Apply now, apply here, apply today. Apply! Apply! Apply! Many companies focus on the bottom of the recruitment funnel with their main objective being getting candidates to apply for their roles. If this is you stop! You’re doing it all wrong.
Sure, you might receive a few applicants, but are they truly the quality candidates you need? Most companies only use the “apply now” button as their call to action when posting on job boards. On average, there is a 60% drop-off rate for candidates who begin an application with a company. This is often due to lengthy job descriptions, confusing jargon, a lack of mobile-friendly options, and a long list of qualifying questions, among other factors.
If you don’t put effort into your hiring process, candidates won’t put effort into applying for your jobs. While it’s important for talent acquisition and HR to fill positions quickly, what happens when you have openings next month or next year? How do you capture and nurture those candidates for the future, or will you always be in a rush to hire just to get “talent”?
Competing For Talent
The recruitment landscape is getting more and more competitive by the day and competing for top talent using recruitment marketing and employer branding has become the forte for many HR departments. Not applying this process means you are wasting at least 60% of your recruitment marketing efforts, time and budget. Companies are beginning to think about their candidates as consumers.
| 55% of talent leaders see employer branding as the top investment priority in 2017.
Like consumers, they have a variety of choices when it comes to researching and choosing their next career. The only way you will get a candidate to invest their time in applying for your roles is to build a relationship with them before they even begin the process. This allows you to get a competitive advantage over any competition. People don’t apply to companies anymore they apply to brands.
Capturing & Nurturing
Talent pipelines are a great way to capture and nurture candidates. Job advertisements simply are not enough and neither is advertising your roles on your careers page. You need to interact, act like a brand and fill your pipelines with qualified talent before you even begin hiring.
If you go about recruitment marketing and employer branding the right way you will have have the choice of talent instead of preparing for battle on the recruitment landscape everytime you have a job opening. Don’t continue to lose interested candidates and don’t focus on the bottom of the funnel, start at the top!
The future of recruitment is marketing. Be one step ahead of the game.