Is it really that hard to find top talent to work for your company?
Yes. Yes, it is.
Good people are hard to find these days. Behind the so-called “talent war” and companies battling for the best people, the gig economy, and the allure of going into business for yourself and becoming an entrepreneur, it’s flat-out hard to find great people to employ. And that’s a big part of the reason why employers must rethink their recruitment marketing strategies.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at recruitment marketing and ways employers can help develop a better, more robust recruitment marketing strategy. Read on to learn more.
Recruitment Marketing: What You Need to Know
Let’s start by discussing just what recruitment marketing is. Specifically, recruitment marketing is the sum of all the strategies that a company uses to attract talent. And while the word “recruitment” may seem like this marketing is done early on in the process, that’s not entirely accurate. Recruitment marketing consists of everything that’s done to attract talent before, during and even after a candidate submits their resume.
Yes, good recruitment marketing is more than just posting a job and gaining applicants. It’s about looking at and leaning into data to see where you can improve. Good recruitment marketing involves the use of analytics, automation and even artificial intelligence to learn, build and adapt over time. A successful strategy is a lot more than just writing a compelling job description and posting it on an internet job board or your firm’s LinkedIn page.
Developing an Effective Recruitment Marketing Strategy
So what are some strategies to develop an effective recruitment marketing strategy? Like we said earlier in this piece, it’s about a lot more than just a compelling job description. How is your business going to catch a candidate’s eye and show them that your firm is the right place for them? It’s much easier said than done – but there are various ways to connect with candidates to make a lasting impression. Here’s a look at some of them:
Tell Your Brand Story
What’s your brand story? Workers these days don’t just want to show up and put in 40 hours a week – they want to work for something that they believe in, something that’s bigger than themselves. One way your firm can hook a potential candidate is to make your brand story known. Talk about what you stand for, what your firm’s core values are, your brand history and your outlook for the future. And make sure that you’re publicizing this in case candidates want to learn more about your company beyond the job listing. Put it on your website, communicate values in marketing materials and plug it (when appropriate) on your firm’s social media.
What’s Your Company’s Value?
It can be tough for firms to stand out from their competitors, especially if the market is crowded. But it’s important to establish and communicate competitive advantages when you’re developing your recruitment marketing strategy. Forget about why a candidate should apply for an open position that you post. Think more about why they should want to work for your firm. What makes your firm different from other firms in your market? If they had an identical offer from your biggest competitor, why should they choose to work for you over them? These are all questions you should be asking yourself as you determine the true value proposition of your business to better convey why top talent should come to work for you – and nobody else.
Reassess Your Posting Plan
Where do you post your jobs when you have openings? For many firms, the strategy is to cast the widest net possible – but it’s not always the best way to do it. Remember, you care about the quality of applicants, not necessarily the quantity of resumes that you receive. Make sure you’re posting on outlets that can get your job listing in front of the best possible candidates. While this may seem easier said than done, you can begin to narrow things down by leveraging data for where you posted previous positions.
Don’t Be Afraid to Seek Outside Help
Does recruitment marketing or the commitment to developing a new strategy seem outside your abilities? Don’t be afraid to work with a recruitment marketing agency to help get your revamped plan up and running. An agency employs recruitment marketing experts whose sole job is to assess a company and its current strategies and then work to revamp them for the better.
Like we said, good people are hard to find these days. Now’s the time for you to reassess your recruitment marketing strategy to see if your business can do a better job attracting – and then hiring – top talent.
