Recruitment Marketing: A Beginner’s Guide to Securing Top Talent

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After the pandemic, the labor force is smaller than it's been in years. 

In part, this is due to a large number of workers aged 55 and over deciding to retire, deviating from patterns in the past: no doubt due to the unique risk posed to these groups by COVID-19, a Washington Post study found that 1.5 million more people had retired than expected based on trends from the before times, and that employment for individuals aged 55 and over had also decreased significantly. 

While younger workers are trying to fill in the gap left by their predecessors, there isn't enough to account for this massive departure from the workforce. Moreover, the pandemic has also resulted in workers in younger generations looking for COVID safe opportunities, such as hybrid work opportunities or remote jobs. This has also resulted in a shortage for some industries, making attaining qualified candidates from the workforce more competitive than ever.

Making a Splash in the Recruitment Pool

Fortunately, there are still plenty of Americans looking for opportunities to work, with 6.3 million people currently unemployed and 39% of employed workers looking to make a job switch in the next year. The key is being able to reel them in, as other companies will be doing their best to sway the most qualified candidates from this large recruitment pool their way.

If you've had trouble hooking candidates, you might want to take a look at the services offered by a recruitment marketing agency like NAS recruitment. Recruitment marketing agencies look at how your brand is marketing itself, optimizing the strategies you're using to get your opportunities out there to new candidates while providing tools that streamline your systems to make the application process easier. 

Getting the Basics Down

When it comes to recruitment marketing, there are some basics that every hiring manager should know. If you're struggling with getting qualified candidates to seek your company out, respond to job postings, or stick with you through the hiring process, read on: the below guide should help you troubleshoot your current strategy, exposing holes that potential candidates might be slipping through.

Clearly Defining Your EVP

Your employee value proposition (or EVP) is among the most critical features of any successful recruitment marketing strategy, as it is a short summary of everything you provide in exchange for an employee's contributions to your company. A clearly defined EVP answers the perennial question "what's in it for me," listing, among other things:

■ A competitive pay rate with the potential for raises after a given time.

■ Any benefits you offer your employees, as well as how much your company is willing to pay for coverage.

■ Opportunities for advancement, mentorship, experience, and anything else that will contribute to the candidate's personal growth and professional development.

■ Corporate reputation and culture, or the "ethos" of your company. Why are you a great place to work?

As you can see, a clearly defined EVP leverages tangible and intangible benefits, every facet of an employee's experience that may help them in the short and long term. Your EVP should be stated in all of your job postings, your recruitment marketing materials, and everything you send out to attract candidates' attention. The more detail you put into it, the better, as you want your argument to be as persuasive as possible to attract the most candidates. 

Failing to clearly state your EVP, such as posting a job listing without benefits, pay rate, or any other contributing information, will result in you getting fewer hits on job boards.

Revamp Your Company Website

As our culture continues to speed headlong towards complete digital integration, you may want to take a look at your company website's design. Does it have an attractive UI that accurately represents your brand while conveying an image of modernity? When you attempt to navigate it, does each feature of your corporate website facilitate a positive, seamless user experience?

The same goes for your application process. More than one applicant has been turned away by responding to a listing on a job board where they've entered all of their information and gone through an application process, only to be sent an email saying, "Thank you for your time: please go to this website and fill out our separate application to be considered for this position." If your application process is packed with redundancies that make the process frustrating for potential applicants, it might be time to take a second look at it. 

Take Advantage of Non-Digital Marketing Methods

While you should absolutely have and utilize a thorough, cross-platform digital marketing campaign, you shouldn't neglect more traditional, non-digital marketing methods. Consider attending career fairs, using promotional product marketing campaigns, and other tried-and-true methods to meet candidates where they are, make a personal impression and create opportunities for employment that you can capitalize on later. 

Recruitment marketing is all about telling your story to potential candidates, selling your company as their best option for a workplace that will allow them to thrive and grow while providing what they need in the meantime. In this incredibly competitive environment, revamping your recruitment marketing is of paramount importance if you want to keep up with your competitors: take a look at the above tips, as well as any other areas where you believe your strategy is faltering.