A return to in-person life is on the horizon. But with our reemergence after COVID-19 comes an economic environment in which employers are having a tough time filling open jobs.
What can your business do to stand out in this challenging job market?
Brand Matters
It’s not just customers who care about your brand – it’s potential employees, too. According to a LinkedIn survey, 75% of job seekers consider an employer’s brand before applying for a position. The same survey shares that 52% of candidates first seek out a company’s website and social media channels to learn more before applying.
Knowing this, organizations can use recruitment marketing to create an honest and positive first impression. By highlighting company culture, values, employee engagement efforts and workplace perks through your web presence and social media, you can proactively start to answer candidates’ burning questions about who you are as an organization.
What might recruitment marketing look like in practice? Here are three ideas to get you started.
Employee Stories
Highlighting real employees and sharing their stories helps humanize your organization. Sharing a glimpse into the people who believe in your mission can be very powerful. For instance, putting the spotlight on an employee who has moved up the ranks of your company is especially helpful with recruitment because it shows candidates the growth potential in your organization.
Community Involvement
Show that your organization cares. Community relations programs bring an exceptional amount of positivity to a company’s culture. In a Benevity Engagement Study, turnover dropped by 57% in employee groups most deeply connected to their companies’ giving and volunteering efforts. In your recruitment marketing efforts, communicate to potential candidates that your company culture encourages employees to be involved in community issues they care about.
Appreciation Events
As our parents drilled into us from infancy, saying thank you is important. Employee appreciation events are an opportunity for organizations to recognize and show gratitude to team members. Sharing photos and videos from these events are a great way to increase your appeal to candidates.
The Hiring Experience
Now that a candidate has perused your web and social presence, they are ready for the next step – check for available jobs. An important piece of recruitment marketing is having a landing page dedicated to showcasing available careers within your organization. In other words, it’s time to take a critical look at your Careers or Jobs page through the eyes of a potential job seeker.
According to Glassdoor, candidates expect employers to provide the following information on their career site:
- Salary and compensation information
- Employee benefits and perks
- Basic company information
- The mission, vision, values and culture of the organization
- What makes your organization a great place to work
Using real employee photos and videos on this page is highly recommended. Job seekers “see right through” stock images. For a video on this first-impression page, we recommend going the extra mile and using quality, highly-produced content. No video shot on a phone here, please!
Moreover, this candidate landing page absolutely must be mobile-friendly and should include SEO keywords to drive search traffic to the page. As shared in a previous PRworks blog, websites create a first and lasting impression. Don’t skimp on the time and effort to make this page truly impressive for job candidates.
Make New Friends, But Keep the Old
Many companies fall into a trap of investing in the recruitment of new employees while forgetting to nurture relationships with their current workforce. Much like customers, it is far easier and less expensive to keep current employees than it is to constantly recruit new team members for your organization.
Creating a positive company culture allows employees to feel truly appreciated and engaged. Employee appreciation events, volunteer opportunities and professional development opportunities can all improve employee morale. (Read more in our blog about Using Community Relations to Enhance Your Company.)
Get Started
Are you ready to up your recruitment game? Need help developing and implementing a branding or rebranding initiative? Want assistance devising and executing an SEO plan for job seekers? Let’s talk.
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