Recruiting and Retention Need Your Marketing Team
Recruiting and retaining skilled employees has never been more challenging. Low unemployment rates have held steady—below four percent for the past two years—which makes for a smaller pool of qualified people looking for jobs and creates a competitive labor market for employers looking to hire and keep good workers.
Companies in all industries, but particularly those in B2B and manufacturing, have been struggling to find good candidates. Even the U.S. military isn’t immune to labor pressures— the Navy, Space Force, and Air Force have all raised their age limits for recruits in order to combat declining enlistment numbers.
In this challenging hiring environment, HR teams are turning to their marketing and communications teams more than ever to raise the visibility of job vacancies. We’ve helped numerous clients increase their recruiting success in this difficult environment, and here are a few topics to consider:
What Is Your Career Page Signaling?
Are you showcasing a strong company culture, great benefits, and opportunity for growth? Or is your company still operating like hiring is easy? A PDF of the same basic benefits offered everywhere won’t cut it in this this market. Your Careers section must showcase your culture, the relationships your employees build, what career paths and training are available, and benefits that go far beyond a 401(k) match.
We helped renovate a client’s Careers page with short testimonial videos from employees at various stages of their careers, photos of staff having fun together at the facility and in the community, and details about the benefits of their wellness programs.
If your HR and Marketing departments aren’t working together to inspire prospective employees, then it’s time to sit down together and develop a new approach.
Location, Location, Location Applies to More Than Real Estate
It’s not uncommon for manufacturing and B2B companies to be located in smaller communities. Especially in manufacturing, living close to work is more convenient and it’s easier to recruit locally than to persuade new hires into relocating.
We recently helped a manufacturer successfully use Every Door Direct Mail program from the United States Postal Service to hire hard-to-fill second-shift positions. Every Door Direct Mail takes the work out of finding a mailing list. You simply select the cities/zip codes you want to reach, along with basic demographic information to see an instant count of the number of households that match your criteria. You deliver your preprinted offer in the form of a postcard or envelope to the local USPS office, and they deliver it to residence.
Mail is effective, but one channel alone is not enough. We complemented the direct mail postcard with billboards placed in strategic locations, local radio spots, community newspapers and job boards. The most satisfying part was knowing when the postcards had been delivered by watching the job application submissions start piling up.
How Active is Your Overall Communications Strategy?
Prospective employees, especially those with sought-after skills and lots of options, will see your overall communications as the pulse of your company. Are you telling them you’re a healthy, vibrant company, or have you signaled the company has flat lined? Are you using messaging that catches attention? Creates interest?
If you can’t recall the last time your website was updated or if your social media presence is dormant, why would a job candidate with skills and options choose your company over others?
Have You Put the Social in Social Media?
Many B2B or manufacturing companies don’t use social media effectively. They may only post sporadically or focus most of their content trying to sell. Refocus your social strategy as a recruiting and retention tool. It’s the perfect venue to showcase the unique culture of your company and the innovators that work there. Spotlight some awesome employees; highlight training opportunities for newer (and seasoned) employees. Share photos of employees serving their community or pursuing their passions outside of the office.
The pressure to find the best talent doesn’t appear to the letting up anytime soon. A strategic, integrated communications program can go a long way in positioning your company ahead of the competition. Let us know if we can help you find those elusive applicants.