Attracting Top Talent: A Guide to Successful Recruitment

Attracting Top Talent: A Guide to Successful Recruitment

In most cases, and for most job openings, recruiters want to secure top industry talent for their open roles. Why? Beyond being the most qualified or suitable person for the position, top performers come packaged with an array of benefits that can give organizations a competitive advantage, improve company culture and help develop organizational leadership.

But attracting and retaining the most befitting employees is easier said than done. So, what exactly are the best ways to ensure you’re attracting the most qualified individuals? And, what does an effective and successful recruitment strategy look like?

Here, we’re breaking down the basics required of a solid recruitment strategy to ensure you’re getting your money’s worth not just out of your newly recruited, talented employees but your hiring efforts, too.

The Basis of a Strong Recruitment Strategy

There’s more to attracting, sourcing and securing top talent than simply posting a job listing. Even if it’s well-written and alluring, there are always others that are more so. This can be especially challenging for smaller organizations looking to get on the same playing field as their larger corporate counterparts.

Hiring managers must not only curate their job listings to a tee but also their strategies to identify and attract those most suited for a particular role. If you’re unsure where to start, or where it went wrong for your organization, start with these seven recruiting basics and get them right:

1. Identify Your Needs

You can’t fill a ravine with water and expect it to be as easily traversed on foot then if there were a bridge instead. Before you go looking for candidates, you first need to identify what you need to help your organization succeed.

This involves collaborating with relevant stakeholders to:

  • Define job requirements and expectations.
  • Clearly understand the specific skills, experience and qualities desired from the ideal candidate.

Once everyone is aligned on the best way to proceed, you can start building the hiring bridge.

2. Attracting Qualified Candidates

To attract the right people, you need to create compelling job descriptions and employer branding strategies. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Clearly stating the company’s values.
  • Effectively communicating your culture.
  • Identifying and making evident the growth opportunities with your organization.

Doing these three tasks the right way will help you attract high-caliber candidates.

3. Sourcing Qualified Candidates

In a perfect world, highly qualified candidates seeking employment would deliver themselves straight to your front door. Unfortunately, hiring isn’t that easy and, oftentimes, top talent needs to be head-hunted. Hiring managers should leverage various sourcing channels, including job boards, social media platforms, professional networks and even industry-specific events, to proactively seek out qualified candidates. A passive candidate is someone who isn’t actively searching for new opportunities but would be happy to entertain an attractive offer.

What Do Top Candidates Want From Organizations?

Before jumping into more concentrated efforts that will help you land top talent, let’s take a look at what job seekers actually want from their prospective organizations. While fair and just compensation is still highly important for a lot of candidates, especially top talent, other elements are equally, if not more important.

For example, a recent study revealed that 91 percent of new hires who received quality culture training felt more connected to the organization than those who didn’t—underscoring the importance of a healthy, active culture for new and prospective hires. Culture training involves educating and familiarizing new hires with the values, norms, beliefs and behaviors of your company’s culture. It’s not just about learning the job tasks or responsibilities; it’s about understanding the organization’s ethos and how to thrive within it.

This often involves training about how to effectively handle challenges within the organization and be a strong leader, as well as expectations for collaboration; diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and more.

Beyond culture training, here are a few more nice-to-haves in today’s market that can bolster your organization as one worthy of employing the most talented candidates in your industry:

  • Strong offer letters
  • A streamlined and engaging hiring process
  • Evident opportunities for professional development
  • Strong work-life balance
  • Open and honest communication

How To Attract Top Talent

Great, so we know how to get the basics right and what job seekers truly want from their prospective companies. Now, let’s streamline, optimize and condense everything we’ve learned into one actionable checklist that will surely help you secure the right people for the jobs at hand.

1. Develop A Strong Employer Brand

You attract what you exude. When your brand communicates enticing qualities like excellence, transparency and drive, you’ll inevitably entice like-minded people who wish to work for such a strong, reputable company.

