92% of Companies Are Recruiting on Social Media—But Not Where You Think
LinkedIn has dominated recruiting for so long that we forgot there are other social platforms. But in 2025, 92% of companies are now recruiting on social media—and only 65% of that activity is happening on LinkedIn. The rest? TikTok, Instagram, Discord, Reddit, and platforms most recruiters don't even know exist.
Gen Z candidates aren't hanging out on LinkedIn waiting for your InMail. They're on TikTok watching career advice videos, in Discord communities discussing tech careers, and scrolling Instagram where companies are posting culture content that actually resonates.
If your entire social recruiting strategy is "post jobs on LinkedIn and hope for the best," you're missing 35% of the talent market. And that percentage is growing every month.
The Numbers That Should Change Your Strategy
92% of companies now use social media for recruiting, up from 84% in 2023. But here's the breakdown that matters:
LinkedIn: 65% - Still the dominant platform for professional recruiting, but its share is declining.
Facebook: 32% - Often overlooked but effective for blue-collar, healthcare, and local hiring.
Instagram: 28% - Exploding for employer branding and reaching younger candidates.
TikTok: 23% - The fastest-growing recruiting platform, especially for Gen Z and early-career talent.
Twitter/X: 18% - Useful for tech recruiting and niche communities.
Discord/Reddit: 12% - Emerging platforms where niche talent communities congregate.
The fastest growth is in visual and video platforms. Instagram recruiting grew 140% year-over-year. TikTok recruiting grew 210%. Meanwhile, LinkedIn grew just 8%.
Translation: The talent market is fragmenting across platforms, and recruiters who only use LinkedIn are fishing in a shrinking pond.
Why Gen Z Isn't on LinkedIn (And Where They Actually Are)
67% of Gen Z job seekers say they prefer discovering jobs on social media platforms other than LinkedIn. Why? Because LinkedIn feels like work, and Gen Z wants to see company culture, day-in-the-life content, and authentic employee perspectives—not corporate job postings.
TikTok is the new career research platform: Gen Z uses TikTok to research companies, learn about roles, and get unfiltered perspectives from current employees. Search for #SoftwareEngineer on TikTok and you'll find thousands of videos about what the job actually involves, salary ranges, interview tips, and which companies to avoid.
Smart companies are meeting candidates where they are. Deloitte, Amazon, and Target are running TikTok recruiting campaigns featuring current employees talking about their roles. These aren't polished corporate videos—they're authentic, unscripted content that Gen Z trusts.
Instagram is for employer branding: Companies are using Instagram to showcase culture through Stories, Reels, and employee takeovers. Candidates want to see what it's actually like to work somewhere, not just read a sanitized careers page.
Discord communities are where niche talent hangs out: Tech companies are recruiting engineers from Discord servers focused on specific programming languages or frameworks. Finance companies are finding analysts in investment and trading communities. Gaming companies recruit directly from game development servers.
The pattern? Gen Z doesn't separate professional and personal social media the way Millennials and Gen X do. They research careers, learn about companies, and evaluate opportunities on the same platforms where they watch memes and talk to friends.
What Social Recruiting Actually Looks Like Beyond LinkedIn
This isn't about posting job descriptions on TikTok (please don't). Social recruiting on non-LinkedIn platforms requires a completely different approach:
TikTok Strategy:
- Employee-generated content showing day-in-the-life, workspace tours, team culture
- Career advice content (interview tips, resume reviews, salary negotiation)
- Behind-the-scenes content showing real work
- Responses to trending sounds and challenges (adapted for recruiting)
- Chipotle's TikTok career content gets 10x more engagement than their LinkedIn posts
Instagram Strategy:
- Instagram Stories with "day in the life" employee takeovers
- Reels showcasing office culture, team events, and work highlights
- Carousel posts explaining career paths and growth opportunities
- Employee spotlights and testimonials
- Companies using Instagram for recruiting see 4x higher candidate engagement vs. traditional job boards
Discord/Reddit Strategy:
- Join existing communities—don't create your own and expect people to show up
- Participate authentically, provide value, build relationships
- Sponsor community events or hackathons
- Host AMAs (Ask Me Anything) with employees
- Stripe recruits engineers by being active in programming Discord servers—not by spamming job links
Facebook Strategy:
- Facebook Groups for local hiring, industry-specific roles, and blue-collar work
- Facebook Marketplace for hourly and gig roles
- Targeted ads to specific demographics and locations
- Healthcare and logistics companies report 40% of their hires now come from Facebook
The Companies Getting This Right (And What They're Doing)
Chipotle built an entire TikTok recruiting channel and generated over 100,000 job applications in 6 months. Their content isn't "we're hiring"—it's employees making burritos while explaining benefits and career growth.
