2012 Highlights in Recruitment
In what ways have companies utilised effective recruitment strategies in 2012? As we head to the end of the year, Employment Office takes a quick look at which recruitment marketing techniques continue to gain momentum or stand out as successes. See our list below!
Videos
One of the most impactful ways to effectively demonstrate the excitement and passion at your company is online videos, and the use of video in recruitment campaigns has dramatically increased in 2012. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then moving pictures demonstrating what it’s like to work at your firm are priceless. Your ideal candidates are more likely now than ever to stream video content about career opportunities, with the majority of jobseekers eager to see the experiences of current employees in the form of professional and candid videos searchable on a careers site, YouTube and on-demand in online advertising campaigns.
Social networking
Using social networks as a recruiting source has been a well-discussed concept for a while, and there has been a definite increase in the number of companies who have jumped on the band wagon. This is matched by the fact that the number of candidates applying for positions from social media sources has also risen over the past year. Posting compelling and authentic content (such as videos, photos, articles or status updates) that provides insight into what it’s like to work at your organisation – information users wouldn’t find anywhere else – continues to aid in attracting the right candidates. Social media provides potential employees with an inside look at your company, creating an exclusive user experience, engaging them and compelling them to want to work for you.
Referral programs
Research demonstrates that word of mouth is perceived as at least twice as credible as advertisements, and this is reflected in the increase of referral programs implemented across different organisations this year. Practicing employee referrals is is showing to be a win-win situation. Firstly, it gives employees the opportunity to act as advocates and suggest suitable talent in the form for friends or acquaintances. Secondly, it reduces the cost to the company as they avoid external vendors. Such employees are rewarded financially and this helps retain the existing talent and at the same time brings a good fit with minimum cost. With proper coordination, employee relationships can easily be turned into employee referrals, leading to better quality hires from employee referrals.
Mobile optimisation
As mobile phones with amazing features spread throughout the population, recruiters are realising that they can be a powerful recruiting media. Currently, 30% of visits to the Seek website are via mobile device which is up 230% over the last 12 months, and is projected to increase two percentage points per month over the next two years. Key focus areas include mobile optimised application processes, mobile video and mobile optimised careers sites. The mobile platform is becoming the dominant communications and interaction platform by early-adopting best-practice organisations, and the capabilities afforded to users of smartphones and tablet devices grows immensely day by day.
e-Recruitment
This year has also seen a rise in the use of e-recruitment software such as SCOUT, not only for access to a streamlined and centralised approach to candidate management, but also to allow organisations to build their own database of candidates which they can later draw on. E-recruitment systems allow for applicants to answer role specific questions and for employers to look for certain keywords in a candidate’s application to see if he or she will be an asset to the organisation in question, among many other things. This is highly important in a candidate short market where good candidates have many options and expect instant response to their applications. HR departments are fast realising the overwhelming benefits of implementing erecruitment software, including savings on time and cost per hire, higher quality applicants and overall increased efficiencies in the recruitment process.
Poaching and Headhunting
With skills shortages, the usage of this tool has skyrocketed. Buying talent, rather than developing it, is one of the latest mantras being followed by organisations today, and recruiters are relying on headhunting and poaching to target competent and experienced passive candidates and try to convince them to join their company. Organisations are finding that they can attract talent from other firms by offering attractive pay packages and other terms and conditions, better than the current employer of the candidate.
Gamification
This year, gamification has provided us with a new and innovative way to crowdsource. The power of gamification comes down to this – it taps into the competitive spirit we all have as we play a game, leading to consumers becoming more engaged and feeling a greater sense of accomplishment as they go the extra mile. One of the key advantages of using gamification in recruitment relies on the fact that not only will candidates be coming back regularly to interact with your brand, but they will be acting as advocates. A good gamification strategy has users encouraging friends and family to engage too, so they are essentially acting as recruiters themselves. As an example, Marriott created an excellent recruitment campaign to attract potential employees – using an online game entitled My Marriott Hotel. It was created with the intent to encourage young people to take an interest in hospitality as a career path. The virtual environment drove traffic to their Facebook career page, which currently has 127,471 likes.
If your organisation needs help in recruitment marketing or attracting, screening and retaining skilled labour, Employment Office can help. Contact us on 1300 366 573 to find out how!
