A lot of HR people hear the term "recruitment marketing" and think, "We just need to push our job openings and career page out on social media more." Sadly, that's the number one sin you can make. Here's why... The talent you want to attract uses social media for a wide array of things. As a result, they've become pretty savvy at evaluating messages and filtering out junk. In fact, over time they've even trained themselves to completely ignore bad messaging. And posting your jobs all over Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn with the text, "We're hiring!" is just the kind of messaging they ignore because it's been used one too many times and appears like a desperate plea from a bad employer. Now, if you do get some people to take the bait and check out your site, they are expecting something HUGE. So, if your job posting or career page isn't dynamic and enticing, you've just lost a candidate for good. The next time they see your message, they'll think, "All hype, no substance," and skip right over you.
Good Recruitment Marketing = Employment Branding
Those doing a good job recruiting online understand it's all about Employment Branding. Social media creates fans and followers. You need to earn their trust and attention. And that only happens when you create a strong, cohesive branding message that gets third-party credibility (i.e. is promoted by others) as a way to build awareness. Not only does this get more respect and response, you also get a better quality of candidate as well.Top Talent Think For Themselves
The talent you want working for you are smart. They don't chase job openings. They identify companies they want to work for and then they look to see if they are hiring. Just ask some of the Employment Branding rockstars (i.e. Zappos, Google, Twitter). They all invest in Employment Branding (a.k.a. good recruitment marketing campaigns) that resonate with the unique type of talent they seek. They impress the talent with their ability to share a clear message about who they are and what it's like to work for them. Then, they simply set up a rolling application process online and let the best of the best come to them.WARNING: This Takes Skill
While many HR teams may come to realize they need to take their recruitment marketing game up, not all of them will do it well. Choosing to build an Employment Branding campaign in-house without the objectivity and perspective of those that do it on a regular basis is risky. And, just because you have a Marketing Department, doesn't mean they are equipped to handle this either. Better to learn how to safely and effectively launch your first Employment Branding campaign from proven experts than to risk damaging your brand on your own. Social media can be very unforgiving!Can't find the right talent? We can help!
Tired of waiting around for the perfect job candidate? Let us do the work for you! Learn how our Employment Branding services can help your company connect with the best job candidates and acquire top talent.Photo Credit: Shutterstock