In terms of recruiting, here are a few to-do’s:

  • Define your employer value proposition (EVP): Identify what makes your company unique as an employer.
  • Craft a brand message: Develop a clear, concise and compelling message that communicates your EVP to potential candidates.
  • Build a strong online presence: Leverage social media platforms to share employee stories, company achievements and behind-the-scenes glimpses of your workplace.
  • Provide an exceptional candidate experience: Ensure a seamless and positive experience for each and every potential candidate throughout the recruitment process — which translates into a better employee experience if you play your cards correctly.
  • Invest in employee well-being: Prioritize employee well-being by providing work-life balance initiatives, mental health support and wellness programs.

2. Write Compelling and Detailed Job Descriptions

No one wants to be left guessing after reading a job description. Clear, compelling posting should include:

  • A clear title that’s representative of the role.
  • An engaging overview of the job.
  • Key responsibilities.
  • Requirements and necessary qualifications.
  • Salary information.
  • Expected working hours.
  • Information about company culture.

3. Use More Than One Sourcing Channel

Casting a wide net is key to attracting more talent. The larger your sample size, the more likely you are to catch qualified candidates. This is especially important for small businesses that, by default, aren’t on the same playing field as their larger counterparts.

To do this effectively, post your job openings on popular job boards, industry-specific websites and social media platforms to maximize visibility. But, instead of doing all of this manually, use an applicant tracking system that can cast the net for you.

4. Offer Competitive and Creative Benefits

According to research by the Harvard Business Review, 60 percent of employees say the cost of going into the office outweighs the pros. That being said, one of the most important benefits employers can offer in 2024—beyond insurance and the like—is a well-balanced hybrid working model.

This and other creative benefits, such as student loan assistance programs, more paid time off and funding for professional development are all attractive incentives for today’s workforce.

5. Emphasize Career Development

According to a 2023 study by LinkedIn Learning, providing learning opportunities is the number one strategy for retaining top talent employers can use. This is important because, when you secure top talent, you want them to stick around.

For recruiting, this means:

  • Highlighting growth opportunities from the get-go
  • Building attractive and effective training and career development programs
  • Actively encouraging continuous learning
  • Providing adequate mentorship and coaching
  • Conducting performance reviews and providing actionable feedback

6. Commit To Continuous Improvement

You don’t have to get recruiting right on the very first try. Each organization is different, and depending on the type of industry you’re operating in and what your ideal candidate looks like, your recruiting strategy can change. But that’s the beauty of it!

The easier you can make the hiring process on yourself, the quicker you can adapt your recruiting strategy to fit the needs of diverse candidates — no matter where they are in the talent pipeline.

Streamline Your Hiring Process For Success in Securing Top Talent

It all starts with advertising and recruitment marketing. Create a compelling job posting and cast it out to hundreds of popular and niche job boards in one click.

From candidate sourcing to retaining top talent, Applicantstack makes it easy to quickly scale your team or fill niche roles without any of the hassle associated with traditional, drawn-out hiring practices. Text-to-apply functionally puts control back in candidates’ hands: While they continue their job search, you can start reviewing resumes.

These features, and many more, are what make Applicantstack the premier choice for streamlining your hiring process to attract the most high-quality candidates for your team. Interested? Try it for free today.

Using Paid Online Advertising for Recruitment Marketing

Using Paid Online Advertising for Recruitment Marketing

Connecting job seekers with hiring managers happens in a variety of ways. Word-of-mouth, networking, promoting from within, cold calling: these are all tried-and-true methods to find candidates for open positions. The speed of technological advancement has changed the hiring landscape and demands that hiring managers look to new methods to reach a wider audience.

According to a survey done by The Cambridge Jobs Board, 85 percent of job seekers reject the popular recruiting websites that bombard with relentless messages and impersonal communication. Those disenchanted job seekers may be uniquely prepared to be reached by thoughtful and powerful recruitment marketing.

Does Advertising Jobs Online Work?

Online job marketing is a $36 billion dollar industry. The sector has seen a 15 percent increase in growth since 2015. So how can your business claim a piece of that hiring pie? Go where the people spend a huge majority of their time.

