7 Steps for a super duper recruitment campaign

To get you focused on hiring the right kind of Surveyor

Now that we have uncovered the recruitment issues, it’s time to turn our findings into a workable plan to address this beast head on.  

My initial plan is to give you a step  by step guide to use for attracting and educating potential employees.  The steps laid out will give you the foundations to start with.  Help you think differently with the information I have uncovered and hopefully give you the stepping stones to start to find people!  

Step 1. Have a process for recruitment; outline what you want.

First and foremost you need to write out what you want, and document all the bits and bobs candidates will find of use.  

What to expect when you work for us! Document that explains your purpose, vision and mission! Make it clear what it feels like, sounds like by providing testimonials and thoughts from current staff members.  Tons more can be found here 

Surveyor businesses miss out on a very critical element when marketing their business so don’t make the same mistake with your recruitment process.  You must be super specific about who the persona is, what they will do and the benefits they will receive.  Outlining the key items and making sure you have addressed them will give you the foundations to hiring the right candidates. 

You want to make it super easy for your candidates to understand the ins and outs of the job, your company culture and what to expect.  Yes, that soft stuff!  

Plus you want to make it clear what you don’t want. 

See our check list here:  “Step 1 Recruitment Marketing Campaign Checklist”  on what to include.  Your Foundations.

Step 2: Set up a seamless landing page

(which you can track through visitor numbers and actions)

A landing page is an essential part of any marketing journey and in this case your recruitment journey. 

Put it in simple terms; it is the digital version of a direct marketing letter.  It should be focused on a particular persona(s) (in this case the ‘Senior Surveyor’ position) and have an outcome ie. apply for the job

You have two elements to a landing page.  The first is for organic search where users find the page from a Google Search Result also known as an organic SERP listing.  Your page MUST deliver on the intent of the query searched and include your brand and what you are offering for it to do well organically.  

The 2nd is a Marketing Campaign where a landing page is accessed via links that are promoted through paid advertising, email newsletters, socials etc.  A marketing campaign is an organised course of action. 

Make sure your online application form is mobile friendly and makes it easy for your candidates to take immediate action!  Don’t make them use extra calories when filling in a form.  Be extra clear on what you want

Did you know that 78% of candidates agree that the experience of the companys’ career portal is important while taking the decision to apply! 

GULP!  

Most of you don’t even have a landing page for your job vacancies.  If you don’t showcase your value, candidates have no visible difference to go on.  Make it super easy for them to chose you;

Download the checklist:  “Step 2 Job Vacancy Landing Page” 

Step 3: Answer all those questions

Basically you want to answer all those questions the candidates will be thinking when they are applying or just looking.

Action: on a flip chart, discuss all the queries you could answer to satisfy your candidates questions.  Write them down

This will not only give the lowdown on things, it will help to build trust because you are sharing key pieces of information, help with search engines finding you and remove some of the donkey work because it’s all on there taking the strain. 

Click link here to download “Step 3 Answer all those questions” 

Step 4: Interviews and building Social Proof

As we know Social Proof is a big ‘swayer’ when it comes to buying anything and that includes buying into you!  So make it super duper easy for your potential workforce to know why – here is your guide to building your proof.

Testimonials from your current staff members like Storm Geomatics.  Get them into videos for smooth seamless watching!

Action: Example from Storm Geomatics Ltd video here:

Step 5 – Planning your recruitment campaign with your marketing hat on

A marketing campaign is an organized course of action to promote / or sell RECRUITMENT (in this case).  Survey Business owners need to think like a marketer in order to see the wood for the trees. 

Your recruitment campaign should fit within your existing marketing communications plan.  It should target a specific buyer persona and attract and educate that persona.  

Survey business leaders need to focus on educating the audience they are targeting.  

“How can we engage people to educate them about what we offer?”

Click here to download the “Step 5 Recruitment marketing campaign checklist” 

Step 6 Get Creative 

Now you have a plan of action and know your why, who, what, where and how.  It’s time to get creative.  With a big fat C.

Recruitment is tough with demand outweighing supply and a mindshift by the employee.  You can’t advertise the same old drivel if you want to attract a new kind of candidate. 

Each Survey business is unique if you think so or not. It is.  

You have to find your uniqueness and communicate it in a way that attracts the right candidates that share the same values and passion.  Survey companies need to get creative.

If you are a small survey firm and the big guys are eating candidates up for breakfast, how do you stand out?  Not every employee wants to be a number on a zero contract deal.  So Surveyors need to get their creative hats on.

Beamerly shares some ‘Off-the-wall’ campaigns that approach hiring problems in unique ways. Creative campaigns have a fabulous strong social currency and a great tactic if you want to go viral. 

Examples of creative recruitment here – see details here 

Think outside the box.  

Action:  Sit with your team and see if you can come up with some fun creative ideas that would attract your ideal personas.  It doesn’t have to be expensive, just creative like using complex puzzles that target your desired applicant.  A great example is GCHQ who used a cryptic message to entice new recruits.  Why don’t you come up with a puzzle in the local paper ‘find the missing coordinate’ – its creative, fun and will boost your brand image.

Step 7 Measure and Control the Journey

Your marketing campaign has an objective and call to action.  There are 4 stages in the process.  These include

1. Grab Attention
2. Educate them – why us?
3. Build relationships 
4. Seal the deal

Surveyors must make sure they have a metric at each of the stages of the journey.  No metric = going blind into recruiting. Do you even know what is happening?  

Click here to download: “Step 7. Measure and Control the Journey”