My friend and colleague, Johnny Molson, recently wrote an article about Marketing. After reading Johnny’s article, it confirmed my belief that your recruitment strategy is really part of a larger initiative – Marketing! Reaching the right candidate, having them feel good about your company, having tools that adequately reflect your core values are all marketing! The website the candidate lands on, the on-line application are all marketing too!
If you’re like most people in Human Resources, this was not the job you signed up to do. You learned processes, procedures and planning to help your organization meet it’s hiring requirements and goals. If you’re like me, you put an ad in the paper letting the candidate know what “we needed” and waited for them to come!
With the low unemployment rate and the lack of skilled workers, this vision of HR could not be further from the truth! Now, more than ever, we need to sell a candidate on a new job. The question I ask my clients is, “why would I leave a job where I am comfortable and go to work for you?” Some businesses have a ready and willing answer: flexibility, better pay, sign on bonus, better benefits. Some businesses are not clear. With this in mind, here are a few things for you to consider as you “market” your open position.
- First and foremost, know the why. Why would you quit your current job to work for you? This becomes the cornerstone for your messaging.
- Evaluate your processes. Is it hard for the applicant to apply? Do they have to go through layers of website to get a simple answer? If your applicant is currently working, they probably are not going to invest time in a possible job unless they have some easily available information.
- What is the salary? Salary is the number one reason someone will leave a job. Shout your salary or salary range. The advantage to you discussing salary is people who are applying are interested in the salary you identified. Less time will be spent with people who are want a salary outside of your range.
- Website. This is a place to advertise your company and your culture. Use it to share your benefits. Remember, you are marketing the company. Spotlight current employees in video.
- Advertising. Are you using avenues that allow you to talk to the “passive job seeker”? How many people who are happily working are searching job sites for your open position? Get in front of them where they live – the Internet, radio, social media, television, streaming. All of the options in media are good. You just need to know how to use them.
Thinking of recruiting as a marketing strategy changes how you do your job. You’re no longer soliciting applications – you are selling your job to the right person! I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you market your jobs. What tools are you using that increase success?
Good luck out there!
