From door knob to employer branding - things to consider when recruiting (video blog)

What are the things, that you, as recruiter, should consider, when recruiting?

This time I share 3 ideas that will give you an edge and help to create great candidate experience. Enjoy! :)

How to attract diversities to stereotypical jobs (video blog)

3 hints to employers: how to attract to stereotypical jobs!

Like it in case the information was useful to you, share it with your friends if you think that information in the vlog could be interesting to them as well.

Mobile Recruitment

It doesn’t mean that you always must prepare an humorous job ad to reach desired candidates. However, if your ad is witty and fascinating it would help attract both potential candidates as well as those who find interesting and therefor share and spread it and this way help you to reach your future employee.

With this post I will continue with the topic of mobile recruitment and therefor I hope that it will help to generate more interest in the topic in recruiters.

This time I’d like to introduce to you the topic of mobile recruitment. The ad itself is a few years old but since it was very popular and not too complicated then this is something that probably all of us can take home and implement ourselves.

Small Istanbul-based Tattoo Studio Berrge Tattoo Shop needed a new tattoo artist and published a job advertisement with following description: "new tattoo artist wanted". People who were interested to apply for the job were required to draw the detailed QR code, and then scan it with their mobile device to reach the internet site where they can apply for the job.

At first glance the job ad seems simple and easy, but you wouldn’t believe what started to happen after the ad was published. Even people who weren’t interested of applying to the job tried to fill it just to see where it takes them. It was so popular that got approximately 30,000 likes and shares in Facebook and at the end of the day also suitable employees.

This modest job ad helped to achieve different goals: (1) to reach potential candidates, (2) to advertise the tattoo salon, (3) to do pre-selection among candidates. A small task that is given at job post, will help you to understand is the candidate really interested of the job and ready to go extra mile or is the candidate someone who sends his/her applications to all ads available on job boards. And in this case it helped to assess candidates’ skills, i.e accuracy and drawing skills.

Takeaways,

- Always add a QR code to public job ads in newspapers, billboards, busses, etc that will help potential candidates to reach your career page with their mobile devices;

- Challenge people with your job post, this way you will raise interest and make people talk about your ad.

- Include some pre-selection test to your job ad as this tattoo salon did.

Playful tests

Using the same channels, methods and templates for recruitment, you probably will be contacted by average candidates. To reach special and different audience you need to differ from your competitors. There are plenty of possibilities to differentiate from others, for example your employer brand, recruitment channels that you use, design of your job ad, etc. Basically it is like a small logic exercise: company that uses ordinary job ads - gets ordinary candidates. Company that uses extraordinary job ads - gets extraordinary candidates. Thus, if you use extraordinary job ads, you get extraordinary candidates.

To differentiate from other, employers have used different options, such as comics, formulas, movies, etc. This time I would like to introduce to you a job ad with playful tests.

This is a job ad from HR factory with what they are looking for PRODUCT SPECIALIST for Tallinn Bus Terminal.

To make this post more exiting and to have some internal information also in the post, I was in contact with the recruitment company and asked for their comments.

Kreet Kärner, who is a HR factory consultant who conducting the recruitment process, explained: “I decided to refer to tests since the primary job task of the Product Specialist is testing of T-ticket and T-solutions environments. Job also requires ability to thing mathematically and analytically.

The meaning of Test 1 is to show the directions of the job; meaning: “T”-environment + additional channels that he/she will be using. Therefore also the referral to different web browsers and software (see the icons). The “T”-environment must operate equally well in the smartphones, tablets, as well in PCs.

Test 2 describes major job tasks a little bit differently than it is usually done. Test 3 has a bit different description to candidate’s skills and personal characteristics.

“Are you still with us?” (Oled ikka veel meiega?: in Estonian) question we added to make the end of the ad also more exiting.

“Love to solve Sudokus” (Armastus sudokude lahendamise vastu: in Estonian) is added to urge people, who love science, to apply for the job.

“Love to take bus trips on Tallinn-Tartu route” (armastus /…/ Tallinn-Tartu suunal bussisõitude vastu: in Estonian) – person who will be selected for the job will have frequent business trips to Tartu.

At the end of the ad, where it is written what company offers and how to apply, we have used different social media icons to make these headings more outstanding.”

