In 2014, a survey conducted by PwC revealed that 93% of global executives believed that they needed to change their talent acquisition model, but nearly two-thirds had failed to do anything about it. Organizations nationwide are aggressively vying for top talent. While some might be overlooking key talent pools, others are simply overlooking the fundamentals of inbound marketing.
Successful marketing efforts are built on delivering what consumers want, when they want it – and you have to make it easy for them to get it. The same can be applied to job seekers. If you’re in recruiting, here are four ways you can recruit more like a marketer.
Search Engine Optimization
What is the fastest way to find the information you’re looking for? The internet. So, you type in your search and the search engine determines, based on the criteria entered, what it believes to be the most relevant results to what you’re looking for. How often do you look past page 3 of the results? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) seeks to improve your measure of relevancy, and therefore the quality and volume of your traffic (in our case, candidates).
SEO can help level the playing field. You don’t have to be an employer of choice for job seekers to find your jobs. Consider how a candidate would use the internet to find a job and begin optimizing! Here are a few ways you can get started.
First, humanize your URL. Let’s try an experiment. Enter “AI Future HR” into Google search and hit enter. Listed on page one of the search results is an article written by Greg Roche about artificial intelligence. The article’s URL “slug” (the exact address for the specific webpage) is ai-future-hr. Slugs play a critical role in search engine indexing. It ensures that the first few pages of the results are extremely relevant to your initial search criteria. Thus, the URL for your jobs should closely match the terms a candidate would search to find them (e.g., company, title, location).
Second, be specific. If you’re looking for a Senior Software Engineer who is strong in C# and .NET, specifically mention those programming languages. Don’t stop short and simply say “full Microsoft stack.”
Finally, a picture is worth a thousand words (or at least a few words). Search engines can pick up on the file name and the alt attribute text of the images you use. If you’re recruiting for tech, consider adding a photo with the file name clearly depicting what you’re recruiting for (e.g., Senior-Software-Engineer-Denver-Colorado). You will get more traffic than just titling the photo “Dev.”
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
There are two different philosophies in recruiting: (1) cross your fingers and hope candidates come to you, or (2) go directly to them. Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising allows you to target the candidates you want to apply for the job.
Traditionally, you pay a flat fee to post a job. The results of your posting are mixed at best. With PPC, you pay for the results (i.e., someone clicking through to view your job). So, what are the advantages of PPC recruiting?
First, you pay for performance, not upfront. If no one views your post, you don’t pay.
Second, you set the budget. The budget might be a daily budget or a one for the campaign as a whole. Do you get that level of customization with traditional job posts?
Finally, some platforms allow you to hone in on a specific candidate pool. If you’re hiring for a Director of Digital Marketing, your PPC campaign can be targeted to the level, title, industry, and location of the candidates you want to interview.
Know that you might get fewer views with PPC advertising, but you’re paying for higher quality traffic.
Blogging
Today, social recruiting is all the craze, but companies are overlooking the advantages that good old fashioned blogging can bring. A company blog can showcase your company’s thought leaders, drive traffic to other parts of your business, and improve the image and brand recognition of your business with content worth sharing. Guest blog contributions can even open your company up to an entirely new audience. You can potentially earn the audience of your contributors, who are likely to share and promote the fact that they were featured on your blog.
If you do decide to implement a company blog, know that this strategy is not for short-term gains. Blogs take time and regular attention.
Optimize for Mobile
Nearly half of all job seekers say that they use their mobile device to search for jobs. Whether it’s shopping or job seeking, the world is going mobile and your recruiting strategy should, too.
Remember, think like a marketer. Do you recall the last time you uninstalled an app from your smart phone? Why did you do it? Generally, uninstallation is due to poor user experience (e.g., difficult to navigate, slow to load). Make it easy on your candidates to review and apply for your jobs.
First and foremost, implement recruitment technology that is mobile responsive. This allows for your careers page to automatically adjust to fit the screen of any mobile phone or tablet.
Second, keep it short and simple. Mobile job seekers want information that is easy to digest.
Finally, if you use video, make sure it can download fast. Otherwise, candidates will abandon the page.
Conclusion
Passive candidate recruiting remains essential, but make no mistake, marketing can drive serious results. So, save the 25% placement fee you’re about to pay an outside agency and start thinking more like a marketer.
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