How to Recruit on Slack & Discord Communities

Around 78% of job candidates revealed that the overall experience they receive is an indicator of how a company values its people. While organizations that invest in a strong candidate experience can improve the quality of their new hires by 70%. [1]

One way to stand out from the crowd and attract the best candidates for your organization is to leverage the power of online communities, such as Slack and Discord.

Slack and Discord are cloud-based collaboration tools that allow users to create and join groups, channels, and chats around various topics. They are popular among professionals, gamers and other communities; especially in the tech industry, who use them to chat, network, learn, and share ideas.

In this article, we will show you how you can recruit on Slack and Discord communities, what are the benefits of doing so, and what are some tips and best practices to follow.

Benefits of Recruiting Through Slack

Slack is a platform that facilitates collaboration by creating open communication channels. It has over 12 million daily active users and thousands of public communities that anyone can join. [2] Recruiting through Slack can offer several benefits for both recruiters and candidates, such as:

• Accessing a large and untapped channel for talent: Slack communities cover a wide range of topics and industries, from design and marketing to engineering and data science. You can find candidates with different backgrounds, skills, and experiences who may not be on traditional job boards or social media platforms. Furthermore, old-school recruiters have yet to comb through these channels for their recruitment needs.
• Community-driven recruitment: • Joining existing communities that are relevant to their industry, niche or target audience. For example, recruiters can join Slack communities such as OneReq, PeoplePeople, HRtoHR, People Geeks, Resources for Humans, #People, Secret HR Society and Recruitment Slackers or Discord communities such as DevChat, The Coding Den, Design Buddies and Women in Tech. These communities can help recruiters learn from experts, network with peers, discover and share useful resources, and find potential candidates for their open roles.
• Building trust and rapport with candidates: Recruiting on Slack allows you to connect with candidates on a more personal level than by email or phone. You can show interest in their goals, challenges, and passions, and offer advice or feedback on their projects. You can also leverage existing relationships within the community to get referrals or testimonials from other members.

How You Can Recruit with Slack

To recruit on Slack, you need to:

1. Find Relevant Communities for Your Niche or Industry

You can use a tool like Slack List to search for public Slack workspaces by keywords or categories. Alternatively, you can ask for recommendations from your network or look for invitations on social media or blogs. For tech recruiting, here are some interesting sources for discovering relevant Slack and Discord communities:

• Check out this list of public Slack communities you can join via Slofile.
• And here’s a list of programming-related public Discord channels.

2. Request to Join the Communities That Interest You

Some communities may require you to fill out a form or answer some questions before accepting your request. Be respectful of the community rules and guidelines and introduce yourself when you join.

3. Reach Out to Potential Candidates

If you spot someone who might be a good fit for your role, you can send them a direct message on Slack. Start by clearly explaining the reason for your messaging and ask if they are open to any opportunities. Then, explain why you chose to contact them and what the job opportunity is. Be clear about your intentions and respectful of their time.

Benefits of Recruiting Through Discord Communities

Discord is a platform that enables voice, video, and text communication among users who share a common interest or passion. It has over 150 million monthly active users and millions of servers that anyone can create or join. [3] Recruiting via Discord communities comes with several benefits for you and your candidates, like:

• Connecting with a larger and more diverse talent pool: Discord servers cover a wide range of topics and industries, from gaming and esports to education and art. You can find passive candidates with different backgrounds, skills, and experiences who may not be on traditional job boards or social media platforms.
• Interacting with candidates in real-time: Discord offers instant communication that can speed up the hiring process and improve the candidate experience. You can get immediate feedback from candidates, answer their questions, and keep them updated on their status. You can also use voice or video calls to make the conversation more personal and interactive.
• Promoting your employer’s brand and culture: By being part of a Discord server, you can demonstrate your values, vision, and personality as an organization. You can share stories, insights, and achievements that highlight what makes you unique and attractive as an employer. You can also showcase your work environment, team spirit, and perks by sharing photos or videos of your office or events.

How You Can Recruit with Discord Communities

To recruit on Discord, you need to:

1. Find Relevant Servers for Your Niche or Industry

You can use a tool like Discord Me to search for public Discord servers by keywords or categories. Alternatively, you can ask for recommendations from your network or look for invitations on social media or blogs.

