Building a Talent Magnet with Inbound Recruiting

Most small business owners know that their company's online presence can provide powerful inbound marketing advantages. In today's competitive job market, it is also important to understand that your online brand can be an indispensable recruiting tool. "Inbound recruiting" is an online strategy that positions your company to attract the best and brightest job candidates. In the race to secure more talented employees, an inbound recruiting program can put your company a step ahead. The following are three important ways that inbound recruiting can help you hire your next great employee.

Recruiting Is an Essential Part of Online Branding

Strong similarities exist between online consumer behavior and that of professionals seeking employment. Realizing this trend, business leaders can no longer afford to have marketing and recruiting exist in separate silos, as you need to promote your company to qualified job seekers as skillfully as you do to customers. The statistics behind this concept are convincing. Careerrealism.com cites that 98% of professionals won't even consider an employer that lacks a LinkedIn company page. A strong online presence can be the key to establishing legitimacy in the eyes of job seekers. Top talent is drawn to powerful online brands. Keep in mind that the information you share online can enable top candidates to see why your organization is the right fit for them now, as well as why it can offer a better career path in the future.

Top Talent Searches for Professional Opportunities Online

Well-qualified job seekers are now scrutinizing companies the same way employers have traditionally reviewed applicants. Career consultant and author Abby Kohut advises her clients to investigate prospective employers online, regardless of the urgency of their job search:

"Job seekers today need to research the companies they are interested in joining to determine if the culture is a good match for their personality. Although employment seekers may need to find a ‘job’, I encourage them to do their homework to find a true career opportunity and avoid a major career mistake. The benefits offered by social media have made this process much simpler than it was just a few years ago."

More than ever, your relationship with key employees begins before they ever set foot inside your offices. Accordingly, your marketing and recruiting strategies must work together. The following checklist highlights some of the most productive inbound recruiting methods to attract leading job candidates:

1. Cultivate a social media presence: LinkedIn and Facebook are crucial tools that offer insight into your organization's culture. Merely having a presence on social media is not enough though, and it is important that you post regularly with fresh, relevant content that captures the job seekers' attention. Remember, social media provides a great opportunity for you to build a relationship with the people you ultimately want to hire.
2. Optimize your website: Search Engine Optimization is a common practice that keeps your website high on the list for relevant keyword searches. Enhance your inbound recruiting efforts by adding recruiting terms into your ongoing SEO strategy. Also, it is increasingly important that your website is optimized for viewing on mobile devices. Google now ranks websites based in part on their optimization for mobile viewing, and growing numbers of smart phone or tablet users skip sites that do not load in five seconds or less. Updating and optimizing your website can help attract and keep the attention of top candidates.
3. Enhance your website's careers section: Once you've attracted a job seeker to your website, the careers section is the primary tool to engage them. Make sure your careers page is easy to find, easy to use, and the job listings are well described and up to date. Include a direct link to a live HR staff member to empower applicants to take action and stay connected.

Building and refining these online assets energizes your recruiting efforts and can elevate your status as a best-in-class employer candidates want to connect with. Make it easy for candidates to communicate with you and be ready to greet them when they do!

Inbound Recruiting Can Give you a Head Start in the Race for Better Employees

To reach greater levels of success, your business needs the contributions of well qualified employees. Your competitors face the same challenge, and so the race for talent is on. An innovative online recruiting program can put you ahead of the pack in attracting prime candidates. Ultimately, this can build a significant competitive advantage for your business.

Inbound recruiting streamlines your hiring process, allowing you to leverage the relationships you've cultivated with talented professionals already interested in your company. Shorter recruiting and onboarding schedules mean your company gains new capabilities faster. New employees arrive with an enthusiastic attitude and are well-grounded in the specific way you do business. Productivity and morale improves, and your business gains momentum.

Inbound recruiting begins with a plan. The best and the brightest are looking for a position at a business like yours. It is up to you to reach out and show them why your company can offer everything they want in a career opportunity.