Online advertising for recruitment requires a diverse skillset: some marketing knowledge, some recruiting knowledge, and the ability to sell your company to a wide variety of eyeballs. Done well, your ad may reach an active job seeker and a disenchanted worker who becomes inspired to make a job switch.

Kepios estimates that 62.3 percent of the global population are active consumers of social media. That’s an astronomical pool to pull from. Even if your small business is really only looking to cover a smaller region of job seekers, that stat suggests your recruiting pool will be active social media users. 

Statistics to Know About Your Recruiting Pool

Before you jump headfirst into creating paid advertising, consider defining the non-negotiables for your recruiting pool. This way your ads can be sure to reach out to the right candidates. You can identify metrics with market research, surveys, and analytics. In the modern world, personal data is valuable currency. Here are some of the many metrics to identify and tailor your ad dollars to the right pool.

  • Where are they located? Is the position remote? Is it in-person? You might want to tailor your ad to specific time zones or even cities to reach candidates who are able to meet this criteria.
  • Education level required. This metric can help you choose which social media platforms to use; ones tailored mainly to teenagers won’t give you candidates with a required Bachelor’s degree.
  • Where do they spend their time online? Tools like the Pew Research Center can give valuable insight into where various demographic groups spend time online.
  • Specific interests associated with your brand. Knowing candidates’ interests can help you parlay that positive association and experience into work.

How to Craft a Compelling Recruiting Ad

Follow these steps to craft a more appealing ad for recruiting.

  1. Start with this question: What does the job seeker want to know? This requires understanding some basic metrics which you can acquire from each individual social channel you’re using. 
  2. Choose the right platform. Use statistics and demographic information to make sure you’re targeting the ideal candidate.
  3. Deliver a punchy message within the first 10 seconds of the ad. Use graphics and word choices that define the value proposition for the viewer immediately. Give just enough information about your company to inspire further engagement.
  4. Focus on SEO. What keywords will put this ad in front of the right eyes?
  5. Define the Call to Action: “Click to learn more” or “Click to apply” for example.
  6. Link the ad to a landing page that is also easily scannable and inviting. Include clear descriptions of requirements, instructions for applying, and information about company culture.
  7. Critically evaluate your conversion data to figure out where you need to make tweaks to the ad itself or to the platforms where you share it.

Online Advertising Platforms to Consider

When you’re trying to stretch your advertising dollar, it’s important to know the pros and cons of the popular online platforms for reaching your targeted audience. Pew provides some important insight:

  • LinkedIn is more popular among those with advanced degrees. 51 percent of adults said they have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher, compared to 10 percent with a high school diploma or less.
  • Pinterest is used by more women (46 percent) than men (16 percent).
  • YouTube is the most widely used app by people of all ages: 95 percent of adults age 18 to 29 use it, 91 percent of those age 30 to 49, and 83 percent of those age 50 to 64.
  • Facebook has the lowest usage from adults age 18 to 29 at 70 percent, with the highest engagement coming from the 30 to 49 age bracket at 77 percent
  • Instagram users in America are 52 percent Hispanic, 49 percent Black, and 35 percent White.
  • Snapchat is almost entirely the domain of young people, with 65 percent of adults age 18 to 29 compared to 24 percent of those 30 to 49.
  • YouTube and Facebook are nearly equally used by urban, suburban, and rural Americans.
  • The data suggests that the majority of users visit their platforms of choice every day.

Demographics are a great place to start. After that, most social media sites provide very robust report options that can be customized to the specific metrics that are most helpful for your hiring process. Meta offers stats like reach, impressions, frequency, and clicks among many others. On YouTube, metrics include view rate and if the video was played to 25, 50, 75, and 100 percent. 

Manage Your Applicants With ApplicantStack

The sheer volume of reported metrics can be overwhelming to parse and sort. A tool which ties these important metrics to individual candidates helps connect this important work with humans that can fill your open positions. Within ApplicantStack, you can record the results of your marketing recruiting efforts. Each metric becomes a potential valued member of your team. You can also take advantage of the integration with Indeed to utilize the Sponsored Jobs feature and get in front of a wider audience.

