Recruiting Like Southwest
According to reports from company insiders, for a recently available 500 positions, Southwest received more than 50,000 applications. The company culture/employer branding mesh is something that Southwest has mastered, and it’s gaining a lot of recognition for it.
Establishing a recognizable brand like Southwest is something that happens with time and dedication, and it entails a whole lot more than I’m qualified to even scratch the surface of. However, there are some very simple and actionable tricks of the trade to steal from Southwest.
Identify Ambassadors and Empower Them
It won’t take long to guess who Southwest’s ambassadors are. You know those wisecracking guys and gals who show you how to fasten your seatbelt and sell you drinks? They are always the most memorable part of a Southwest flight. Yeah, we’re all jazzed when we can snag one of their cheap flights, but we all remember the flight attendants and our experience during the flight.
The cheap flights get us to book, but the customer care is what we tweet about and tell our family members about when we land. As it relates to recruiting, they very purposefully put these people on the front lines. They emulate the company culture, just by being around customers. They’re capable, having fun at work and making your travel better. Who wouldn’t want to do that job?
Happy Employees=Happy Customers
The Southwest brand is synonymous with fun travel. On their careers page, in bold you will see, “Not Just a Career, a Cause.” As you check out this page and navigate your way through its culture, career and about pages, you quickly realize that the company’s customers and employees are the cause that it’s talking about. Like other organizations with strong, positive company cultures, Southwest is a customer service company that happens to also be an airline. Much like Zappos is a customer service company that happens to sell shoes.
When describing life at Southwest, the company leads with, “Happy Employees = Happy Customers.” In reading about leaders who have managed to establish killer employer brands, this equation seems to be the common ground among them.
Promote Diversity
As a human being, it comes very naturally to us to make people like ourselves feel comfortable and welcome. It’s a harsh reality that we naturally cater to those like us, and unless it is a conscious effort, tend to neglect engagement with those who differ from us. Facilitating diversity in the workforce does several great things for an organization, not the least of which is expanding your reach, ultimately positively affecting the bottom line.
The diversity of Southwest’s workforce can be felt throughout all of its marketing and branding initiatives. A diversity tab should be found on any career page. A conscious effort toward facilitating diversity acts like a welcome mat to candidates of all walks of life, which is exactly what any organization needs.
Use Content Creatively and Wisely
Creating and sharing content can seem overwhelming. There are countless blogs instructing us to recruit with countless tools and outlets. Start simple and check out what the greats are doing –greats like Southwest, for example.
Starting with its careers page, we see a few elements that are simple to replicate and extremely effective:
-“Star of the Month” is a monthly spot on the career page that highlights a rock star employee. We learn about their role, how they excel in their position and how they feel about Southwest.
-“A Day in the Life” Videos are a series of short videos where we get to follow around Southwest employees from all different positions in the company. You can follow a cargo guy, a first-day employee or a manger.
-“Our Benefits” is the section of the careers page where Southwest makes it very clear what you can expect from the airline. These standard, brag-worthy benefits are smack dab in the middle of the page.
-“Employee Quotes” is where we can see employee testimonials about their role and their company. Southwest is steering clear of the censorship model in business; they work hard to create brand ambassadors and give them a voice.
While I’m all about innovation, there is a lot to be said about taking tips from those who have been there and done that. Consider the companies with whom you have had consistently great correspondence. What is it about their employees that make your experience great, and what recruiting tactics can you take away from that organization?