Recruiting and Marketing Tie the Knot. Are You Invited?

These days, recruiting is much more complex than it has ever been. Posting jobs on job boards can't be the only way you let candidates know about your openings anymore. Relying only on social media updates to spread your open positions isn't enough, either.
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These days, recruiting is much more complex than it has ever been. Posting jobs on job boards can't be the only way you let candidates know about your openings anymore. Relying only on social media updates to spread your open positions isn't enough, either. Having a strong employment brand is becoming increasingly crucial. Organizations that come out on top in the recruiting game will be the ones that consistently communicate authentic employer brands and value propositions that not only capture the attention of highly skilled workers, but also compel them to follow, engage with, and ultimately join their teams.

Today, the focus of recruiting should be on building and nurturing long-term relationships with the right candidates. Top talent hangs out in online communities, reading, sharing, and commenting on your organization's content. If your company is serious about hiring these highly skilled individuals, then the company needs to start actively leveraging the potential synergy between marketing and recruitment. There are more similarities between the two departments than you might initially think, meaning the relationship between marketing and recruiting could be a long and prosperous one -- if you do it right.

Put simply: the methods that marketers use to produce new customers for your company can also be used to successfully recruit the talent you need to get the job done.

The points below illustrate six key marketing principles and how they can be applied to talent acquisition.

1. Market Research

Organizations collect market information to understand what is happening in the marketplace, what the pain points of consumers are, and what their competitors are doing. As the war for talent intensifies, recruiters must follow a similar approach, and many are already researching the supplies and demands of great talent. Many recruiters are also learning to research their competitors in the talent marketplace in order to learn what techniques and tactics these companies are using to attract candidates. Moreover, recruiters are also beginning to actively research competitors' workforces in order to identify potentially poachable talent.

2. Segmentation

Market segmentation is the act of dividing the overall market into smaller groups in order to understand each group's specific needs and buying decisions. This allows marketers to tailor their messages to these individual groups, resulting in maximum ROI.

In recruiting, segmentation means separating the easy-to-fill jobs from the ones that require highly specialized skills; then, recruiters can tailor their sourcing strategies and the relevant metrics for each category.

3. Positioning

The goal of a positioning strategy is to present a company's products/services as being different from their competitors' by showcasing the products'/services' unique value propositions and benefits.

From a recruiting standpoint, positioning strategies can also be used to help employers stand out in the eyes of candidates. Proper positioning can help employers present their workplaces as being more desirable than their competitors' workplaces.

4. Branding

The branding process is about creating positive emotional associations with corporations' products/services in order to drive sales and growth.

Branding can also be instrumental in the recruiting process: a strong employment brand can enable a company to attract strong candidates. Job descriptions alone -- even creative ones -- are no longer enough to attract the best candidates. Talent acquisition leaders are now creating digital content that focuses on corporate culture and the benefits of working at their firms.

5. Implementation

Marketers are interacting with customers and prospects on social media in order to respond to questions, share engaging content, and promote their companies and/or products. Savvy recruiters are doing the same to promote both their personal images and their companies' employment brands. As candidates increasingly expect to be able to engage with companies via social media, talent acquisition professionals with strong and active social media presences are better equipped to attract top candidates than those without such presences.

6. Control

One of the main drivers of organic growth is effective monitoring and control. A data-driven measurement system can determine the effectiveness of marketing campaigns against desired ROI.

From a hiring standpoint, knowing which channels are bringing in the most candidates and quality hires will help employers improve their recruitment strategies and channel their energy toward the channels from which their strongest potential candidates are coming.

As recruiters begin implementing these marketing tactics in their everyday processes, they will start reaping the benefits of truly effective recruiting tactics. When marketing and recruiting share strategies and work together, these departments can craft a cohesive and appealing message and brand in the eyes of candidates and consumers alike.

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