Although the talent market might not be as competitive as it once was due to unfortunate events, companies still need to build up a winning recruitment brand to make them a desirable choice for what will become a talent-driven market again.
To do this, employers need to work on their recruitment brand both internally and externally to be on the competitive ladder.
Evaluate Your Market Presence
First, look at your placement in the market. Are you more desirable over competitors? Does your employer branding portray the right message? Are you placed in the view of potential talent? What assumptions would you make from the outside looking in? But, do not answer all of these questions yourself, do your research and attain feedback from those that have experienced your culture first-hand. Listen to what your market wants and focus on nurturing a long-lasting trust between you and your candidates.
Find the Right Message
Find the right message and support it with your brand tone. What was the purpose of the business in the first place? What do your ideal talent desire and consider important? Whether it’s your environmental response, loyalty, flexible offerings, or a competitive wage. Whichever it may be, find the right message then find an effective way to promote it. This message should be portrayed at every communication point from your career’s website, through to a 1-1 employee conversation.
Keep Continuity Throughout
Your branding should be consistent throughout the candidate journey. Inconsistencies will shine a light on what are purely marketing ploys. Your job adverts, job descriptions, third party sites, reviews, social media profiles, careers website, application, shortlisting, interviews and onboarding process, should all portray the same message, not only through the values you claim to share but how you operate by them.
Make Use of Technology
The bigger you are the harder you are likely to work, but both small and big businesses deal with their own constraints. Making use of the technology available can help to minimise the impact of these issues, whether that’s securing 1 or 2 applicants or filtering through a 100’s. There are plenty of platforms available to meet your individual needs including, an Applicant Tracking System, Multi-Poster, or Onboarding Software. For example, a multi-poster will allow you to source your candidates quicker by posting your jobs to multiple channels at a time in a cost-efficient manner, important if you want to stay ahead of competitors. Generally, technology is there to assist in streamlining the recruitment process and enhancing candidate engagement. Using this technology can help any organisation deliver a great candidate experience to reinforce their employment brand. But remember continuity, ensure the software is branded to you, especially when visible.
Communicate from Start to Finish
Communication is a key element in creating a competitive recruitment brand, but again difficult to manage the bigger the business. Keeping in continuous communication with candidates will go a long way in projecting positive culture through commitment, regardless of whether they are to be successful or not. Those who are successful need to be reached as quickly as possible, especially the 30% of candidates who are ‘actively looking’. You don’t want to risk losing talent to competitors due to poor communication. For those who are unsuccessful, communication should be just as well to secure loyalty. Candidates may be unsuitable now but utilised in the future through talent pools. Securing their loyalty will encourage their willingness to come back. An ATS will allow you to communicate frequently and promptly while helping to preserve your talent pool for later use.
Hire Cultural Fits
Who you choose to hire will also reflect highly on your recruitment brand. Saying your business values are X, but hiring someone who’s values are Y is not you actioning your message. Brand culture should be incorporated throughout the recruitment process to not only ensure they are right for you but that you are right for them. If you appoint an external recruiter, ensure they also hire based on your cultural fit. Employees represent your company and therefore should represent your message. Your employer culture reflects your brand, so make it a positive one.
Use Engaging Content
Engage with your audience using content, a harder task as the market is flooded with new content every day, so make sure you’re competitively placed within it. Make use of digital channels, especially the free ones. Create relevant, consume worthy multi-media content that has your brand stamp and incorporate it at each stage of the recruitment process. Don’t just repeatedly post out your available vacancies, candidates go to your website for these. Instead, share other content which is authentic and valuable to your audience that will entice them onto your website.
Utilise Your Employees
A faceless organisation is not a trustworthy one. Often, traditional peer-to-peer recommendations are more valuable. According to The Drum, 84% of people trust peer-to-peer recommendations over any other source and who better to recommend your employer brand than your employees themselves. So, get them involved in your brand initiatives and ask them to promote them both internally and externally through their own channels.
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