In a world where job search mirrors consumer purchasing behavior, Nasser Agha from Bullhorn sheds light on the convergence of strategies between B2C marketing and recruitment. Discover how harnessing recruitment marketing techniques can sculpt a robust talent pool, and why even the smallest initiatives can yield significant advantages. Ready to delve into the specifics?
With over 700,000 vacancies advertised (in Germany), candidates have a wide choice and often decide where to apply based on small details. Recruiting marketing helps recruiters to stand out among these thousands of opportunities and gain an advantage over the competition.
Customised content in recruiting
Envato/davidpereiras
We are now used to receiving customised content automatically. These expectations also extend to other areas of life. In the labour market too. With the right search terms and platforms, you can quickly find job adverts that specifically match these search terms and therefore the applicant’s expectations. And without much effort.
Everything is quicker and easier. Not only does a large part of marketing now take place on online platforms, job searches are also shifting to platforms and channels created specifically for this purpose. And in recruiting, if the behaviour of applicants changes, personnel service providers and recruiters must also adapt their strategies.
Candidates and interested parties use special platforms and websites or simply the browser search function to search for jobs. Here you can easily search for vacancies using keywords, job titles or locations. If you want to remain competitive, you need a good online presence and, ideally, you should also be found under the common job search keywords.
Setting up social media profiles, redesigning a website or establishing a suitable recruiting process can take a lot of time and money. They also need to be planned for the long term. But even small measures can create a quick advantage. To capitalise on this new opportunity and gain a competitive advantage, employers are increasingly turning to recruiting experts for advice.
What is recruitment marketing?
Although recruitment marketing is a long-term endeavour, it already includes many individual measures that can be implemented quickly and have proven to be effective. The primary aim is not to fill vacant positions, but to generate a large pool of potential applicants in order to fill future positions more quickly and effectively.
Recruitment marketing measures consist of many small aspects that take place before the actual application process:
Identifying and getting to know the target group
Check the website for SEO and add suitable keywords
Show presence on relevant channels and platforms
Develop interesting and relevant content
Turn (former) applicants into brand ambassadors
Build an employer brand
Envato/bialasiewicz
Recruiting marketing combines traditional recruiting with the development of the employer brand. Potential applicants should become aware of personnel service providers in advance and find them so attractive as recruiters that they are ideally included in the applicant pool in the form of newsletters or job alerts, for example.
As soon as a candidate has been included in the applicant pool, a relationship should be established with them through regular contact. If a suitable position is found, it is also important to create a pleasant candidate journey for the candidate during the rest of the application process.
Recruiting marketing combines traditional recruiting with the development of the employer brand. Potential applicants should become aware of recruitment agencies in advance and find them so attractive as recruiters that they are ideally added to the applicant pool in the form of newsletters or job alerts, for example.
As soon as candidates have been included in the applicant pool, a relationship should be built up with them through regular contact. If a suitable position is found, it is also important to create a pleasant candidate journey for the candidates during the rest of the application process.
Recruiting marketing does not end when the applicant is hired. It is also important to maintain contact after the candidate has been hired. All candidates, including former candidates, represent the company and therefore also have an influence on the success of recruitment.
Important marketing factors for recruitment marketing
Job search and purchasing behaviour are becoming increasingly similar. Proven strategies and tools from B2C marketing can therefore be used to strengthen the employer brand. The use of SEO tools for job adverts alone already helps significantly to increase reach.
The following elements from traditional marketing can be transferred to recruitment marketing:
Clear and consistent content:
An important element in recruitment marketing is standardised communication across all channels and platforms. The content is often the first point of contact between applicants and recruitment agencies and is therefore particularly important. It should be written in a language that reflects the company and its brand. Recruiters are increasingly working with companies to help them create content that stands out.
Utilising the multi-channel world:
The world of recruitment extends across multiple platforms and channels. Companies that take this into account will have an advantage when it comes to attracting top talent. The channels are not only used for direct communication with applicants, but are also a useful advertising tool. Responsibility for the company’s presence on these platforms is usually shared between the company and the recruitment agency. Coordination is therefore key here, as inconsistent content and communication paint the picture of a disorganised brand.
Build a network:
Everyone wants to work in a positive, supportive environment, and companies that have created such an environment can use it to turn this internal strength into a selling point. Anyone who feels that an organisation provides a fair, honest and generally happy workplace, and is willing to mention this, helps to strengthen the brand. Satisfied employees often praise the company culture on social media, job review sites and beyond.
The first steps for recruiters
Envato/stokkete
As recruitment marketing works independently of the active employee search, it can be organised in parallel to the classic recruitment process. To begin with, it is important to work out an employer value proposition (EVP). What distinguishes the company from other employers and what makes it particularly attractive to applicants? Applicant personas can also be created independently of the position.
Recruitment agencies also need to know their customers’ target groups and how to reach them. Young talents are reached with a different approach and different content than managers with many years of professional experience. A recruiter must know and feel their own candidate experience. It should be coherent and convey a positive impression at every step. Lengthy website loading times, a lack of overview of the individual application steps or a time-consuming application process are already deterring many candidates from actually applying.
Placing a job advert and hoping that suitable candidates will get in touch is a thing of the past. The applicant market, especially in the specialist and management sector, has changed radically in recent years. It is increasingly moving away from the employer market towards an applicant market in which the framework is set by the potential employees.
Questioning established structures and strategies
Established structures and strategies must be called into question if companies want to continue to attract qualified candidates. Recruiting marketing as a recruiting strategy can make the search for new and qualified employees easier in the long term and provide a clear advantage in the current labour market.
Talent acquisition and employer branding are two of the most important aspects for recruiters in 2022, and an organisation’s brand is likely to be an important factor in reaching qualified candidates. Ultimately, a great employer brand is not a static goal; it is something that the organisation – and the recruitment agencies that work with it – must continually communicate in every interaction.
Nasser Agha is a Solutions Consultant at Bullhorn for the SaaS industry. Thanks to previous professional experience in these areas, he is experienced in analysing existing (digital) processes and developing solution strategies to help companies maximise their results, in addition to a solid understanding of recruitment, hiring, sales and HR processes.