So as you see, the whole ad is thought out; starting with the design and symbols, ending with the content. Kreet, the consultant of recruiting company, also stressed that this kind of job ad was possible to prepare only because of a good cooperation of the representatives of Tallinn Bus Terminal, who were willing to try something different.

Takeaways,

1. Dare to experiment! In case you feel that ordinary job ads don’t work for you, then it is obviously time to try something different. You can’t expect changes in results when you are doing things constantly the same way!
2. In case you are looking for particular candidates, you must be ready to use different job postings, for example add a video to your job ad, or post your ad in form of comics, or try gamification – there are plenty of opportunities to differentiate from others to target different audience.
3. In case you are looking for people who have good knowledge of science, add some complicated math problem or logic task to your ad.
   
   In case you are looking for innovative people, use innovative solutions in your ad, for example video scribing. Here is a simple model of a logic task. Did you manage to solve that? Let me know the answer!

Facebook vol. 2

This time my post is another proof of the fact that social media plays important role in company’s recruitment process.

I would like to thank Piret  (who is one of my blog followers) who sent me the hint of the ad of today’s post.

And as a call to other reader, please do not hesitate to send me the hints to my e-mail address: helo_tamme@yahoo.com of innovative job ads or recruitment campaigns if you notice one.

Today my post is dedicated to job ad posted by Lottemaa (a new team park in Estonia inspired by the famous children’s book of a playful girl-dog called Lotte).

What I particularly like in this job post is it’s playful approach.

Firstly, instead of writing that we are hiring following employees to positions, they have written that they are looking for cast to following roles, such as Lotte, Bruno, Jaak the fly, etc.

Secondly, visual appearance of the ad – to make the job post visually more appealing, creator of the post has added the images of best-known characters. Although the majority of Estonian population is probably aware of the character, this kind of illustration helps readers of the ad create better associations with the positions.

Remarkable is also the fact that the job ad is at the moment published only in Lottemaa Theme Park website and their Facebook page. Probably they are not looking employees actively, yet, considering the fact that the grand opening is planned on July 25^th, but still… Actually, there is nothing wrong when a company is recruiting only thru social media site. I can only predict that this is something that will become more common in near future. But what is interesting is the fact, that Hana Kivi, who is the Program Manager for Lottemaa has also shared the job ad at her personal Facebook page and it has received over 2000 shares in there. Though company has already more than 4,000 likes in their page, the number of shares in this particular job ad is significantly lower on their page than on Hana’s. So why is this advertisement proven to be so popular? Well, because this Theme Park is something that people care about and what they believe in and therefore the ad has got so many shares.

Takeaways:

-          Use playful approach also in your job ad, in case you are looking for a bit different team mates to your playful team.

-          Use illustrations of characters in your job ad, in case you are looking for cast to different roles. Add also a photo of work place to your job ad, if this differs from usual work places.

-          Get your employees involved to your recruitment process: a job ad that is shared by your employees is more believable and could get more attention that ad that is shared by the company.

Infographic job ad

This time my post is dedicated to the job ad form called infographic job ad; I must admit that I haven’t met such ad in Estonia, so I am especially excited to share it with my Estonian readers.

Since it doesn’t have an official translation, I propose my own word – ‘infograafilne töökuulutus’. To those, who don’t know what it means, here is a short definition; it is graphic visual presentation of data to present also complex information more clearly and quickly.

The example infographic job ad that I’d like to present to you today is taken from Careth Lloyd’s website. Thank you to Gareth, who was kindly letting me to share this ad with you and also agreed to answer some of my questions related with the ad.

Gareth explained that with this ad they got different response than with traditional ads: ‘I would say we got less candidates through the infographic ad than a traditional ad. The candidates were not necessarily better - but they were definitely different people to normal - more of the so-called "passive" jobseekers, and more people who do use social media but wouldn't use a job board.’

I also asked him what candidates’ expression of this kind job ad was: ‘Candidates liked the fact that using an infographic was telling them more about the way we thought and operated as a business, and we were willing to experiment.  Candidates did not appear to mind that it had less information than a "traditional" ad.’

Gareth offered channels that he would use to publish infographic job ad would be Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and website.

