Today, talent acquisition specialists are part marketers, company ambassadors, and salespeople.

They sell applicants on working for their companies and living in the surrounding community.

It’s a complex job today.

Technology – and the wide range of information available to job seekers – constantly changes the way recruiters need to work. Today’s recruiters need to be on top of social media and digital marketing trends – especially social media and audience targeting to attract those passive job-seekers.

Syracuse Media Group presented a Digital Recruitment Boot Camp – a half-day session focused on issues facing today’s recruiters. Here are some tips from the session.

Consider, the average job seeker today:

  • Checks out 16 different employers throughout their job search.
  • Searches on multiple platforms on desktops (at work), on smart phones and tablets.
  • 77% are likely to use social media in their search. As they research companies, 40% use LinkedIn, 45% look at Twitter, 67% look at Facebook, 31% Instagram, 25% Pinterest.

Today’s recruiters can’t be passive and wait for applicants to come to them. Feeding the candidate pipeline is essential. The goal is to get job seekers to think of your company as a great place to work, even before they start job searching.

A study by Google, focused on sales purchases, applies to job-seekers as well. The concept is that people have an opinion of a brand, and that opinion changes as they move down the funnel to making a sale (or employment) decision. People form opinions on your company brand before their start searching for a job, and their opinion searches through their job search.

The bottom line: Recruiters need to develop a branding strategy so candidates think of their company as they start thinking about searching for a job.

Here is the recruiting cycle in a digital marketing way:

  • Awareness – Companies need to be easily found through search engines, and get noticed through frequent, consistent exposure
  • Consideration – Companies can drive engagement with current and potential seekers through research and validation, giving candidates a reason to choose their companies
  • Conversion – A call to action on all recruitment materials is essential, as well as creating urgency and online ease to apply to jobs
  • Advocacy – Build and create a loyal following for future referrals with social sharing and storytelling.

Tactics to consider as you build your company brand as an employer of choice:

  • Audience targeting: Reach the right people early in the process, or the ones that got away. Use digital marketing to target people who are sales professionals, job seekers, management, medical, engineering, trainers. Use marketing data to find these people and deliver openings to them.
  • Use company data sets to target seekers. Keep a database of potential employees, people you’re interested in, or were unable to onboard. Reach out to them periodically to stay in touch, send them an online display message touting the value of your company.
  • Consider great creative that incorporates company branding.
  • Win employer of choice awards in health or overall good places to work
  • Post video to illustrate what it is like to work for your company
  • Use social media optimization – use current employees as testimonials, showcase employment awards and company benefits or fun, interesting events
Other Boot Camp pictures