Tiny budget; shallow talent pool? You don’t need to be a global enterprise with a bottomless cash pit to attract and hire the right talent.
The demand for skilled talent exceeds supply. And try as they may, weary talent leaders are struggling to reach their ideal candidates and entice them to apply.
Historically, there’s been a reliance on job boards to do the heavy lifting, but we’re living in the age of the brand (personal and employer) and changing job seeker behaviours and expectations during this great reshuffle—which means the recruitment industry as a whole needs to get creative with their marketing strategy, starting with a clear and consistent employer brand.
Six steps to attract your ideal talent
We know that hiring the right fit results in higher employee engagement, less staff turnover, better ROI, minimal disruption to productivity, shorter times-to-fill, and reduced cost to the bottom line. Which means employers should be finding ways to better connect with their ideal candidates and entice them to apply.
It all starts with your brand.
Step one: A compelling employer brand and offer / EVP
Small and mighty brands can make a big impact when they nail their offer. Whether there’s a skills shortage flooding you with unsuitable applicants or none, attracting the right talent is easier when you have a strong, recognisable employer brand.
Your values underpin your brand to reinforce what’s driving your business and why. You’ll want to confirm the core values your employees must share to thrive in your organisation.
For example, if you’re committed to innovation and evolution, you might seek employees bursting with creativity, curiosity, and a determination to always find better. Or a charity might seek empathy and service-before-self to deliver their high standard of care.
Finally, your employee value proposition (EVP). This is your elevator pitch to convince candidates of your offer and what makes you a top choice over competitors (hint: it’s not about your free fruit baskets and ping pong tables).
Step two: Clear candidate/employee personas
Much like you should already have a few customer personas driving the company’s marketing strategy, you’ll benefit from creating ideal candidate personas, too. Without a target audience to talk to, your messages won’t find or stick to the right people.
Consider things like:
- Who are your candidates likely to be? (start by interviewing your star employees)
- What do they value?
- What are their motivators? What do they need from a job/employer that you provide?
- How do they find out about job opportunities?
- Are they active or passive candidates?
It is likely you will have a few different personas, especially to meet strategic hiring objectives.
Once you know who it is you’re trying to attract, what they want and where to find them, you can craft compelling job ad copy and recruitment messages written in their language, appealing to their emotional needs and desires. This leads to more aligned people applying and less “I’ll take anything I can get”.
Step three: Killer job ad copy
The two big benefits of a well-written job ad are that it will repel the people who don’t fit and excite the people who’ll thrive.
But to be clear – a job ad is not a stuffy position description. It’s an advertisement. It is written to sell: your organisation, your opportunity, your workplace culture. You can stick to the same structure you’re used to, just spice up the copy and write in a more engaging and purposeful way!
To get started:
- Lead with your ‘why’ and work through the emotional benefits of the opportunity (financial security, status, career progression, flexible hours for home care etc).
- Consider which personal values and traits best suit the role.
- Be realistic about the skills, knowledge and experience that are actually required, and what can be taught on the job.
- Be clear about what makes this opportunity better than your competitors. Tell candidates what they can most look forward to.
- Ditch the 50-point list of demands.
An ad is ALWAYS about the audience. So, draw from your ideal persona and show job seekers how your offer fulfils their needs. What does your ideal candidate need to know to make them hit “Apply now”?
Step four: Realistic employee stories
Turn your star employees into brand ambassadors who provide a realistic, unfiltered (unscripted) view of life working within your organisation. Just like we all value customer reviews of products and services over paid advertisements, job seekers place high value and trust in employee stories.
Consider a mix of different mediums and channels, such as videos, blogs, testimonials, case studies, employee expert articles, and podcasts that highlight the culture and communicate your values and EVP.
Step five: Standout TA microbrand
There’s a reason why Instagram influencers are so successful and why influencer marketing works—Trust.
Talent professionals can benefit from developing their personal brand to being a micro-influencer: a thought leader and regular contributor for their industry. While a solid brand presence on LinkedIn is the obvious given, think about other places where your ideal candidate hangs out online where you can share your experiences and provide value. Forums and Facebook groups are a great starting point. You could also introduce a career advice blog for the career site and share stories and tips with your growing talent community.
Step six: Consistent marketing plan
Much like all content you put out online, you can’t just hit publish on a job board, cross your fingers and hope for the best. After all, your best candidates might not be actively looking for work, or you may find they’re a customer in lust with your brand already (and so not the one hitting refresh on Seek).
Create a marketing plan so you can effectively map out the key opportunities and touch points to connect with your ideal candidate. Make sure to consider social media, your email subscribers, career site, employee networks and referrals, customers, and any industry groups and associations to which they belong—none of which require a budget, and most of which are likely to inspire a response because you’re reaching out to audiences already familiar with your brand.
The shifting external landscape is forcing talent teams to be more innovative with their approach. But attracting great people during a skills drought doesn’t need to cost you the contents of a Las Vegas casino vault. Create a clear offer and promote it strategically and consistently to create a strong and memorable employer brand.
Kelly Stone is a former graduate recruiter and forever millennial on a mission to phase out jargony corp speak. She’s the owner of Craft My Content, specialising in employer branding and recruitment content written in a distinct and vibrant employer brand voice that engages young attention spans. With qualifications in business (hr), journalism and comms, she’s worked for and with government, financial & professional services, recruiters, tech, and L&D consulting.