be clear on what the pay is.

When: When are you hoping for the position to be filled? Is there a deadline for applications?

Where: Where is the position located? Are you hiring remotely? Is there a certain timezone you’d prefer the candidate to be in? Are you hiring locally, and if so, where is your business located?

Find Niche Groups for the Positions You Want to Hire

You just got super clear on who you’re hiring, now it’s time to find the Facebook groups that those people are in. In the Facebook search bar, specific you’re searching for “Groups”, and then start trying different keywords as they relate to who you want to hire. (Think: “social media manager”, “virtual assistant”, “graphic designer”, etc.)

If you’re wanting to hire someone who’s local to your area, see if there are groups for cities to hire. Almost every town, no matter how small, has at least one Facebook group for posting hiring positions. The larger the city you’re in, the more you have to expand your search by combining certain keywords with your location as well (i.e. “Milwaukee wedding planners”).

Read the Group Rules Before Posting

Groups often have their own set of rules that they crack down on, so be sure to read them first before posting. Some groups don’t allow hiring posts at all, others have dedicated threads for them (which could even be limited to certain days of the week), or some require that you use a specific hashtag, like #jobopp, in your post to make it easier for others to search and find job opportunities.

Post in Your Favorite Business Groups for Recommendations

You don’t necessarily have to post a hire form in groups. If you’re apart of a Facebook group that you really enjoy, you can simply ask those like-minded entrepreneurs for recommendations! Oftentimes, referrals lead you to some of the best team members because they already have someone testifying to their work. Plus, asking in your network is always the best first option (but we’ll cover more about that in a later blog post!).

All in all, Facebook groups allow you to cast a wide net when searching for potential team members. Remember, it’s very important that you get crystal clear on the who, what, when, and where, so you can do as much pre-filtering as possible. Chances are, you’ll receive tons of applications, especially if you post in really large groups, so it’s best to always take those precautionary measures.

Have you started your search for hiring? Tell us about it on Instagram @theabundancegroup!