9 Helpful Steps to Speed Up the Hiring Process

9 Helpful Steps to Speed Up the Hiring Process

The ever-changing job market demands that businesses of all sizes adapt to find the best candidates in the hiring pool. Speed of hiring can make or break a job seeker’s experience with your company. According to The Society of Human Resource Management, it can take between 24 and 36 days from application to offer, numbers that can seem daunting to a company looking to grow and fill open positions.

A thoughtful analysis of your company’s hiring practices can reveal some places where you might be unknowingly hitting the brakes. Here are some steps to help you speed up the hiring process.

Write Thorough Job Descriptions

Attract top talent through honest and accurate job descriptions. Especially if you’re recycling previous descriptions, examine the language for vague clichés or missing responsibilities. Make sure benefits and compensation are clear, and that you give some information about company culture or unique things about your business.

Most people can figure out what it’s like to work at Apple, but the features that make your small business special may not be as easy to find on Reddit or Glassdoor. Let your description act as a marketing tool. It needs to attract candidates fast. Don’t let precious days pass between posting and receiving applicants.

Update Your Social Media and Website

Once you’ve piqued a candidate’s interest, their next step is likely checking you out on social media and your website. It’s easy to lose an interesting candidate who gets turned off because your last Instagram post is two years old or your website still features an announcement about Covid closures. Social media is useful for helping people understand your company culture, highlighting products or initiatives, and even advertising for open positions. It’s good for your public-facing media to not look abandoned.

Scrutinize Your Application Process

When was the last time someone from your company test-drove the application process? An internal review can reveal sections where a potential candidate may get bogged down. Make sure your tech works properly at each step. If you encourage applications through a web form, check that all the information transfers to the right people in a timely manner. Give job seekers details like what kind of documents are preferred or allowed, any file size limitations, or required information. Try to identify points in the process where someone might get discouraged or abandon it altogether. A clear and simple experience means an expansion of your pool and the ability to act quickly.

Invest in Automation Technology

You’ve got a brilliant job description and a streamlined application process: now what to do with all the data? Automation technology like ApplicantStack helps you avoid an overwhelmed inbox or a messy spreadsheet. Open jobs are laid out in an easy-to-view grid with many ways to proceed from there. Sort candidates by referral source, suitability rating, and dates to keep on top of interview scheduling, contacts, and overall view of your candidate pool. You can set tasks and deadlines that ensure nobody falls through the cracks. Handle simultaneous hiring timelines with ease, cutting down significantly on time to hire.

Keep an Open Mind for Potential

Qualifications for a job are the gold standard for advancing a candidate through to the next step. But the job pool may be full of underqualified people (on paper) who may fit in well with your company culture. Putting them on the back burner or dismissing them outright while waiting for the perfect candidate can waste precious time. Valuing potential can be very productive to the hiring process. If a person gives you every indication they’re capable of learning and adapting to something new, it might be worth giving them an opportunity sooner rather than later.

Avoid a Drawn-Out Interview Process

Hiring managers and job seekers are equally invested in the time to hire from first interaction. Along with scrutinizing your job descriptions and hiring protocols, consider the effectiveness of your interview practices. In the modern job market, phone calls and videoconferencing are ideal for preliminary interviews. They save time and travel expenses and serve as a useful tool for first impressions and determining next steps. 

The ability to conduct multiple interviews in a day means faster movement through the process and gives in-person priority to serious candidates. Faster decisions also means faster communication with your candidates, which can keep them engaged and at lower risk of ghosting you or dropping out of contention.

Keep Communication Open

Notifying candidates about their place in the process ensures an open dialogue that benefits both sides, even if the end result isn’t an offer. Looking for a job usually means a fair amount of uncertainty as a candidate juggles companies’ various application and interview processes. Clear communication about next steps and dates is always welcome. A well-timed email of assurance in between can go a long way in showing your company’s interest.

With texting capabilities built right in, ApplicantStack supports your company’s efforts to communicate and meet candidates where they are—on their phones.

Issue Offers Quickly

Once the hiring managers have made a decision, issue the offer as soon as possible. Every day that passes with a candidate waiting for an answer is a day lost to the process and an opportunity for them to become discouraged by your process or take another job. Even if you decide not to extend an offer, a prompt rejection shows you respect the candidate’s time.

