The days of searching for employment opportunities in newspapers are fleeting. Today’s technology-savvy job seekers have a world of online employment information available to them at their fingertips. The current job market is a candidate-driven arena, with both passive and active job seekers benefiting from the array of websites offering them business data on potential job openings to networking opportunities. With these resources, it is easier than ever for job seekers to switch jobs when the right opportunity comes along. For businesses, that can create a talent bottleneck with managers struggling to fill much-needed vacancies as well as a lack of relevant candidates. Employers should be using every tool they can to identify and attract prospective candidates, even before a job position might be open. With businesses facing intense competition for top talent, employers need these 5 tips for recruiting in the digital age.
1. Create a Strong Employer Brand
Prospective employees want to work for a thriving company. How do you demonstrate that your business is a desirable place to work? Savvy employers are putting more focus on company branding. There are many factors that can enhance your business brand; you might invest in an attractive office space, offer a comprehensive set of employee perks and benefits, get actively involved in industry events, or promote company values and a diverse workplace. All of these options will help build your company’s reputation as a desirable and thriving place to work, which is an essential component in attracting and retaining top talent.
You also need to be properly managing your company’s digital presence and social platforms. Embrace technology and create processes that ensure messages to prospective employees are delivered compellingly and consistently across your digital platforms. Think of these as opportunities for positive engagement with potential candidates. As an employer, you want to know the types of job seekers you are going after, their likes and dislikes, and the digital platforms they frequent. With that information, you can create a strategy to connect and engage with them, even if you don’t have a job opening yet.
2. Draw Their Attention
You can’t just post a job opening and wait for candidates to come flocking. This is a candidate-driven job market, which means you need to be going where your candidates are in order to grab their attention. Knowing where your ideal candidate is spending their time will help recruiters know where to spend their time. Job seekers are still attending career fairs, but the bulk of their job research and interaction with companies is happening through online job boards and social media sites.
Start by knowing who you are trying to attract. From there, you can determine both the physical and digital locations where they are spending their time. Once you know where your candidates are, you will know where you should be. Create clever programs that stand out from the recruiting competition. A furniture company concealed job descriptions inside every piece of furniture they sold. A car company looking for mechanics distributed damaged vehicles to repair shops with a job description inside. A tech company challenged engineers to solve a 60-second programming puzzle. A restaurant ran a cooking competition to find a new head chef. No matter what your business does, there are opportunities for creative programs that draw job seekers’ attention.
3. Promote Your Brand Online and Offline
Even with recruitment primarily happening in the digital sphere, it still remains a people-centric activity. Candidates are looking for an engagement at multiple levels from recruiters and the companies they represent. That makes it important to have both online and offline touchpoints with prospective employees. These endeavors need to be cohesive and have consistent messaging. Working with your digital image can add personality to your physical brand, allowing prospective hires to get to know you.
Online you might focus on sharing updates on industry trends, product innovation, and offering career advice. Quality and quantity are important, as is being present on relevant platforms for your audience of prospective job seekers.
In-person face time at events will also help personalize the brand engagement. Consider having an active presence at trade shows and job fairs that your ideal job candidates might attend. These in-person events can also draw media attention to your brand. Make sure any in-person events offer engaging activities and meets with the press to drive news coverage and awareness. Safeguard can help you with unique promotional items that will drive traffic to your booth.
4. Tell Employees What’s In It For Them
It’s not about you; it’s about them. Job seekers aren’t much different than consumers during the job recruiting process. Consumers are looking for content that helps them, and so are your job applicants. As an employer, you’re naturally interested in making sure that an applicant fits what you need, but at the same time you have to make sure you are telling potential employees what’s in it for them.
Tailor your communications so that they appeal to the specific desires of your ideal candidates. You might describe compensation packages and benefits, company culture, or the potential to move up within your organization. You don’t have to just tell candidates that information either, you could also show them through video. Let them visualize how you, as a potential employer, can help them reach their personal career goals. Share that video across online sites and highlight it at job fairs.
5. Turn Current Employees Into Company Advocates
No one knows what it is like to work for your company better than current employees. Many companies convert employees into company advocates by creating testimonial videos and conducting case studies. This is an excellent way to demonstrate employee satisfaction to potential candidates. You should also work on making it simple for employees to share job opportunities and company news to their circles of friends and family.
Of course, there are other ways to convert employees into advocates. Consider creating an awards program for employees that honor various achievements. Make sure to highlight those employees and share awards across your social channels. Job seekers will see that your company delivers rewarding workplace experiences and career opportunities.
It probably feels like a race to attract and retain top talent at your company. Safeguard knows that it’s important for recruitment efforts to consistently be going full speed, rather than trying to go from zero-to-60 when it’s time to fill a suddenly vacant position. We offer the expertise and service you need to be successful online, so you are there when the right candidates reach out. Find everything your business needs, all from your personal Safeguard consultant.