New research from ERE Media finds contentment among job candidates — a measure of how they feel about the hiring process and the candidate experience overall — continues to decline and candidate resentment remains higher than a few years ago. Other recent recruitment data shows almost 96% of people who applied to jobs online didn't finish their online application, a trend that runs across industries.

It's all leaving many employers with reduced candidate pools, missed opportunities to secure top talent, and employee engagement, productivity, and business performance at risk.

Today more than ever, attracting top talent requires more than just a standard job posting. Recruitment marketing has emerged as a strategic approach to finding, engaging, and nurturing candidates before they ever apply. HR professionals, recruiters, and hiring managers who want to master this evolving discipline to significantly elevate the quality of their hires and improve overall recruitment efficiency can benefit from following nine critical steps in developing a successful recruitment marketing strategy supported by research, data and today's technology.

1. Leverage Your Employer Brand

In today's competitive job market, it's essential to have a strong employer brand that resonates with potential candidates. After all, it's the first perception of your organization for a job seeker and includes elements such as company culture, values, and employee satisfaction.

A critical consideration is that your brand be accurate — from describing your company culture to your employee benefits. One Gartner study found that nearly 90% of job candidates said they have exited a hiring process due to at least one mismatch with their own preferences around the company's employee value proposition (EVP), which includes compensation and benefits as well as things like flexibility in working hours, career pathing, skills development, team diversity, and management style.

Your recruitment marketing strategy should ensure you showcase your employer brand through social media, career pages on your website, and employee testimonials.

2. Define and Understand Your Target Audience

Before you start promoting your job openings, it's important to identify who your target candidates are. This will help you understand their needs and preferences, what motivates them and where they spend their time online. This way, you can tailor your recruitment marketing efforts for greater effectiveness.

Conducting candidate persona research is a useful technique for creating a detailed profile of your ideal candidate. Consider factors such as demographics, career objectives, preferred communication channels, and the factors that most influence their job choice. By tailoring your recruitment efforts to meet the specific needs and behaviors of your target audience, you can ensure your messaging resonates and attracts the right talent to your organization.

‍

Read full article here