70% of recruiters state that the hiring environment is getting harder — a record high in the past 8 years (Universum, 2022). 

Capturing top talent’s attention is increasingly difficult and facing the growing hiring needs, recruitment has been one of the top concerns for company leaders. This is especially the case for niche sectors that are highly demanded like the tech sector, where talent shortages are expected to rise to 4.3 million workers by 2030 (Universum, 2022.)

So, how are recruiters meant to attract the attention of these talents? 

More and more companies are beginning to use original recruitment strategies to stand out from their competitors. Amongst them, we can find :

 ✅ Sourcing on new platforms like Spotify or Snapchat

 ✅ Leveraging new technologies like virtual reality

 ✅ Gamifying the application process

 ✅ Turning the recruitment process into a friendly moment

Sourcing on new platforms like Spotify or Snapchat

As you may know, sourcing onto different platforms is aHRtemis’ motto and it's becoming that of major companies as well. It’s an opportunity to tap into platforms where  your competitors aren’t yet present and reach a specific target audience (younger or older generation, specific interests, and so on). 

Recently, Goldman Sachs, global leading investment bank, launched a recruitment campaign on Spotify to attract younger talents. With over 250 million users, 40% are aged between 18 to 29 and the majority having a college degree (Spotify, 2023) - Spotify undeniably has a lot of potential to attract top talent. So, they diffused an announcement pitching the company and its job opportunities with a link to their career quiz to push candidates to explore the different job opportunities that would best suit them. 

Similarly, McDonald’s also innovated and leveraged Snapchat to reach out to a younger generation. Snapchat has over 375 million active users and the majority are aged between 18 to 24 years old, again this is the perfect platform to attract younger users (We Are Social, & Hootsuite, & DataReportal, 2022). So, McDonald’s diffused 10-second video ads of their employees talking about their experience there with a link to their career page and a Snapchat lens.

Using these new platforms not only gives you the chance to reach specific audiences but also new ways to engage with them through quizzes or lenses. Why not give it a try?

Leveraging new technologies like virtual reality

Another way to reach a targeted audience in a differentiated manner would be by leveraging new technologies. Virtual reality, the metaverse, chatbots… you name it. Ubisoft, the tech savvy gaming company, decided to go with virtual reality. Virtual reality is getting a growing amount of attention as candidates believe it provides a more honest and transparent image of the employer (Uni Bamberg, 2020). They then decided to leverage it to make talents visit their offices virtually in 360° with a few surprising animations. You can still find the video on Youtube. A perfect way to create a buzz around their brand and attract new, qualified talents motivated to join the company. 

Gamifying the application process

Application processes are increasingly being criticized for being too long and repetitive. One way to avoid such feedback could be by gamifying it and making it an interactive moment rather than a dull one. Google did something like that. To find the job offer, the candidate had to type « python lambda function list comprehension » online. Then, the screen would show a game offer - but a coding game in 5 steps that only a few developers managed to complete in 48H. After that, they would be accepted for the interview process. Consequently, Google only received qualified applications, filtering out their candidates in a exciting manner that benefits both the applicants and the recruiters!

Turning the recruitment process into a friendly moment

Lastly, turning the recruitment process into a friendly occasion is a more enticing manner to attract top candidates. No matter how qualified, most candidates face high stress levels during their interview process and cannot show their full potential. To avoid that, Burger King organized an event for its candidates with a variety of activities such as a blind test, a photo booth, concerts along with a food bar to create a welcoming environment. They gave a chance to all and had the perfect conditions to identify the top candidate. 

In conclusion…

There are a variety of way to stand out and attract top talent today, you just need to apply more of a marketing look to it. Between new platforms, technologies and events, not only can you turn your recruitment process into a unique one and make an application feel more diverting than a burden but also tap into a more targeted audience. 

Sources

January 31, 2023). Number of Spotify ad-supported monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide from 1st quarter 2015 to 4th quarter 2022 (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://0-www-statista-com.biblioteca-ils.tec.mx/statistics/813787/spotify-ad-supported-monthly-active-users/

We Are Social, & Hootsuite, & DataReportal. (January 26, 2022). Distribution of Snapchat users worldwide as of January 2022, by age and gender [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://0-www-statista-com.biblioteca-ils.tec.mx/statistics/933948/snapchat-global-user-age-distribution/

Uni Bamberg. (March 13, 2020). What do you associate the use of virtual or augmented reality by a potential employer during the recruiting process with? [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://0-www-statista-com.biblioteca-ils.tec.mx/statistics/1288714/germany-candidates-assessment-of-virtual-reality-in-recruiting/

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