Your recruiters are probably great recruiters, but if that's all they are, your company is already a few steps behind the game.
These days, sourcing and engaging qualified candidates takes more than just a well-rounded list of company perks, benefits, and a blueprint of the hundred career paths that could stem from taking up the opportunity.
Instead, some of recruiters' toughest challenges include building a positive, memorable candidate experience to stand out from competing companies who are likely trying out the same tactics.
Start nurturing talent with a marketing goal in mind to give your team's recruiting strategy the much-needed one-up.
Entelo spoke with marketing pro Maren Hogan, CEO of Red Branch Media, to get her outlook on upcoming trends for recruiting and talent acquisition, and tips to help aspiring recruiter-marketers to keep up.
Entelo: What are the benefits of recruiters and talent acquisition teams using good marketing tactics as part of their industry?
Maren: Marketing was built as the attraction portion of sales. We tee the ball up and the sales team knocks it out of the park. The point is that recruiters inherently do the same things.
They have to find a way to make the job, lifestyle, and role they’re selling attractive to someone who may already have a job, or who may not want to move, or who may not be ready to take the next step. It’s increasingly difficult as the contingent workforce becomes more sophisticated and stretches to accommodate different lifestyles than the 9-5 we learned to recruit for.
What are some misconceptions recruiters have about applying marketing as part of their team's sourcing strategies?
That it will take more time.
Obviously, any new process takes some time to set up and form a learning curve, but marketing automation and the tools that are available save time in the long run and you are able to reach so many more people in a personal and interesting way. Another misconception is that by moving toward more things that are more marketing-focused, they are “abandoning” traditional techniques, making them somehow less “old school,” which isn’t true at all.
How do you overcome the challenge of brands not linking HR to Marketing? How do you encourage businesses to link the two together?
Departments don't link. People do.
I always encourage to have it happen at lower levels. That way, recruiters and marketers can share resources, brainstorm new ideas and show results before they even need to ask permission. The obvious issue with not merging the departments on outward facing tasks is that the message will be convoluted and off-putting to those receiving both messages, or neither.
How can recruiters stand out from their competitors all vying for the same talent pools? What are candidates really looking for?
Job seekers are looking for someone to appreciate what they bring. So many sourcers and recruiters tell them all about the company, the job, the opportunity.
What about what this individual looks like in the role? How they affect the entire organization? When someone dives into a pool, you focus on the diver, the form, the size of the splash — not what the pool looks like before the diver ever got there.
Why should folks like recruiters, hiring managers, and VPs of talent attend our webinar?
Because I approach hiring from so many angles it makes me dizzy.
Marketing is about attracting and nurturing people. Today, that’s what talent acquisition is about too. (Plus, I am funny and will buy them a drink if I meet them in person.)
You heard it here, recruiters! Join us for our free, upcoming webinar with Maren Hogan, who will be discussing tried and proven techniques to prep your team to become your company's best marketers. "The 3-Step Marketing Formula for Better Recruiting" is on Wednesday, May 21 at 10 am PT/1 pm ET. Register here!
About Maren Hogan
Maren Hogan is the CEO of Red Branch Media, a full-service B2B marketing agency that primarily serves HR and global workforce clients in the U.K., Africa, China, Israel, Europe and North America. With over 14 years of marketing experience and as a community builder in the HR and recruiting industry, Hogan has built successful online communities, deployed brand strategies in both the B2B and B2C sectors.
