For the last 15 years, I have worked with clients to help them secure talent for their businesses. The primary source for securing these applicants was (and still is) radio. So, how do you make your radio recruitment efforts succeed? Following are some tips for improving your results when you are using radio to recruit talent.
- Run radio ads Sunday through Tuesday. If someone is reluctant to go back to work (at a job they don’t like), I tell them about amazing opportunities working somewhere else! I remind them over and over again about the benefits of working at this new organization. People will leave for lots of reasons – find reasons why people want to work with your company and tell people about them.
- Include salary (or salary range) in your radio ads. This will let people know exactly what they can expect. If I’m making $10 per hour and the job pays $8, I probably won’t apply. By including the salary, you are making it easier on yourself. The people who apply will have a sincere interest in making what you pay.
- Testimonials work great! There is nothing better than hearing real people talk about real experiences. Find someone who loves working at your place of business and let them talk.
- Make it easy to apply. We all love the Internet, but using the Internet for applications can be time consuming and overwhelming. What steps can you take to make the application process easier? Can you link directly to the application? Can you allow the candidate to answer some simple questions to qualify – and then require an application?
- Direct people to your website. Take a good hard look at the recruitment portion of your website. Your website is a place to really shine. Share as much information about the position, the company, and the culture. It’s no longer okay to have a copy of the job description and a pdf of your application.
- Choose the right radio station. Talk to your media representative. They should be able to give you demographics for their stations. They should also be able to make suggestions where they think you will have the most success. You don’t personally have to be a listener of the station selected. To get a feel what station to market on, step into your work environment. What stations are your employees listening to?
- Think about timing. If you have several positions open for day shifts, could you market during the night shift and offer “time with your family”? If you have drivers who only work Monday – Friday, can you run your ads on Saturday and Sunday and tell current drivers about your opportunity?
Recruiting on radio can be very successful. Like all marketing efforts, it requires some time and some thought. Want to talk about it, give me a call.
Be well!
Lori
