What Salesforce, Google and Hubspot can teach us about recruitment.
It’s time to rethink your recruitment strategy.
The hiring market is changing. Now more than ever, you need to innovate and adapt your approach to talent attraction.
Believe it or not, some of the world’s biggest tech businesses can help you discover how to build your team with confidence. Here’s what you can learn about recruitment from Salesforce, Google and Hubspot.
Finding talent isn’t easy
Right now, the talent market is posing critical challenges for many employers.
In the year to February 2022, 1.3 million people left their jobs, and 22% of these people were working in professional sectors. As high turnover continues to impact organisations, it’s getting harder to hold on to the best people.
As if this wasn’t enough, talent attraction remains a significant obstacle, with 69% of leaders saying they can’t hire people fast enough to fill vacant roles.
Always recruiting, even when you’re not hiring
It’s time to start thinking about recruitment differently. Taking a proactive approach can help you beat the hiring struggle and tackle talent engagement and retention too.
This mission starts long before you’re ready to expand your team. Remember, you’re always recruiting, even when you’re not hiring.
At any given time, 10% of talent are actively looking for a new role, which leaves 90% of people who are not actively job searching but might be willing to make a change for the right opportunity.
Your hiring process shouldn’t wait until your team is desperate for new people. It should begin with authentic, compelling brand building. You need to establish an audience and showcase what you can offer as an employer.
When you’re not worried about hiring the perfect fit right now, you can be confident and intentional about your interaction. Give talent a reason to engage with your organisation and understand your employer brand.
If you are mindful of your brand reputation ahead of time, you can establish an audience for your next job ad when a role becomes available at your organisation.
What you can learn from Salesforce, Google and Hubspot
Market-leading software tools can teach us plenty about what recruitment should look like. How? By showing you the importance of touchpoint marketing.
Recent research from Salesforce shows that it takes between 6 and 8 touchpoints to create a true sales lead. Gone are the days of a one-and-done approach. Your brand needs to engage again and again to leave a lasting impression on talent.
Whether you’re sending an email, reaching out on LinkedIn, sharing a blog post, or simply posting content on social media, an active presence works. The more you remind talent about your organisation and what it can offer to employees, the more effectively you’ll build trust and generate interest.
Evidence from Hubspot indicates that with every outreach attempt up to 8 touchpoints, you’ll increase your chances of getting a response. What does this mean for your employee prospecting strategy? It means that there’s power in persistence and consistency. In fact, communicating little and often can have a greater impact than a curated hiring campaign when a new job goes live.
Making the case for a proactive employer brand
Above all, recruitment is a selling exercise.
Think of your organisation, jobs and the overall employee experience (EX) you provide as a product. Think of your people as your consumers. Like Salesforce, Google and Hubspot, you need to understand the ins and outs of consumer decision-making so that you can use this to inform your talent engagement strategy.
The buyer’s journey is never linear. When making purchasing choices, consumers rely on:
Category heuristics, simplifying offer details and features
Power of now, providing quick gratification
Social proof, using peer reviews to persuade consumers
Scarcity bias, demonstrating exclusivity to optimise desirability
Authority bias, relying on trusted experts reviews and opinions
Power of free, offering free gifts, resources, and lead magnets
When you move to expand your team, you are selling your organisation and your professional offer to people who choose to work the same way that they choose to buy. Communicate clearly consistently. Be present for your consumers. Know what it takes to maximise brand awareness and get people interested in a role at your organisation.
Remember, a fulfilling career is an important pillar in many people’s lives. By being proactive and treating recruitment as marketing, you can give employees the chance to make informed, guided decisions that help them find a future as part of your team.
What next?
If you’re looking for support to get your organisation on track and attract the top talent in the industry, we can help. Contact the Heart team, and let’s get started highlighting the best drawcards of your employer brand.