The current conversation around the labor shortage in the U.S. touches every industry. The struggle to recruit talent is real. And while unraveling the “why” is complicated, we are uniquely positioned to answer the “how” when it comes to finding people to fill your open roles online.
Hot take: Sharing a job listing on Indeed or LinkedIn isn’t going to cut it.
Digital Presence and Recruiting
You know the adage “You have to spend money to make money.” In this job climate, you’re going to have to spend money to stand out as an employer. Start getting comfortable with thinking about recruiting as advertising. Your goal is to make your company look and feel like a place people want to work.
However, before you start marketing for jobs, take a hard look at your digital presence. Some things you can review:
- Is your website mobile-first and up-to-date?
- Does your brand and messaging reflect your current priorities and values?
- Is your job application and hiring process transparent and efficient?
- Are your job descriptions engaging, or loaded with meaningless buzzwords?
- Is your digital reputation well-managed? How are your reviews and interactions online?
- If you’re using social media, does it reflect your brand principles? Ditto for your team’s social presence—your potential employees will search for you, just as you would for them!
If any of these questions gave you pause, it’s a good idea to clean up your online profiles, reviews, and brand. A business’s reputation and identity is just as important to prospective employees as it is to consumers.
How To Attract Employees
Once you’ve put your best online foot forward, it’s time to start reaching out to fill your open roles.
You can put listings on major job boards and on your website. Remember, though, that being found is akin to being the proverbial needle in a haystack! Think of recruiting applicants to your business in the same way that you think about advertising your services. That is, who is your potential employee? What do they want? Where do they live?
We were recently asked to help with a national recruiting campaign for a healthcare business seeking both remote and in-person workers. In addition to recommending online platforms with ample digital reach, we know that creating the right target parameters to reach the right “employee profile” is paramount. For instance, you could target people interested in career change if you’re open to non-traditional hiring, or tag your social posts with #remotework if you’re looking to capture people seeking a flexible role.
Additionally, you might consider creating a website or landing page just for recruiting, so that potential partners can see just what it’s like to work for the company and connect easily. Of course, it also helps you track the success of your outreach through clicks, views, and submissions. Remember that this site should reflect the look and feel of your main website so that potential employees feel a seamless connection to the brand, right from the start.
Other ways to attract employees:
Add your job listings to your Facebook profile. This is especially helpful for restaurants and retail outlets.
Build a recruiting portal. Make it easy for people to apply, check-in on their application, and understand the next steps. A portal can also ensure that no one gets lost in your inbox.
Develop content that sells not just the role, but the company. This might look like refreshing your website or making a recruiting video. If you’re hiring youth, you may look at TikTok, text-to-hire campaigns, or other “non-traditional” methods of outreach if they are right for your brand.
You Hired New Employees. Now What?
Remember that the hiring process extends past the offer. To keep top talent, you need to adopt a mindset of continuous recruiting. This means making the onboarding and work experience seamless.
One way to ensure smooth onboarding is to develop cohesive, attractive handbooks, business cards, and other printed materials and supplies that make a new employee feel immediately valued as part of your team, and allow them to hit the ground running.
You can also develop systems and processes that allow for remote work made simple. Creating an employee intranet, automating customer service processes, and providing high-level strategic guidance for teams are all areas that Sinuate media excels in.
Let us help you succeed! From digital reputation management and website design to print services and digital marketing strategy, we can help. Contact us for an initial consultation.
