Now more than ever, human resource departments are struggling to attract and retain qualified talent. As the economy begins to open back up, employers need to start thinking about filling their pipelines and building out their talent pool.

In March 2021, it was reported that the US added 916,00 new jobs and unemployment fell to 6%, meaning candidates have options in front of them.

You may be asking yourself, what does marketing have to do with recruiting? Well, in order to successfully attract and nurture potential candidates, marketing and human resources should be working hand-in-hand. There are a few key components to developing a comprehensive recruiting strategy that will serve to fill your pipeline with strong, eligible talent.

1. Analyze how competitors and others in your industry are approaching recruitment.

The first place to start with your recruiting strategy should be taking a look at the external landscape. Evaluate what others in your space are doing to attract talent. This analysis should focus on the channels, assets, benefits, and messaging being utilized for prospective hires.

This upfront research will help your team start the process of identifying messaging opportunities. You’ll also gain understanding of what channels will be the most effective in your search.

2. Clearly define and communicate your company’s culture.

To better assess the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities that face your company from a talent acquisition perspective, you should include the greater team. Conduct interviews with employees ranging across departments, seniority, and years of experience.

These interviews will help your team to identify common narratives and perceptions across employees’ individual experiences that can be translated into future positioning and messaging. Again you’ll get insight into new channels you should utilize in recruitment moving forward.

After these interviews, it’s important to develop a messaging bank that includes

> key themes to be highlighted in future communications to potential candidates, and

> a value proposition that clearly communicates why someone would want to join your team.

Once this exercise has been completed, review existing job postings and descriptions as well as assets to ensure this new messaging is included.

3. Identify the right marketing channels to get in front of candidates.

Existing employees can be one of your strongest tools for pulling in qualified talent. The best way to leverage that employee network is by developing a formalized referral and incentive program. This inventive program can be tiered based on the level of the position you are trying to fill and the difficulty of finding that type of individual.

Next, look at paid advertising to target job seekers when they are starting their search and follow them through the process, keeping your company top of mind.

Some of the most effective channels that should be incorporated into your recruiting process include:

• Google Paid Search and Display: Target candidates in their time of need with job search-related keywords specific to positions you are looking to fill. Follow individuals once they’ve visited relevant pages of your site to continue staying top-of-mind.
• LinkedIn: Reach potential candidates and drive awareness for your company serving ads directly in users’ LinkedIn feeds. 
• Facebook and Instagram: Target potential candidates based on their interests and other geographic/demographic information. Serve ads directly within their Facebook and Instagram newsfeeds. 
• Job Placement Boards: Utilize boards like Indeed and Glassdoor to post open job listings — get in front of candidates where you know they are going to look for available jobs.
• Industry Publications and Print Advertising: Promote your company and career opportunities in places where you know your ideal candidates are consuming their news, both local and industry-specific. 
• Community and School Partnerships: Identify partnerships with different local organizations and schools where you know candidates are involved or attending. 
• Events (Internal and Virtual): Look into different career and job fair events happening near you, and consider holding a networking event at your office where you can invite prospective candidates to attend and get to know your company in a less formal context.

Interested in talking about your workforce challenges and potential solutions, including possibly working with TribalVision? Contact Polaris MEP’s specialist network manager Rob Chipman, rchipman@polarismep.org.