2. Request to Join the Servers That Interest You

Some servers may require you to verify your identity or agree to some rules before accepting your request. Be respectful of the server rules and guidelines and introduce yourself when you join.

3. Participate in the Conversations and Add Value

Spamming the channels with your job ads or messages is not a way to go. Instead, be an active member of the server by sharing useful resources, answering questions, giving feedback, and joining events.

4. Reach Out to Potential Candidates

If you spot someone who might be a good fit for your role, you can send them a direct message on Discord. After introducing yourself, ask if they are interested in new opportunities and why you think they might be a good fit for your job opening. If the candidate expresses interest in your role, you’ve just sourced a qualified candidate. Always make sure to be respectful of their time if they are not interested or a good fit.

Dos and Don’ts of Recruiting via Slack and Discord

To make the most of your recruiting efforts on Slack and Discord Communities, you can follow these tips:

Do Your Research

Before you join a community or reach out to a candidate, make sure you understand the purpose, culture, and etiquette of the group. Read the pinned messages, FAQs, and rules of the channels you join. Learn about the members’ backgrounds, interests, and goals. Avoid joining too many communities or channels at once, as this can be overwhelming and distracting.

Be Respectful and Authentic

Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not or spam the channels with irrelevant or promotional messages. Respect the privacy and preferences of the members and don’t contact them without their consent. Be honest and transparent about who you are, why you are there, and what you are looking for. Don’t be pushy or aggressive in your approach, and don’t take rejection personally.

Provide Value and Feedback

Don’t just use Slack and Discord Communities for recruiting, but also for contributing to the community. Share useful resources, insights, or opportunities that can benefit the members. Offer feedback, advice, or support to others who need it. Recognize and appreciate the achievements and contributions of the members. Show that you care about the community and its members, not just about filling your roles.

Track and Measure Your Results

To evaluate the effectiveness of your recruiting efforts, you need to track and measure some key metrics, such as:

• The number of communities and channels you join and participate in.
• The number of candidates you contact and engage with.
• The number of candidates who respond positively and move forward in the hiring process.
• The number of candidates who get hired and stay with your organization.
• The feedback and satisfaction of the candidates and the hiring managers.

Create a Positive Experience with an ATS

As we have seen, recruiting on Slack and Discord communities can help you create a seamless experience for candidates by providing a faster, more personalized, and more engaging communication channel. However, to ensure that your candidates have a positive experience throughout the hiring process, you also need to have an efficient tool at your disposal to manage all the aspects of recruitment.

That’s where an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) comes in handy. An ATS is software that helps you streamline your hiring process by automating tasks such as posting jobs, screening resumes, scheduling interviews, sending emails, collecting feedback, and generating reports.

Among ATS systems available on the market today, Manatal is the one you should check out. Why? For starters, this cloud-based ATS comes with the ability to help you optimize your hiring process within a few clicks. With Manatal, you can:

• Easily create and post jobs on multiple platforms with one click

• Quickly source candidates from social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, GitHub, etc.
• Automatically parse resumes and enrich candidate profiles with relevant data.
• Use AI-powered features to rank candidates based on their fit for the role.

• Collaborate with your team by sharing notes, ratings, comments, and feedback.
• Schedule interviews and assessments with candidates using integrations with Google Calendar or Outlook.
• Send personalized emails and SMS to candidates using templates or custom messages.
• Generate reports and analytics to track your hiring performance and identify areas for improvement. And more.

Manatal is designed to help you create a positive candidate experience by providing a simple, intuitive, and user-friendly interface that makes hiring easy and fun. Imagine being able to customize a tool to suit your specific needs and preferences within a few clicks!

If you want to take your hiring process to the next level and create a positive candidate experience that will make you stand out from the crowd, you should check out Manatal today. Start a 14-day free trial and see for yourself how it can help you recruit with ease and efficiency.

Citation:

1. Top 100 Hiring Statistics for 2022 | LinkedIn

2. Slack says it crossed 12 million daily active users (cnbc.com)

3. Discord - Statistics & Facts | Statista