By Elena Stewart
High turnover and low recruitment numbers are ongoing problems in many industries. So, how do you build a team of skilled workers that are excited to come to work every day? By implementing solid recruitment marketing strategies. Your strategy for recruitment needs almost as much attention as your general marketing strategy, and all forward-facing activities — including recruitment — must adhere to your brand identity. Here are a few sobering stats on the employment market today:
The unemployment rate is 4.8%. While that number is substantially higher than the 3.5% unemployment rate pre-pandemic, it still means a fiercely competitive job market.
Average turnover is 57.3%. It's important to note that total turnover includes employees released by the employer, but it still works out to replacing more than one out of every two workers, every year, and that number has been trending upward for years.
Cost to recruit new employees exceeds $4k. Spending an additional $4,000 on replacing half of your workforce every year is unsustainable, particularly since that doesn't include any spending on training after you make the hire.
With these numbers in mind, recruitment becomes a critical business issue when planning for the future expansion of your business. So, here's a few ways you can expand your recruiting reach with minimal expense.
Hiring or Recruiting: What’s the Difference?
Hiring happens after you've sorted through resumes and had interviews with various candidates. Recruiting is what brings those candidates to the door. Your recruitment efforts help you find the best hires out there. But, attracting top talent often means creating an attractive workplace.
Building an Attractive Workplace
Before delving deep into unusual compensation options or benefits, start by taking a look at your company as it stands. Do your hiring practices match your company culture? Do job seekers looking at your listings get a look at how your company functions? An attractive workplace is subjective, so it's important to be transparent about what potential hires might expect from working with you. HR Daily Advisor recommends implementing employee recognition plans and emphasizing the benefits of your location as a way to add some zing to your recruitment efforts.
Getting Social with New Connections
Social media is a must for any recruitment process. Whether you want to snipe employees with a proven track record in your industry or get the best new grads coming out of a local, industry-specific degree or training program, you need to connect with them as early as possible.
Eye-catching banners prominently displayed on all your social media outlets are an affordable way to funnel talent. Once you've made that social connection, advertising on your own pages means you're one step closer to getting someone to apply. Work with a graphic designer or use an online banner template and personalize it with your text, colors, font, animation, or even video.
Bring Those Recruitment Numbers Up
The right strategy can go a long way toward giving you a stack of quality resumes for every open position in your company. Connecting early and often is a key target when building a recruitment funnel. When your recruitment strategy aligns with your corporate culture and brand, the result is lower turnover and higher productivity. Visit the Agile Blog for more tips.