Employer brand

Why You Cannot Afford to Overlook Your Recruiter Brand

When it comes to marketing a company’s employment brand, I’m amazed at how many businesses are forgetting that the ideal people to invest in are their recruiters.

Recruiters aren’t HR. They’re the front-line salespeople who are talking to talent you desperately need. And, they’ve got a tough job right now - the talent shortage is in full-swing. Competing for the best candidates is a war. To fight back, everyone is jumping on the employment branding bandwagon - which means having a killer careers page isn’t enough.

In fact, a new study shows the real differentiator going forward will be your recruiters. The stronger their reputation is amongst the candidate pool, the easier it is for them to get the best talent to apply to your jobs. Here’s why…

FACT: Talent wants to connect with a person, not a company

We recently surveyed more than 1,000,000 people over at CAREEREALISM. Over 76% of them said they would like to know more about a recruiter before they decide to apply to an open position. Why did they want this information? Here are the top 4 reasons:

  • Get a leg-up on the hiring process.
  • Get an inside view on the company.
  • Determine a way to stand out.
  • See if the recruiter is “qualified” to recruit for my skill set.

That last one is especially important because it shows a shift in the way talent looks for jobs. They want to work “with” recruiters, not “for” them in the hiring process. So, they expect to partner with only the best recruiters. What information about a recruiter will help them make a decision?

Here’s what candidates what to know about recruiters:

  • Background with the company
  • Skills and knowledge-level about the positions
  • Education
  • Career history
  • Location
  • Track-record as a recruiter
  • Gender
  • Age
  • Nationality

Interesting, isn’t it? Turns out, job seekers are being discriminatory. They want to know what prejudices a recruiter might have against them by learning more about them as a person.

Job seekers see the best recruiters to work with as diverse and accomplished. That’s why recruiter branding is so important going forward. Your recruiters represent your company. If today's sophisticated job seeker doesn’t like what they see represented, they won’t bother to apply.

With that in mind, it’s time companies gave recruiters the tools and resources they need to provide the level of credibility and accessibility talent expects of them.

4 things every recruiter needs to brand themselves successfully

At the very least, every recruiter today needs the following to prove that they are a true professional, working for a good employer:

1. An optimized LinkedIn profile.

Recruiters need to practice what they preach. Fill out your profile completely, give talent what they need to see you are accomplished in your career.

2. Comprehensive LinkedIn & Glassdoor company pages they can link to.

Our studies show that 81% of all talent will research your company online to make sure it has a presence on both LinkedIn and Glassdoor. If not, they will assume your company isn’t established or credible enough and won’t apply.

Make sure you have these pages completed and filled with the right information to help candidates learn more about your organization’s culture. Your recruiters need to look like they work for a legit company that cares about its employment brand.

3. A dedicated Careers Page on the corporate website they can showcase.

Companies need to see hiring as an extension of their corporate brand. A dedicated page says the company is investing in resources to make sure the best talent can learn about them more easily. Again, this gives your recruiters the credibility they need.

4. Additional 3rd-party credibility showcasing their unique recruiter brand.

Recruiters who take the time to write and post valuable information on blogs, featured recruiter sites, and social media are sending a message to candidates that this isn’t just their job – it’s their career! Plus, it builds their own expert status, helping them to attract a better quality candidate. [Be sure to check out the new Purple Squirrel Society my company launched to help top recruiters get more brand exposure.]

I hope this information helps employers see how important it is to let recruiters drive the employment branding efforts. Recruiter branding is the smartest (and safest!) way to ensure that brand messaging stays on point.

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J.T. O’Donnell is founder and CEO of CAREREEALISM, a website dedicated to showcasing recruiter brands to more than 1,000,000 sophisticated job seekers. Want to get your recruiter brand in front of top talent? Apply here to be considered for the “Purple Squirrel Society,” an elite group of recruiters we exclusively showcase to top talent. Use your expertise and reputation to increase the quantity and quality of the talent applying to your open positions – become a Purple Squirrel Society Member today!

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