Hiring Should Be Treated As Marketing

There’s a lot to consider when it’s time to hire. You have to decide what the position needs to do, how much you’ll pay them, where to advertise, and so much more. Yet, one question that often gets overlooked is, “How does our company stand out from other companies competing for the same candidate?”

When you’re first trying to attract candidates, hiring should be seen as marketing. There should be a focus on understanding who our ideal candidate is and how they think. That information is then used in the advertising of the position to attract the best candidate.

Yet, take a look at most job ads. They’re the same. They’re not compelling. In fact, they are often pretty bland. Changing this starts with a shift in changing the way you see recruiting. It should be seen as marketing. And like marketing, you need to consider who your candidates are and what they are seeking for a job. Consider questions such as:

• Where might your ideal candidate work now?
• Why might they be looking for another job/company to work for?
• What would they like about working in this job/company?
• What’s important to them?

These questions will help you understand how to design the message to attract the best candidates as well as help you find creative ways to reach candidates. Once you have a good understanding of what needs to go into advertising an open position, consider these insights:

• Be creative with your marketing channels. It used to be that hiring was as simple as putting an ad in the paper. Those days are gone. Now there are many channels that are designed specifically for hiring, but you also have social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even Tik Tok that you can use to help spread the word of your open position. Just remember, it’s not about what you use, but it’s about where your ideal candidates would be spending their time.
   
• Have a compelling message. The job market is competitive right now. Part of attracting the best candidates is telling a compelling story that gets them interested in learning more about the job and the company. This can be pay, but more than likely, pay is only a part of the story. The story you tell should highlight pay, benefits and what sets this job apart from other jobs out there. Is it your culture? Is it what they’ll learn? Is it the day-to-day experience they get in this job? Is this job a steppingstone where they will have opportunities to advance? Why this job? Why your company? What is your why?
   
• Make it sound like you and your business. Job ads can often be robotic sounding. Part of standing out is to write the ad in a method that reflects your culture. What would you tell someone you just met about this open position? That’s a good start of knowing how you should write your ad. Have fun with this! 
   
• Compare yourself. Go look at ads that are similar to yours or that your candidates might also consider. Compare yourself to the competition. Make it a true competition by using these ads as fuel for designing an ad that allows you to stand out.

Looking at hiring as marketing will set you apart from your competition and result in more candidates to choose from.