01 Jun Why recruitment isn’t as straight forward as it used to be and what you can do about it.

In a recent survey from The Agency Works almost 50% of agencies specified ‘recruiting talent’ as their key challenge at present. If you add on the additional 20.9% who said that ‘retaining talent’ was currently their biggest headache – it’s apparent that accessing the right people to grow your business is currently perceived as the biggest threat to growth in the digital and creative sector. Let’s put that in perspective, that’s bigger than new business, client budgets and so on. This is not just relevant to marketing agencies, no-one is immune including small businesses and large corporations. If you “do” marketing or digital in some capacity then this will impact you too. That’s a pretty big challenge we have on our hands and here’s a few tips we think will help you to buck that trend.

1) Social, social, social
It’s a fact that socially recruited people have a much lower attrition rate. Facebook is your friend when it comes to recruitment. Social is a great medium to communicate your company culture and create meaningful and emotional connections with prospective candidates. Everyone wants purpose and if you can get a person to buy into yours then you’ve got a huge advantage over your competitors. Candidates want to understand the ‘type’ of people that work for an organisation including the social aspect. They trust their peers more and if a candidate has a good understanding of a company culture BEFORE they apply they are far more likely to accept and stay long term. They have invested in more than just a role – they want to become part of a family. What’s more you can tap into the extensive network of people from your existing employees.

2) Be Creative
Job boards and a LinkedIn page are no longer adequate when it comes to getting a candidates attention. Think ‘visual’ – photos and video are a great way to get key messages across and showcase creative environments. Why not put on an event, perhaps something as simple as a networking drinks gathering. Whatever it is, do something that’s slightly out of the ordinary and will get the attention and respect of high calibre individuals. Make your company stand apart from your competitors.

3) Keep in touch
It sounds obvious but what about the people that didn’t get the job? Whatever you do, don’t let them walk off into the sunset. Make a concerted effort to keep in touch with these people – they may be great for future roles or return a few years later with valuable industry experience. Make this a core part of your recruitment strategy – at the very least they will respect the fact that you made an effort to keep in touch and showed an interest in their careers.

4) Let your team be your army!
Create a team of motivated individuals who will champion your business on a variety of social platforms. Employee led posts have much greater shares than those from a corporate identity. Surprise your team with a cool beer or glass of wine one afternoon, a cake delivery, even a day off – whatever it is you’ll no doubt see a positive reaction on social media. Also make sure your management and marketing team are showcasing awards, client wins, business insights etc.