Set Internal Deadlines

Depending on the size of your business, you may have people wearing multiple hats of management and hiring. Organization is crucial to keep the process moving, especially with unforeseen circumstances that inevitably pop up. ApplicantStack includes candidate management functionality, reminding you of deadlines you’ve set and allowing other members of your team to help. It clearly lays out the hiring priorities in a way that makes it simple to spread out the work and keep the process moving efficiently while ensuring everyone involved stays on the same page.

Adapting to changes in the job market demands adaptability from hiring managers. Modern technology gives companies the tools to speed up the hiring process and fill open positions with engaged and enthusiastic workers.

5 Challenges of Remote Onboarding and How To Overcome Them

5 Challenges of Remote Onboarding and How To Overcome Them

The onboarding process can be both intimidating and exciting for employees and employers. However, onboarding in a fully remote environment can make it even more difficult.

In this blog, we’re discussing some of the top challenges a new remote employee might face with virtual onboarding and how organizations can help set them up for success—starting as early in the process as the job posting.

What Is Remote Onboarding?

Onboarding remote employees requires a few key elements, such as introducing, integrating and orienting a worker with a company’s culture, policies and procedures. This happens either entirely or partially through virtual means, rather than in person. 

Remote workers have become much more typical over the last handful of years, with approximately 22 million employed adults working from home 100 percent of the time. With the rise of remote work and distributed teams, many companies have had to adapt their traditional onboarding processes. The process usually involves using various digital tools and platforms to facilitate orientation sessions, training modules, meetings, access to company resources and documentation and more.

Even remote onboarding, which you’d expect to be a fairly uniform process across the board given the inherent limitations, can look different from one organization to the next. However, there are a few main components and onboarding best practices that are to be expected, such as:

  • Virtual orientation sessions: Introduction to company culture, values, mission and policies through online presentations or videos.
  • Digital training materials: Access to online courses, tutorials and documentation to learn about job responsibilities, software tools and processes.
  • Virtual meetings: Scheduled video calls with managers, remote team members and HR representatives to discuss job expectations, goals and performance evaluation criteria.
  • Digital communication channels: Utilizing email, instant messaging platforms and project management tools for ongoing communication, collaboration and feedback.
  • Remote access to resources: Provision of necessary equipment, software and access to company databases.
  • Regular check-ins: Scheduled virtual meetings to assess progress, address concerns and provide additional support as needed.

These could be considered the bare minimum requirements of an onboarding plan. However, to reap the benefits of a truly effective strategy, including better employee retention and a more meaningful employee experience, it’s important to understand common challenges first.

Top Challenges With Remote Onboarding

Surprisingly, only about 12 percent of employees in the U.S. say that their organizations have a good onboarding process — so getting virtual onboarding right can really set you apart from your competition. With an ever-expanding remote workforce, being able to adapt to this new normal will only strengthen company culture over time.

Remote onboarding isn’t without its challenges, just like its face-to-face counterpart. To facilitate the most meaningful remote onboarding experience for new employees, being aware of common challenges is key to developing strategies to overcome them and can help both you and remote hires succeed.

For context, here are a few typical challenges with remote onboarding processes:

Technological barriers

Some candidates, especially older generations, may not be as comfortable with certain technologies as others. Remote onboarding sessions should provide training to help get tech-averse employees up to speed.

Limited personal interaction

Remote onboarding lacks the face-to-face interaction indicative of more traditional working arrangements, where it’s easier to build relationships between new hires and colleagues. In a virtual environment, it can be more challenging for new employees to feel connected to the company culture and other team members.

Lack of supervision

Without direct supervision and timely feedback on their initial performance, new employees may struggle to effectively learn and adapt to their roles.

Disengagement

Remote work can be isolating, especially for new hires who may feel disconnected from their peers and the organization itself. Without the informal interactions and socialization opportunities provided by an office environment, new employees may struggle to integrate and engage with their teams.

