You probably already heard about recruitment marketing. This new term is becoming more and more popular in the recruitment industry. Before the rise of the internet and all its effects on the job market, marketing and recruitment were two separate fields, belonging to two different departments within a company. However, the two can now be combined. In fact, doing so is becoming necessary to find rare and competent talent. So what are we talking about exactly?
Recruitment marketing isn't totally new because it combines these two professions. In order to fully understand its meaning, we will first go over the definitions of marketing and recruitment.
Commercially speaking, marketing has always been based on the famous 4Ps: Product, Price, Publicity and Place. However, things have changed with the emergence of online sales. Today, influence, innovation and many other parameters must be taken into consideration. We can therefore define marketing as a strategy that allows a company to develop a product that meets the needs of target consumers, while considering its own budgetary and production capacities. This requires prior market research and competitive analysis. The company should also take into account all the constraints of the environment in which it is developing.
Recruitment involves more than just making an employment contract with a new profile. It refers to all the methods and tools that lead to this goal. Several steps must be taken to achieve this, the first of which is to clearly define the company's needs. This allows us to write a clear job offer and to diffuse it on different communication channels. The next step is to receive the applications, pre-select the best profiles and conduct interviews. In short, these are the actions taken to find the candidate who meets all the required criteria: diplomas, experience, skills, soft skills, etc.
Recruitment marketing is about using marketing for recruitment. Today, the most qualified candidates are the most demanding, and rightfully so. Companies are fighting to get them on their team. The competition has intensified. Talent shortages have become a reality for many senior positions.
90% of employees would consider changing jobs if they were offered a position in a company with an excellent reputation. (Source: CRO Magazine)
So, it's best to research the market and analyse the competition before you even define your recruitment needs. In other words, you should know your target candidates' needs first.
The recruiter's next step is to develop a marketing strategy to optimize their recruitment strategy. The goal is to promote the employer brand to convince the best candidates to join the company. Quality talent will not always go to the company that offers the highest salary - even though this is a key factor.
You have to show that your company has a pleasant working environment, that the benefits are interesting, that there is a team spirit, etc. You must humanize the company as much as possible.