Figures by the Bureau of Labor statistics indicate that, despite there being more job openings available, the percentage of workers looking for work are at the lowest level in approximately four decades. As a result, many companies are becoming concerned about how to attract and retain new workers. It is important now, more than ever, that HR managers implement a robust recruitment strategy to set their company apart from their competitors, marketing their workplace as one in which employees want to work. Marketing the company as a preferred employer is one of the most important ways in which companies can attract new candidates. Communicating respect and consideration for employees can be achieved by offering generous benefits packages, allowing flexible working schedules, and regular staff appraisals and raises.
How HR managers design and implement the recruitment process is another important way in which companies build their reputation in the public arena. The way in which the recruitment process is managed can provide a strong message to the public about the company. For example, ensuring that the recruitment process is carried out in a timely manner and that candidates are communicated with in a respectful manner during interviews, illustrates how well a company is likely to treat its staff. The type of social media sites that HR managers choose to advertise job openings on should also align with the company brand and target audience. For example, companies targeting a younger audience may choose to advertise on Google plus and Reddit.
By creating targeted social media campaigns, HR managers can advertise current job openings, while also beginning to develop a talent community. Although not all candidates will be suitable for current job openings, companies can begin to engage a passive audience through social media campaigns, making finding candidates for future recruitment rounds easier. Enabling a passive audience to submit basic information and sign up for job alerts allows companies to send automated email alerts for future openings. Applying analytics to marketing strategies is important to ensure that companies can track which recruitment campaigns are yielding the best results, both in terms of placement and content. This includes identifying those which have the best return on investment, as well as analyzing which posts on which job boards have resulted in the highest number of quality candidates.
As employees are not only attracted to the company brand but also to their values, HR managers can use creative marketing strategies to communicate to communicate their brand, ultimately improving the recruitment process. This can include anything from well written job descriptions to behind-the-scenes videos or profiles detailing a typical day in the office, career development opportunities, and employee recognition strategies.
For companies finding it difficult to attract new candidates to fill all available positions across multiple departments, a strategic recruitment campaign in which companies focus on recruiting to key positions within the company can be a good approach. For example, companies may decide to fill positions in customer facing roles as a priority, recognizing that attracting top candidates in these positions can help to build the companies’ public profile. Alternatively, HR managers can review their current workforce, identify employees whose skills are not being fully utilized and re-position them into more suitable roles. This helps companies maximize their current available skill set by positioning employees in roles which maximize their strengths and experience, or positioning their top employees into roles of influence.
With the reduction in the size of the candidate pool available to companies, HR managers must use a variety of creative approaches which maximize the strengths and skills of their current workforce, and create robust recruitment strategies. It is only through a combination of approaches which focus on both the short-term and long-term staffing needs, in addition to focusing on marking the company brand, in which HR managers can help to set the company apart from their competitors via its recruitment strategy.
