Recruitment is just marketing by another name
Recruitment is often seen as an HR task. After all, it involves writing a job ad, putting it on a job site, waiting for people to apply, interviewing a few candidates and then offering the job, hopefully, to the right person.
But what if we looked at recruitment a little differently? What if we thought about recruitment as simply being marketing by another name?
Think about it. Marketing is about getting the right type of people interested in your product or service. It’s about making sure they understand why you’re different to everyone else out there and encouraging them to choose you.
And isn’t that exactly what you want to achieve with your recruitment process?
Getting the right people to apply
Good recruitment isn't just about getting lots of applications. In fact, we would argue the fewer you receive the better. Why? Because you want the right people to apply, and the wrong people to think “this isn’t for me”.
And this means getting your job ad right. Obviously, you need to be clear about what the job entails, the skills, experience and qualifications needed, and location but also outline anything that might put people off.
If the role involves working every Saturday, say so. If it's office-based five days a week, make it clear. If there is no flexibility around working remotely, don't imply there is.
Being upfront about these details might discourage people from applying, but that's a good thing. You don't want to spend time sorting through applications from people who wouldn't accept the job anyway.
The aim is to attract people who are genuinely interested in the role.
Be transparent about salary
One of the simplest ways to lose good candidates is to leave the salary off the advert.
People want to know whether a job is financially realistic for them before they spend time applying, so always include a clear salary range or an exact figure. And if you're prepared to pay more for an exceptional candidate, say so.
And here’s a useful piece of advice: if you get the job description right, and the job sounds good enough, you can often get away with offering a lower salary.
But if you’re reluctant to advertise a salary because you're concerned about how it might look to your existing employees, it’s worth asking yourself why. You should be able justify why you’re offering that salary.
If you can’t, then you potentially have a bigger problem.
Stop relying on job boards to do all the work
Job boards can be useful, but putting a vacancy on a website and hoping the right person finds it isn't really a recruitment strategy.
Also, some platforms use a pay-per-click model, meaning you can quickly spend a significant amount of money simply getting people to your advert. The problem is a lot of those people won’t be the right ones, so you’ll just be wasting your budget.
Instead, think about where your ideal candidate is and what would make them want to work for you, which brings us nicely back to marketing.
Sell the job
When you advertise a product or service, you don't simply list what it is. Instead, you explain why someone should buy it, and what makes it exceptional. Recruitment should work in much the same way.
Don't just tell candidates what they'll be doing. Tell them why they should want to do it.
What is great about working for your business? What will they learn? What difference will they make?
And remember, you’re not just selling the job, you’re also selling your business as a fantastic place to work. So, talk about what makes your workplace difference, your culture, your values and why people love working there.
A great job advert should leave the right candidate thinking: “That sounds like somewhere I'd like to work.”
Your recruitment advert is marketing your business
What people often forget is your recruitment ad isn’t just seen by future employees. It’s also seen by potential customers.
It might be someone who has already heard of your business or someone discovering it for the first time. Either way, your recruitment process is another opportunity to tell people who you are, what you do and what you stand for.
So, rather than treating your job ad as a form that needs filling in, think about it as a piece of marketing.
Tips for writing job ads
Like all marketing, there is an art to writing a job ad if you want to attract the right people to your business. Over the years, we written a lot (and we mean a lot!) of recruitment ads for our clients, so here are our tried and trusted tips.
Think about the type of candidate you actually want to attract
Write the ad with that person in mind
Tell people what makes the job worthwhile
Be honest about the less attractive parts of the role
Be clear about salary
Don't be afraid to show a bit of personality.
Remember, recruitment isn't simply about filling a vacancy. It's about selling your business to the people you want to work with.
If you need help putting together a job ad or would just like some advice about recruitment in general, then get in touch. We’d be delighted to help find the right person to join your team.