Difficulty building trust and rapport

Establishing trust and rapport between new hires and their managers and colleagues can be more challenging in a remote environment. Building strong relationships in these virtual settings requires an intentional effort to foster open communication, collaboration and camaraderie.

Remote Onboarding Checklist: Building An Effective Plan

As an employer interested in hiring remote employees, you should be committed to facilitating success for each new hire in your remote environment.

That means providing the appropriate tools, software, and support that remote workers need to thrive in their new roles. At a high level, that effort also includes committing to and/or developing:

  • Clear communication: Provide clear instructions and expectations for the remote onboarding process, including timelines, objectives and resources. Regularly communicate with new hires through various digital channels to ensure they feel informed and supported.
  • A structured onboarding plan: Develop a comprehensive onboarding plan that outlines the training modules, orientation sessions and milestones new hires will complete during their first weeks and months on the job. Break down tasks into manageable steps and provide access to relevant resources and materials.
  • Feedback and evaluation: Solicit feedback from new hires about their remote onboarding experience to identify areas for improvement and ensure ongoing optimization of the process. Evaluate the effectiveness of the onboarding program based on new hires’ performance, engagement and satisfaction levels.

A Remote Onboarding Checklist For New Remote Hires

Now that you know what your organization should have in place for the best chance at successful virtual onboarding, here’s a checklist that you can provide to employees ahead of the remote onboarding process to ensure they’re fully prepared:

  1. Test your internet connection to ensure it’s stable and reliable.
  2. Ensure you have all the necessary hardware (computer, headset, etc.) and software (messaging apps, project management platforms, etc.) If provided by the company, be sure to reach out to get an idea of when you can expect the equipment to arrive if it hasn’t been made clear.
  3. Confirm contact information with HR and that you have access to all necessary apps and programs.
  4. Designate a quiet workspace in your home without distractions.
  5. Review any onboarding materials or documentation provided by the organization.
  6. Familiarize yourself with the organization’s culture, values and professional standards so you know what to expect as you start the transition.
  7. Prepare to introduce yourself to each new team member you meet.

Remote Onboarding Made Simpler with Applicantstack

Applicantstack streamlines onboarding tasks to get new remote hires integrated into your organization quickly and effectively.

Our software has everything you (and your remote employees) need to succeed, all in one place. Import hires, upload forms, create tasks, set reminders and so much more in a centralized platform that’s easy to use.

Start a free trial today—no credit cards, contracts or downloads required. It’s that easy!

Boost Employee Retention Rates with 5 Actionable Tips

Boost Employee Retention Rates with 5 Actionable Tips

Hiring new employees is a huge time investment. Growing your small business sometimes takes labor from various departments, with hiring contributions from a lot of people. After all that, you want to be sure the new hires stick with you and become valued members of the team. 

Employee retention is a concern in companies of all sizes, but for small businesses, it’s especially vital to avoid costly disruptions. More than just offering a bonus or a perk here or there, employee retention practices start with the first job posting and go well beyond the interviews and job offers. Here are our best tips for better employee retention. 

1. Crafting Clear Job Descriptions

Job seekers likely read dozens if not hundreds of job descriptions. The typical cliché language (“rockstar”, “go-getter”, “team-player”) starts to blur together and might even make a candidate click right on by your posting. From the first interaction with your company, you want a potential hire to stop and feel intrigued, impressed, and interested in submitting a résumé without delay. 

Avoid vague language that doesn’t accurately describe the work or, worse, actively misleads someone. There’s no better way to chase someone off than by revealing a totally different set of responsibilities than what was listed in the posting. 

Rather than recycling old postings with a few changed words, consider taking the time to rewrite in a conversational tone that sounds welcoming and has enough specifics to help the right candidate apply. Share just enough about the company to make you stand out, e.g. the most important product you sell, a tidbit about company culture, or any relevant accolades. Chances are the candidate will seek out your website and social media, but remaining deliberately mysterious doesn’t serve anyone.

ApplicantStack provides an ideal system for creating and sharing job descriptions. You’ll never have to go searching in the cloud for that one missing document ever again. Plus, templates make it easy to save the information you need.

