Recruiting Doesn’t Have to Stop Just Because We’re in a Recession
In this economy, it is easy for employers to make the mistake of thinking that they don’t need to spend money recruiting talent when they are already getting tons of applications without even asking. On the surface, this may seem like a great way to save money. But are you really? What exactly are you getting? And how much is it costing you behind the scenes? With so many people out of work, many are desperately trying to find a job and they are applying to positions even if they don’t have the best qualifications for them.
This can hurt you in several ways. First of all, do you want your hiring managers spending all that time sifting through tons of resumes from unqualified or sort-of qualified candidates? And, if you hire someone who is not the most qualified, what about the cost of training him only to let him go when he doesn’t work out? And, now you have to hire again!
During this economy it is imperative that you reach the candidates you need to reach: the candidates most qualified to fill your positions. How can you do that? By targeting these candidates before they even hear about your jobs! With our database of over 10 million college students, recent grads and alumni we can drill down into over 700 data fields. You can narrow down your search by
- major,
- year in school,
- GPA,
- geographic area or school,
- diversity, or
- experience.
Aren’t those the people you want your hiring managers to be interviewing? Wisely spent money up front, before the interview process even begins, saves you time, overall cost, and a big headache for both you and the people you may otherwise hire and later need to let go. Once you drill down, sending a Targeted Email and/or Mobile Marketing (Text messaging and Keywords) blast to those pre-qualified candidates will get them applying and get you hiring the people you want.
And what if you already have lots of qualified candidates? Does it make sense to cut your recruiting out then? Absolutely not. Let me refer to a blog written last December by our president, Steven Rothberg, titled Don’t Change Your Strategy When Faced With a Tactical Problem:
“There are a lot of employers out there today who are faced with a difficult predicament: they’re receiving enough qualified applicants for their current openings or they’re not hiring or they’re laying off staff. In that kind of environment, who would advise them to continue to spend money on recruitment advertising? Well, I would.
“Employers who slashed their college recruitment spending in the 2000-03 recession lived to regret it. Actually, some didn’t live to regret it in part because they were penny wise and pound foolish.
“It is tempting to slash your college recruiting budget when you’re receiving enough qualified applications, not hiring, or even laying off but the budget should be re-allocated from spending which is designed to solicit applications to spending which is designed to build a quality, long-term brand. During the last recession, many employers forgot that college hiring is strategic and, faced with a tactical budgetary problem, they cut their college hiring budgets. That decimated their brand with professors, college career service office professionals, and the students. Many of those organizations are still struggling to re-build their brands and relationships and are spending far more money today because they didn’t continue to spend far less six years ago.
“So if you’re faced with the tactical problem of enough qualified applicants, lack of hiring, or layoffs then re-allocate your recruitment advertising budget. Don’t spend it on products such as job postings or resume searching as those are primarily designed to generate applications. Instead, spend your budget by building your brand for tomorrow. Use Targeted Email and/or Mobile Marketing (Text messaging and Keywords) blasts to reach those candidates who you will want to recruit a month from now, a year from now, or even several years from now and use Featured Employer Tile and Other Banner Ads to keep your name in front of your future candidates.”
You can see that even though it sometimes feels like a good idea to “save” money by not recruiting, it ends up being the worst thing you can do for your company. Why not put us to work helping you plan a strategy that will keep your company in the forefront both now and in the future?
Article by Caddy Rowland, National Account Executive To discuss these or any other issues with Caddy, call her at 800-835-4989 x707 or email her at Caddy@CollegeRecruiter.com