This fact, that candidates also appreciate innovative job ads, is confirmed by Futurestep (global industry leader in high-impact recruitment solutions) study. The study was conducted in 2013 in eight countries and was examining the impact of innovation in recruitment and talent management. The study involved 4,000 employees and 800 professionals.

In the Survey the participants were asked what impact would a innovative recruitment method have on them:

-          51% agreed that it would make them feel more positively towards the organization.

-          40% agreed that it would make them to find out more information or look at the website.

-          33% agreed that it would make them to refer the role onto others.

-          31% agreed that it would make them more likely to recommend the organization.

-          19% agreed that they would talk to others about the campaign.

How and where to use such job ad in Estonia? Gareth pointed out different channels that company could use to capture so-called passive candidates. But how to reach those potential candidates who are looking for a job; does our job boards support this kind of job ads? Therefore I contacted one of Estonian biggest job board’s CVKeskus. Martin Ivanov, who is the Client Manager in CVKeskus assured that their site supports different job ad forms and that they would use HTML solution to post infographic job ads.

Takeaways:

1.       Do not be afraid of trying different innovative recruitment solutions – job seekers do appreciate it and more likely would apply for the job or would recommend it to others.

2.       Do use infographic job ad would be one option to use innovative solutions in recruiting – this is something that so far hasn’t been used in Estonia (at least I haven’t seen such ad), so this is your chance to be one of the first.

3.       To target so called passive candidates you could use social media sites to post your infographic job ad. If you’d like to target also active job seekers you could post your ad in job board, for instance in CVKeskus.

Stylistics

Though for several years already, I prefer to use internet to read newspapers and news, I cannot deny that for instance customer magazines with special offers I still prefer to read on paper. After all, it is a good reading when you are having your morning (or afternoon) coffee. So last week, when I was looking Selver’s (local Supermarket chain) offers from their newsletter, I noticed their job ad, where they were looking for employees to several positions, such as Service Manager, Category Managers, Cleaners, etc.

To be honest, Selver is not a pioneer in the field when it comes to customer newsletters as recruitment channels. There are also other companies that have used the same method for a while now. However, it is extremely clever method that helps a company to target passive candidates who are currently not looking for a job, but when noticing your ad might consider applying for it.

It is well known fact that a large part of these newsletters are never read since most people just throw them away. This means, that to make more use of the newsletters companies must find some additional use for them to catch this way two birds with one stone.

  

Actually last week wasn’t the first time when I noticed Selver’s recruitment ads. For some time now I have noticed their job ads with new visual and to tell you the truth, I like it. What I like here the most is that they use the same layout in ALL (regardless of the location or position) their job posts, regardless of whether the advertisement is published in job portal or in newsletter.

Though, they do not state the salary of the position in that BAKER’s job ad, but there are plenty of different offerings mentioned in the post that should get attention and create interest in potential candidates. For example, they invite to join to their Sports Club for free of concessional terms, offer more bonus points with their customer program, etc.

In addition, I would like to draw your attention to the words used in the job ad (the ones that are in read and in capital letters, where they state what the job is about, what they offer, etc). Instead that to use for example: “From suitable candidate is expected to have…” (or similar), they use following: “Your job would be…”, “We are waiting for you…”, “We are offering to you”. To use this kind of second person addressee i.e. usage of word “you”, tends to connect potential candidates, makes the ad more personal to them, so that it kind of starts to “speak” with them. Also, the readers of the ad feel, that this job is really meant for me.

The same effect you get when you use words “we” and “our” in job post. Like for instance in this Selver’s ad they have used “We have been in business since…”, “At our place…”, etc. This makes a reader to feel that company opens itself up and introduces itself and expects candidates to do the same when applying for the job.

Takeaways:

-       If your company has customer magazine that you send to your clients either by mail or by e-mail (or by Direct Mail), consider also publishing your job ads in there.

-       Stylistics are important in job ad! Candidates feel more connected with open position when you use word “you” when describing your vacancy. The same recommendation also applies when you are describing your company – try to use first person addresser such as “we” and “us”.

-       You can also use help of Design Company for preparing the advertisement layout and then modifying the contents yourself as needed. To have designed layout in all job posts helps you: (1) to make your job advertisement visually more attractive and differentiate from others, and (2) to impress your candidates. They feel that company has contributed to the ad, which means that filling of the position is probably important to you.