2. Ensuring Salary Transparency

Many companies lean towards always posting a salary range in job postings, particularly those in states where legislation has been passed to require it. Some companies remain squeamish, though, and industry experts suggest “without it, employees—and job candidates—trust those companies less, which in turn could blunt companies’ competitive edge.”

No one is willing to work for free, so an awkward culture around salary discussion and negotiation can be a big reason why you can’t retain valuable employees. Salary transparency goes beyond that initial description in the job posting. It also means your employees are free to discuss compensation without fear of retribution. It means management is willing to discuss compensation matters outside of scheduled performance reviews. Openness around a formerly taboo topic can very well be the reason an employee stays or goes.

3. Providing Access to Flexible Schedules

A Pew Research Study in 2021 found that 45 percent of people who quit a job in 2021 cited “not enough flexibility to choose when to put in hours” as their reason. To be sure, 2021 was a unique time in the world’s history, but for many workers, a flexible work schedule became non-negotiable. There are some jobs where fully or even partially remote work isn’t a good fit, but where possible, a flexible schedule may be the thing that can help you hire an ideal candidate in the first place and keep them satisfied in the longer-term.

It may take some creative thinking to figure out how to transform a former in-person job to something fully remote or hybrid. Chances are, you’ve been applying creative thinking all over the company since 2020. There is real power in negotiation and compromise in helping talented employees stay and give quality work. 

4. Creating Advancement Opportunities

In that same Pew study from 2021, a whopping 63 percent of employees who resigned cited “no opportunities for advancement” as their reason. The ebb and flow of small business growth may mean that day-to-day operations sometimes take precedence over keeping up with employees’ career aspirations. However, based on that statistic, it’s clearly worth some curiosity. 

Though some employees might be an open book when it comes to ambition, others might be quietly harboring resentment that they aren’t approached for raises or moves up the management ladder. Developing a company strategy for frequent check-ins may prove to be one of the most valuable ways to retain employees. This kind of open communication may reveal opportunities for mentorship or even previously unknown skills that are a good fit for other jobs within the company.

5. Offering Competitive Perks and Benefits

An on-time paycheck, health insurance, and a safe space to work are the bare minimum for a company employee. Beyond that, you can show your workers how much you value their efforts by adding in perks and benefits that improve their life circumstances in real ways. Here are some ideas:

  • Wellness initiatives like gym memberships, massages, or complimentary food and drinks at work
  • Work-life balance benefits like generous PTO and sick and family leave, or allowances for time away for appointments or family obligations
  • Personal development opportunities like conferences or classes
  • Paid volunteer opportunities, either individual or as a company
  • Workspace personalization allowance for things like plants, standing desks or walking pads, and freedom for personal decor
  • Commuting assistance for public transportation or fuel stipends

Employee retention depends on people being valued for the complete person they bring to their work. Successful companies need more than just skills and labor. Acknowledging that value begins at the first contact. Subsequent interviews can demonstrate the culture a person is capable of bringing to your company.

ApplicantStack gives you a place to manage candidates, cataloging and keeping track of first impressions. You can get a sense of how a candidate will fit in and whether you think they could be happy in your business. An eye on retention may help you value these soft skills even more than the ones listed on the candidate’s résumé.

Your Guide to Video Recruitment Marketing

Your Guide to Video Recruitment Marketing

Recruitment has become more challenging in the recent past. Between the tight labor market, increased competition for top talent and an aging population, recruiters have faced new difficulties when trying to find and bring on new hires. Helping your company and open positions stand out is critical in remaining competitive and appealing to talented individuals. Explore our guide to video recruitment marketing and the benefits of utilizing video in the hiring process.

What is Video Recruitment Marketing?

Video recruitment marketing is a technique that utilizes video content to outline the hiring process, what it’s like to work for a company and what to expect. Since video is the most widely shared form of content, it’s worth investing in videos to support recruitment efforts.

Creating recruiting videos might involve outlining what the culture is like at the company, as well as emphasizing the benefits of working there. You could enlist the support of current employees, who can become brand ambassadors in their efforts to encourage others to join the team.

