Taking a Marketing Approach to Recruiting
Recruiting has evolved significantly over the years on both the corporate and agency sides. It has gone from being a function simply focused on finding talent to being a true strategic partner in business outcomes.
The business of recruiting has also changed quiet a bit due to shifts in the job market and the talent pool. More millennials have joined the workforce in recent years, as has the first group of Generation Z candidates (those born between 1995 and the mid 2000s). These generations have their similarities and differences in terms of what they are looking for in their careers, but one thing is for sure when trying to attract candidates from these cohorts: They value social media tremendously as a career resource.
Social media is crucial to today’s job seekers. Candidates turn to social media channels not only to find jobs and make connections with people in target organizations, but also to find out about a company’s culture, values, workplace environment, and so much more. It’s up to the recruiter to paint a positive company picture for potential candidates on social media.
Given how much the job market, the candidates, and even the recruiting function itself have evolved, recruiters must ensure that their tactics evolve as well. This is why you should take a marketing approach to your job as a recruiter. You are on the front lines of your organization as you assess the talent pool and speak with candidates on a daily basis. It’s up to you to really sell your company or client.
How Recruiters Can Build Their Personal Brands
The first thing I recommend doing – as I mentioned in a previous article – is create your own personal brand as a recruiter. Who are you? What do you stand for? What is your expertise? Answer these questions and tailor your social media activity accordingly.
The next step is to use the various social media channels to engage with candidates in appropriate ways.
Join the Conversation: How Do You Create a Strong Personal Brand as a Recruiter?
On LinkedIn, for example, you can find creative ways to post a hot job you are looking to fill. Don’t rely on a generic status update! Try posting an article instead, one that describes the job through some creative copy. For the sake of candidate convenience, keep the post to a paragraph in length. Then, add a link to the job opening so that candidates can apply.
You can also use Canava, a free infographics site, to create a graphic for your job opening, which you can then post to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. The goal here is to really promote your company, yourself, and the roles you are recruiting for in a creative way – a way that will stand out to potential candidates when they are browsing social media.
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It’s gotten a bit harder to find talent over the years, which means recruiters need to pivot and adopt nontraditional approaches to attracting potential candidates. For guidance, it’s best to follow in the marketing department’s footsteps.
John Indiveri is a senior corporate recruiter with 10 years of experience in the talent acquisition industry.