In many businesses, social media lives within the marketing or public relations department. Meanwhile, your other departments probably only use social media to find funny memes and read Facebook updates during the workday.

However, social media is about more than just marketing. No matter which department you are in, you need to be sharp on your social media game. Today we’ll take a look at how social media can impact human resources. Social media is all about connecting with people, and who deals with people more than your HR team?

Social media platforms present an opportunity to help HR reach its audience, share stories and gain more information about candidates. Read on to find out all the ways social media can benefit your HR department.

Find the Best Talent

One of the biggest ways HR can utilize social media is in identifying and acquiring new talent. LinkedIn and Facebook both boast job features on their platforms to help businesses list available positions and allow job seekers to easily search for appropriate jobs. To reach more of your ideal audience, try running an ad targeted to individuals employed within your industry. You can also join professional groups on these networks to find talented individuals and connect with them about potential employment opportunities.

Using social media as a hiring tool is inexpensive, convenient and provides you with a larger pool of potential candidates. The best part? It actually works, too. Seventy-one percent of recruiters who used social media to fill non-management salaried positions said it was effective, according to a Society for Human Resource Management survey. They also reported effectiveness for management, executive and even hourly positions.

Show Your Culture

Did you know 59 percent of employees say they chose their current workplace in part because of the company’s social media presence? While social media can be a helpful tool to research job candidates, remember it’s a two-way street. Job seekers will likely consult your company’s social media pages to get a feel for your culture and help guide their decision to apply or accept a position. Consider partnering with your marketing team to create a recruiting video or regularly feature employees on social media. Applicants will understand more about your day-to-day and see the human side of your business.

Social media is also a great tool to promote engagement with your existing employees. Facebook and LinkedIn offer closed group functions, which allow employees to connect with each other, voice suggestions and share ideas within the company. You can also use your profiles as an outlet to promote company events and announcements. Your employees already check their social media channels frequently, so they’ll be able to easily stay up to speed on company news.

Vet Candidates

Once you have a pool of candidates to work with, consider using their social media profiles to find out more about them. LinkedIn is a great tool to find out more about their past experiences, professional accomplishments and skills. Other platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, are helpful for learning more about your applicant as a person. Their social media may tell you their interests, passions and whether or not they will be a good fit for your company’s culture.

Be careful about how heavily you consult candidates’ social media, though. You might find out a lot about their interests, but you may also come across elements of their life you normally wouldn’t find out through the job application process. For example, you may discover they’re a huge fan of your favorite sports team’s archrival or that they support a different political party than you. Be mindful of these possibilities and focus on using your social media research as an extension of the applicant’s resume or to find an appropriate conversation starter.

Provide Training and Development

The role of HR doesn’t stop after a candidate is hired, and neither does the way you can utilize social media. About one third of HR professionals have reported using social media for training purposes, which helps new hires quickly become integrated into the organization. You can provide new employees with resources from your blog to help familiarize them with the company’s values, mission, goals and other important background information before they even step in the door.

Social media allows you to share tips and advice to promote continuous learning and development for your current employees, too. Sharing these materials on social media may provide overall higher quality insights simply because each person can decide what content they want to see. You’ll be able to restrict access to employees only, so outsiders still won’t be able to see sensitive information.

You also have the opportunity to share content from thought leaders or executives for employees to see. Because all this information lives on social media, it’s easy for anyone to go back and rewatch or reread something if it didn’t register the first time. All this adds up to more informed and inspired employees – what more could you ask for?