September 27th, 2018
One of the growing challenges on the employment market is attracting young talents with a dedicated graduate recruitment campaign. Coming up with an effective strategy involves choosing the right mix of channels through which you can reach your desired audience.
The sourcing entry-level candidates should start way before they actually access the employment market. Engaging with them by providing dedicated internship programs or campus visits will build a strong core of your graduate recruitment strategy, but those are not the only ones. During the last 12 years we have tested multiple ways of communication with all sorts of candidates. Based on our experience, we will take you through must-have channels you should utilize while running a recruitment campaign dedicated to graduates and students.
Check out this case study for a national graduate recruitment campaign by Renault.
Coffee talks
Turns out, in the age of technology offline networking is highly valued. Especially for young people who lack professional connections and wish to interact with potential employer in a safe and friendly environment. Setting up an event like Coffee Talks is a perfect way to meet talents face to face and showcase what your company is all about. Informal character of the meetings and small but carefully preselected audience is an advantage that pays off in quality hires. This event is a must to include in your graduate campaign if you wish to build solid relations with quality applicants and taste great coffee on the side.
Career portals like Hipo.ro are becoming increasingly popular for brands, and likewise, they have become an effective way for organizations to raise awareness and mark their spot on the employment market. Online applications via job boards enable recruiters to access a pool of talented applicants and target them with their opportunities. From our experience banners featured on Hipo.ro are very effective or you can even go further and boost reach of your campaign by creating a dedicated microsite for your company in order to gain more exposure and measure the effects.
If you decide to attend such an event and your focus are graduates and students make sure you put in focus the social aspect and give visitors a chance to connect with current employee or, if possible, a trainee who can talk directly and share his/her experience. Getting to know potential coworkers face to face is priceless in building authentic candidate experience. Every year, beside the professional audience, events like Angajatori De TOP are attracting thousands of grads and students who are setting their first steps on the job market. The way you present company will have a crucial impact on awareness of your employer brand among the young generation.
Social Media
Engaging with candidates on social media is a very effective way to reinforce your campaign and create a strong employer brand in their eyes. You can see social platforms as a space for building deeper connections with your audience. Aside from posting your job listings, start displaying your company culture – post photos of your employees, company events and blog posts written from the perspective of your employees or CEO. Also, you can make sure that your campaign is reaching the right audience by incorporating pay-per-click campaign in which you have option to pre-define the right profiles of candidates you want to communicate with.
Campus presence
Well taught presentation or a special event that reflects your company vision will put your employer brand in spotlights and create awareness among entry-level candidates. Another effective way to grab attention of students is being promoted in employer guides distributed on the campus. For example, Ghidul Angajatorilor is a nationwide publication that features brand ads, latest job openings and career articles, providing useful information for every student. Having your message featured in this type of publication will build a foundation for future recruiting and hiring efforts.
Video
Videos are a powerful way to communicate with entry-level candidates during your campaign. It can reduce the fear of the unknown by showcasing the true employer experience viewers can relate to. Make sure the stories of your employees reflect with company culture and cover people going through all different stages of their career. It’s important to give it a natural and conversational touch and show dynamic of the work environment at your organization.
Newsletters or Job alerts
From our experience newsletters is the most efficient channel in terms of converting applicants you have already interact with. Newsletter should inspire candidates to envision a career with you, and depending on their stage in the candidate journey, drive them to apply for your jobs. Utilizing this channel don’t require much effort, but on the other hand your message can get lost in the communication traffic. That’s why you should take a creative approach and come up with a catchy subject line so the candidates will be tempted to read into it and follow up with a call to action.
Relevant content
Publishing relevant content is unique by itself because it doesn’t focus on selling a job, unlike banners or job ads. Wrapping up your recruitment message in interesting story might reach your target audience in a subtle yet powerful way. When done right articles can help form authentic image of your brand. It’s important to find sweet spot between being informative and intentional while doing it. That’s why you should leave the corporate jargon far behind and adjust to the style of publication you will be featured in.
While coming up with a creative graduate recruitment campaign you have to think not only where young people go but also where can you find the profile you wish to convert. Using a multi-channel approach can be a powerful way to increase awareness of your employer brand and secure talent pool of young talents. Years of experience gave us ability to define the right mix of channels based on the individual needs of our clients. It would be great to learn more about your next graduate recruitment campaign! For future collaboration, please contact us at angajatori@catalyst.ro
