3 STEPS TO JUMP START YOUR PRE-DEMAND RECRUITMENT STRATEGY

For many companies, recruiting is always an exercise in catch up. It only reaches critical desk-fire strength when there is a key and unexpected vacancy.  Everyone knows it would be better to have developed a pipeline of talent for those key roles, but saving the fantasy-world of another critical function spontaneously disappearing (FLSA compliance? Performance management?) it is often relegated to the “when I have some extra time” list.

But there is no time like the present! By implementing these 3 practices you can jump start your pre-demand recruitment strategy and not be caught flat-footed next time:

1.       Brand your company as a hiring company.

Whether you have 1 opening or 100, yours is a company of opportunity. Market it that way. It is commonly accepted that a resume is a marketing piece meant to start a conversation. Think of job descriptions that way. Create a job description for “Just Looking” or “Early Admission” applicants (here's an example). Here you can talk directly to a variety of talent about what your company has to offer and what you are looking for in employees.  If you have a career page with applicant tracking system, your opportunities will syndicate to free job boards that scrape the universe of job postings.

2.       Smartphone + Social Media = content rich marketing platform

Assuming your company has some sort of social media presence (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter), you are a click away from creating a recruitment marketing campaign.  Find 2-3 employees you can interview on video. Ask them the best thing about working for your company, or why they joined. These 20-second videos can be used in conjunction with a graphic or other image that calls out the fact you are hiring.  It doesn't have to be fancy, just authentic (for example, this video TalentCMO created from a conversation at a tradeshow). With some simple coding on the back-end you can direct viewers to your job listings with a click. Ask employees to share the content on their networks to maximize reach, or set a small budget for a paid campaign that targets audience by demographics (location, interests, etc.).

3.       Repeat

While you don’t want to over-post your message in too short a time, it is true that timing is everything. Some messages will only be seen if the audience is looking at that moment. It is ok to post the same content to a variety of platforms and to repeat posts. As you get comfortable with the process, get creative and change up the messages or visuals and check analytics to see what resonates.

By following this 3-step strategy you have the makings of a pre-demand recruitment strategy that leads to a pipeline of talent you can cultivate. Consumers are more likely to engage with brands they know: and Candidates are Consumers where Applying is Buying©. Make sure they know you!

Written by: Allison Small, Co-founder and VP of Program Development and Execution, TalentCMO