4 minutes
Use content to capture job candidate attention.
The transition of the labor market into the digital space has been a source of new opportunities as well as new challenges for recruiters. Most job seekers today will use the internet as the starting point in their search for employment, increasingly without the limits of location. This influx of workers into the online labor market has made competition between would-be employers more fierce.
Posting an enticing job offer and waiting for candidates to show up is no longer a sustainable recruitment strategy. Employers now have to offer something extra to potential candidates if they hope to attract top industry talent. This extra ingredient is content. Content marketing already has a proven track record in helping companies meet conversion goals, generate inbound traffic and build brand awareness. And today, content is increasingly being used as a recruiting tool as well.
Read on for a short primer on how you can leverage content marketing to enhance your recruitment strategy.
1. Introduce Your Brand to Prospective Employees
Content—whether a blog on your website, a TV commercial or an online video—is frequently the first point of contact between your brand and your future employees. Use this as an opportunity to introduce potential candidates to your credit union, its values and its mission. Creating a good first impression is essential for igniting the initial spark of interest in a prospective recruit.
Content is an excellent means of telling candidates what your brand is all about. It will make it easier for them to envisage what it means to pursue a career in your organization. In order to leverage content as a point of introduction to your brand, use a strong authorial voice when writing. State your opinions and views clearly, explain how they fit in your overarching brand narrative and be consistent when you present yourself in each piece of content you create.
2. Give a Glimpse Into the Inner Workings of Your Organization
Content is an effective means of showcasing your credit union’s image, but it can also be used for providing practical information. Potential recruits will want to know what it actually means to work there, and you can satisfy their demand by creating content that highlights your day-to-day activities. In addition to providing valuable information, this kind of approach will also give your brand a more human face. For instance, you can create a piece of content detailing your direct marketing production process from start to finish, giving your candidates a taste of what working for your organization actually involves. Or you could record a video of a leisure event your credit union provides for its employees to showcase the living, breathing individuals behind the brand.
3. Offer Industry Insights
Even if your content is not explicitly aimed at potential recruits, it can still be valuable to them in different ways. By providing value free of charge, you will garner goodwill with your readers or viewers whether they are currently seeking employment or not, and this can pay dividends in the future. This is not to say that you should be creating content at random just to please the crowd—a tried and tested approach to pleasing both casual readers and job candidates is to provide insights about your industry. By demonstrating your financial expertise alongside member service, you will strengthen your position as a thought leader and build your brand authority. This will go a long way towards convincing potential recruits that you mean business, nudging them closer to submitting a job application.
4. Include a Recruitment CTA in Your Content
We have established that content is an effective means for generating interest in your employment opportunities, but its usefulness doesn’t end there. Content can also be used to seal the deal by means of a call-to-action. If you are unfamiliar with digital marketing vocabulary, a CTA is a prompt for prospects to take an action that will transform them into customers, or in this case, job candidates. From a marketing perspective, the role of content is to convince a prospect to make a certain decision, and the CTA is the trigger that allows them to act upon it. Typically, a recruitment CTA consists of a link to a web form that allows candidates to enter their personal information and upload a resume or subscribe to a newsletter that will notify them about job opportunities.
Conclusion
Content marketing is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal for getting people involved with your credit union, whether as members or job candidates. It sets itself apart from other recruiting methods by providing tangible benefits to prospects at no extra cost. Content remains king in the age of digital marketing and recruitment; endeavor to harness its power at every opportunity.
Michael Deane writes for Accountant Online. When not blogging (or working), he can usually be spotted on the track, doing his laps, or with his nose deep in the latest John Grisham novel.
