Graduate recruitment on social media: 7 tips for application season
Graduate schemes are going live across the UK right now, and the next few weeks of graduate recruitment decide who even knows your scheme exists. Most of the effort goes into the careers site and the job boards. The bit that often gets left behind is social media, which is where most students and graduates actually spend their time.
We've just looked through dozens of UK careers Instagram accounts. The same pattern came up again and again: the posts that land are about people, and the posts that sink are about vacancies. Here are seven practical graduate recruitment tips for social media and content that you can use this application season.
1. Answer graduate applicants' real questions with short video
Every graduate has the same handful of questions before they apply. Do I need a 2:1? What's the salary? Where would I live? What happens at the assessment centre? Will AI read my application? Each of those is a short video waiting to be made.
One big four careers account we looked at got 1,545 views on a single Reel answering "Does the firm use AI in recruitment?" That was several times more than their static posts. Turn it into a weekly series: one question, one person, under 30 seconds.
Try this: ask your recruitment team for the ten questions they get asked most at careers fairs. That's your first ten weeks of content.
2. Let last year's graduates tell your employer brand story
Applicants trust someone a year or two ahead of them far more than a careers page. Your current graduates are the most believable people you have, and they're usually happy to help.
On one telecoms careers account, a day-in-the-life Reel with a real colleague got 4,300 views. The same account's graduate scheme carousels this month are getting 4 to 11 likes. Same audience, same month, very different result.
Try this: film three or four of this year's intake on a phone. Ask them what surprised them, what a normal Tuesday looks like and what they wish they'd known before applying. Keep it unpolished. Lo-fi feels honest.
3. Hook graduates in the first second, not the caption
Most graduate content opens with a summary like "Meet Amy, who joined our scheme in 2022." By the time the story gets good, people have already scrolled past. Captions barely get read, so the hook has to be on screen and in the first line spoken.
Compare these two openings:
"Amy shares her journey from Graduate Management Trainee to Branch Manager."
"I joined as a grad trainee. Three years later I run the branch."
The second one is the same story, told by the person it happened to, with the payoff up front.
Try this: add a bold text overlay for the first two seconds of every video, and add burned-in captions so it works with the sound off.
4. Swap "applications are open" tiles for real reasons to apply
The branded "Applications now open!" graphic is the most common graduate post on Instagram and LinkedIn. It's also usually the worst performer. One supermarket careers account we looked at posts almost nothing but vacancy carousels, and they average about 3 likes each.
The algorithm doesn't push adverts, and people don't share them. Put the announcement inside something people want to watch, and let the link and deadline sit in the caption or first comment.
Try this: for every "we're hiring" post you planned, make a people-led version instead. A grad reacting to their first payday, a manager explaining what they look for in an application, or a quick tour of where they'd actually work.
5. Plan graduate content around the application timeline
Graduates move through the season in stages, and each stage needs different content. Posting the same message from launch to closing date wastes most of it.
Launch (now): what the scheme is, who it's for and what a day looks like. Aim for reach.
Weighing it up: salary, locations, progression and the honest pros and cons. This is where FAQ videos earn their keep.
Applying: practical tips on the form, online tests and video interviews. Remove the fear of the process.
Before the closing date: a clear countdown with a real person saying "I nearly didn't apply."
Assessment and offers: what to expect on the day, then welcome content for new joiners, which is next year's recruitment content.
Try this: map your closing dates onto a simple content calendar now, so the last two weeks before each deadline aren't left empty.
6. Reach graduates on TikTok and Instagram, not just LinkedIn
LinkedIn is where recruiters spend their time, so graduate content often launches there and stops. Final-year students are far more likely to find you on TikTok and Instagram, often without searching for jobs at all.
You don't need separate shoots. The same clip, cut to around 20 seconds, vertical, with captions, can run across TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Keep the longer version for LinkedIn, where parents, lecturers and careers advisers will see it too.
Try this: for every graduate video you post on LinkedIn, cut a short vertical version the same week. If you can, co-post it with your main brand account. One energy company we looked at got 5 to 6 times its usual engagement on careers posts shared that way.
7. Show your graduate scheme is open to everyone
A lot of talented graduates rule themselves out before they apply. They didn't go to a Russell Group university, they don't have a 2:1, they're the first in their family to go to uni, or they've never seen anyone like them in the role. Social is the quickest way to change that picture.
Show the range of people already on your scheme, and say plainly what you do and don't require. If you've dropped degree classification requirements, or you offer adjustments at assessment, say so on camera, not just in the small print.
Make the content itself accessible too: captions on every video, readable text sizes, alt text on images and plain language over corporate jargon.
Try this: find one graduate whose route in was less obvious and let them tell that story. Those are often the posts that get shared the most.
Graduate recruitment on social media: FAQs
Which social media platform is best for graduate recruitment?
Use more than one. TikTok and Instagram are best for reaching students who aren't actively job hunting yet. LinkedIn works well for launch announcements and for reaching careers advisers, lecturers and parents. The same short vertical video can usually run on all three.
When should graduate recruitment content start?
Before applications open, ideally. Awareness content in the run-up means people already know your scheme when it launches. Once it's live, keep posting through to your closing dates and assessment centres.
How often should we post during application season?
Two or three good videos a week beats a daily stream of vacancy graphics. Consistency matters more than volume, so pick a rhythm your team can keep up until the closing date.
Do we need a big production budget?
No. Phone-filmed, captioned videos with real graduates often outperform polished brand films on social. Spend your budget on planning the right stories and a little paid promotion behind the posts that are already working.
Start small, start this week
You don't need all seven at once. Pick one person, one question and one short video, and post it this week. Then watch what happens to your reach compared with your usual "applications open" post.
HIYA is a social-first recruitment marketing agency. We make graduate and early careers content for brands that want to reach the next generation of talent. If you'd like a second pair of eyes on your graduate content this season, or a copy of our early careers ebook, get in touch.
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