Alexandra Petrini, Director of Marketing at OneWire

Recruitment marketing is the name of the game this year and creating a killer employer brand should be a top priority for your company in 2018.

As the director of marketing at OneWire, I’ve become an expert at marketing jobs to both active and passive talent. Trust me when I tell you that the companies with the highest applicant rates have had incredible employer brands to back them up.

So what goes into creating a great employer brand? Employee reviews, career pages, word of mouth – all of these work together to create a public perception of what it’s like to work at your company (similar to how a company brand is the public perception of your product/services). A lot of these factors can be out of your control, so it’s important to build your employer brand with the three ingredients you can.

A Careers Page

Recruitment marketing is all about capturing the right talent at the right moment, but converting passive talent can be a tougher ask. People looking at the careers section of your website should have a clear idea of what it’s like to work at your company. A featured video, employee testimonials, mission statement and company values are all great ways to help candidates form a perception of what it’s like to work at your company over others.

You should also have company pages on all social media and relevant job outlets to ensure your brand has a presence for both active and passive jobseekers. If you have a OneWire company page, we recommend showcasing photos, videos, documents, and links that explain why a candidate should work for your firm.  I’ll be sure to share more extensive tips for creating a careers page down the road. For now, your careers page should have links to your open jobs and a link to join your talent community for future hires at the minimum.

Compelling Job Posts

Job descriptions account for the majority of touchpoints you have with relevant candidates. As such, they’re your best bet for converting talent into applicants.  However, the average jobseeker spends less than a minute reading a job description (crazy, right?). In that minute, you need to capture their attention and answer the question, why work here?

Include a brief overview of your company at the top of your job description. The key word here is brief. I’ve seen companies write upwards of three paragraphs describing the company, business unit and team and I can tell you right now that jobseekers aren’t reading it. Highlight any awards you’ve received and a sentence or two about the culture/work environment and leave it at that. There are plenty of ways to create an eye-catching job description without being long-winded. Formatting, bullet points, links to videos and social channels are all great ways to do so.

The Right Audience

A great careers page and compelling job posts provide the foundation for a strong employer brand. Now it’s time to share that brand with the right audience. Your marketing efforts could vary from role to role but it’s important to treat your employer brand as its own product. When choosing your audience or marketing outlet, ask yourself these questions. Will people be looking for jobs on this site? And are they looking for jobs in my company’s industry?

Many industry-specific or job search sites offer advertising products that include traditional brand advertising, email marketing campaigns and more. Financial services firms, for example, should have a strong presence on OneWire where financial services professionals are always looking for their next career move. In response to the growing demand for recruitment advertising, we’ve been working with companies to create custom advertising campaigns based on their needs. Whether they’re looking for applicants, looking to build a talent pipeline, or looking to further build that public perception, this brand exposure is necessary to capture talent now and down the line.

Remember, an employer brand isn’t just about attracting the best talent. It’s about attracting the best talent for your firm. Every company is different. Focus on what makes your company unique and advertise it across your careers page, job descriptions and your marketing efforts.

Creating an extensive recruitment marketing program is not easy but don’t worry, I’ll be here for any help you need. Stay tuned!

– Alexandra

Interested in learning more about our advertising options? Contact us to learn more.This post originally appeared on the OneWire Resources blog.