What are the Advantages of Video Recruitment?

Video recruitment efforts can bring a number of appealing advantages.

Say more in less time

Videos can say more in a shorter amount of time, as viewers can watch the content quickly rather than having to invest time in reading it. Research indicates that marketers have approximately eight seconds to grab someone’s attention. A video is more likely to achieve that aim than a piece of written content, as the visual movement coupled with engaging sound are attention-grabbing.

Tailor videos for each step of the recruiting funnel

When you tailor different videos to speak to every step of the recruitment process, jobseekers know what to expect. This information can provide valuable insights and keep applicants engaged. By contrast, if your company doesn’t issue any information regarding what to expect in terms of communication and feedback, jobseekers may lose interest or look elsewhere when they don’t hear from the hiring manager.

Utilize video where text and images don’t work

In areas where text and images simply don’t garner much attention, a video can be a game-changer. For example, more than 300 million people spend time on social media platforms daily, browsing and scrolling through feeds. They may not stop on a text-heavy post, but a video that begins playing before they stop scrolling could cause them to pause and watch. Videos shared by friends and contacts on social media are also more likely to get additional views.

Promote brand image

When you want to promote your brand image and look more established, professional video content can support these goals. With relevant, engaging and concise elements, your company can also stand out in a sea of organizations seeking top talent.

Where Can Recruitment Videos Work Best?

There are many different applications where recruitment videos can add a lot of value. These include:

  • On your career site: If your business has an established career site, incorporating video can appeal to those who come searching for open positions. This site is a good place to include video testimonials from current employees and content that emphasizes the culture.
  • In job postings: When applicants get to job listings, they should be able to get a sense of what to expect. Include video content in job postings that is easy to view without navigating away from the application page.
  • At job fairs and conferences: When participating in job fairs and hiring conferences, consider how you can help your business stand out by utilizing professional videos. Show them on a loop on a screen in your booth or provide a QR code that allows potential applicants to watch the videos instantly.
  • On social platforms: As mentioned, millions of people are on social media platforms at any given time. Expand your reach by sharing videos through your social networks and encourage employees to do the same.
  • On video advertising platforms: If you want to put money behind your recruitment videos, consider utilizing advertising platforms geared toward video content.
  • Throughout the hiring process: Share videos with applicants throughout the process to keep them informed and engaged.
  • Through employees: Ask happy and engaged employees to take part in the recruitment process by sharing videos with their friends and family. Internal referrals tend to have higher engagement and retention rates.

Examples of Effective Recruitment Videos

Need some inspiration? Check out a few effective recruitment videos:

Apple

This video is demonstrative of Apple’s culture, focused heavily on innovation and creativity. It showcases what the organization does and the value placed on diversity as employees speak various languages throughout.

Zappos

In the recent past, Zappos has adjusted its culture and management structure, replacing the traditional “boss-employee” hierarchy with self-management opportunities. The company’s documentary-inspired recruitment video emphasizes the importance of culture fit.

Starbucks

With more than 28,000 locations across the globe, the massive coffee chain is among the largest restaurants in the world. In this recruitment video, viewers get a sense of the welcoming, supportive environment where every team member is considered a partner.

Dropbox

This video features the perspective of colorful puppets, creating a quirky video that’s sure to stick in the minds of viewers. The humorous expressions on the puppet’s face also provide insights into the playful company culture.

Manage Your Candidates with ApplicantStack

As you consider how to incorporate video into your recruitment efforts, it’s worth thinking about how your business will manage the influx of candidates as they see your videos and apply for open roles. ApplicantStack is an excellent tool for businesses of all sizes, offering budget-friendly pricing and robust features.

Everyone involved in the hiring process can view candidate status, identify next steps and move top talent through various stages with ease. Keep everyone on the same page while keeping track of notes and recommendations in one place. Additionally, ApplicantStack makes it easy to text candidates. Since texts have a 200 percent higher response rate than emails, you can see the immediate value of this feature.

Check it out and try the hiring platform for free today. You’ll be amazed at how well it can support your video recruitment marketing efforts.