In today’s job market, applicants are no longer passive participants in recruitment. Gone are the days when they submit their resumes to dozens of companies and hope someone replies.
Back then, candidates’ main source of information about job opportunities were job boards and career websites. They meet recruiters for the first time at job interviews.
This time, things are different; candidates have the power of social media in their corner. They do plenty of research to know more about a potential employer, its culture, and its standing before making first contact.
Because of this newfound power, candidates are more selective about which companies to work for.
Job hunting is like shopping
For applicants, searching for a job is a lot like buying a big-ticket item. Before making the purchase, they research comprehensively to make sure they’re spending their hard-earned money on the right product or service.
Furthermore, candidates are often your customers. How you treat applicants can affect your relationships with customers and your overall reputation. Because of this, recruiters need to compete for the best talent while enhancing the experience among applicants.
In a sense, recruiting is now more like marketing.
How recruiters recruit
Today’s recruiters need to shift their focus and adapt their strategies to more of a marketing approach. To hire the best talent, they need to:
- Attract their audience (e.g. establish their brand, make a job description).
- Go where the candidates are and connect with them.
- Nurture these connections.
It’s through this early engagement that enables recruiters to establish long-lasting relationships.
In fact, the savviest recruiters engage with potential applicants well before a position is even available. This lets recruiters gain the attention of passive candidates – individuals who aren’t actively seeking out a new job.
And this is important: According to a LinkedIn study, 85% of employed people around the world are open to leaving their current job for greener pastures. This broadens recruiters’ search from job hunters to most of the employed.
This all sounds familiar because it’s how marketing works.
Make your recruitment easier
If you want to make your recruitment more effective and hire the best talent, you can team up with Remote Workmate. Unlike freelancing marketplaces and job boards where you do everything yourself, we handle all the heavy lifting for you (e.g. screening, payroll, onboarding).
You can actually choose from our pool of top candidates right away. Simply click the button below to browse a wide range of profiles on our Hotlist page.