Shopify runs an Instagram campaign called #LifeAtShopify where employees post Stories and Reels about their workday. Candidates see real people doing real work, not stock photos and corporate jargon.
Discord itself recruits from Discord by engaging in communities for designers, engineers, and product managers. They don't spam job links—they participate in discussions, provide value, and build relationships.
Duolingo's TikTok account (@duolingo) has 9 million followers and regularly features employees. Their behind-the-scenes content and quirky brand personality attract talent who want to work somewhere fun. They've said 30% of applicants mention TikTok as how they discovered the company.
The lesson? Social recruiting on non-LinkedIn platforms requires content creation, not just job posting. You're building awareness and interest over time, not transactionally filling roles.
Why Most Recruiters Are Screwing This Up
Here's where most companies fail at multi-platform social recruiting:
Treating every platform like LinkedIn: Posting the same corporate job description on TikTok, Instagram, and Discord doesn't work. Each platform has different norms, content formats, and audience expectations.
No content creation resources: Effective social recruiting requires video editing, graphic design, and platform expertise. Most recruiting teams don't have these skills or budget.
Measuring the wrong metrics: Likes and followers don't matter. What matters is whether social content drives qualified applicants. If your TikTok has 100K views but generates zero applications, it's not working.
Inconsistent posting: Social media requires regular content. Companies that post once a month and wonder why it doesn't work are missing the point. Algorithms reward consistency.
No authentic employee participation: Corporate-produced content feels like advertising. Employee-generated content feels real and gets 8x more engagement.
How to Actually Build a Multi-Platform Social Recruiting Strategy
If you're ready to expand beyond LinkedIn, here's your playbook:
Step 1: Identify where your target talent actually spends time
- Gen Z and early-career? TikTok and Instagram.
- Blue-collar and hourly workers? Facebook.
- Tech and engineering? Discord, Reddit, Twitter.
- Healthcare and logistics? Facebook Groups.
Step 2: Create platform-specific content
- Don't repurpose the same content everywhere. Adapt messaging, format, and tone for each platform.
Step 3: Get employees involved
- Employee-generated content is more effective and scalable than corporate content.
- Provide guidelines, support, and incentives—but let employees be authentic.
Step 4: Focus on employer branding, not job postings
- Social media is top-of-funnel. You're building awareness and interest, not closing applications.
- Show culture, values, and what it's like to work there. Drive interested candidates to your careers page.
Step 5: Track what actually matters
- Measure applicant source, application quality, and conversion rates. If Instagram drives 1,000 applicants but zero hires, adjust strategy.
Step 6: Be patient and consistent
- Social recruiting is a long-term strategy, not a quick fix. Companies that post for 3 months and quit because they don't see immediate results are doing it wrong.
The Bottom Line
92% of companies are recruiting on social media, and the platforms with the fastest growth aren't LinkedIn. Gen Z talent is on TikTok, Instagram, and Discord—and they're researching companies, evaluating culture, and making career decisions based on what they see there.
If your recruiting strategy is "LinkedIn only," you're missing a massive chunk of the talent market. And as Gen Z becomes a larger percentage of the workforce, that chunk gets bigger every year.
The recruiters who win in 2025 are the ones who meet candidates where they are, create authentic content that resonates, and build employer brands across platforms. The ones who stick to LinkedIn-only strategies will wonder why they can't attract younger talent.
Your competitors are already on TikTok. The question is when you'll join them.
Sources:
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