Thanks to our millennial obsession with the internet, more and more job seekers are flocking to digital platforms in hopes of finding a great job opportunity. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a recruiter or a frustrated HR exec looking for ways to optimize your job ads, to garner talented candidates.
Don’t fret though! We’ve compiled 7 ways to help you optimise digital recruitment in Singapore, to find the best talents the digital world has to offer!
1. Grab Their Attention Online
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In this modern day and age, job seekers are more likely to use social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the next role. In a recent BGC Group’s 2019 survey held in Singapore, we found that younger job seekers are also likely to use WhatsApp and Telegram groups to hunt for jobs.
It’s important as smart recruiters to identify the groups that we want to attract and employ, and determine which digital spaces and social media sites ideal candidates use. This way, you’ll be able to beat the competition and get to the pool where your ideal candidates hang out online.
2. It’s All About the Money, Money, Money
You need to stand out from the crowd to sell your position. Reach out to your candidates and hold their attention by describing all the compensation, packages, perks, and even company culture to make the job position more appealing.
Think of job seekers as potential buyers. They’re looking to buy opportunities, and a smart HR executive or recruiter can make the offer harder to turn down by listening to your ideal candidate. In an example provided by ERE Recruiting Intelligence, an accountant allegedly turned down a position as it was across town and he didn’t want to drive that far. Instead of accepting the rejection, ask this question, “under what circumstances will you accept this position, if you have to commute that far?” A satisfying negotiation and terms were made, and the candidate accepted the position. Remember, you have to act like a salesperson to sell the exciting new job to your potential candidate.
3. Online Branding Matters
Face it, no one wants to work for a company with bad branding and terrible reviews. Start by crawling through your Glassdoor page and find ways to counteract negative reviews. Take note of the issues raised in each review, and answer them in a respectful and engaging manner.
Additionally, don’t forget to promote your brand! Aside from wanting to be engaged to your company, candidates like to know that HR execs and recruiters are engaged with the companies they represent. So put the prospective faces of their potential interviewees on social media as much as possible!
Here are some ways you can get your branding out:
A. Create compelling content on your website. Write about things that matter to your audience and potential candidates.
B. Visit trade shows and job fairs with schools and Universities. They’re a cost-effective way to directly reach out to your candidates. Get extra bang for your buck by snapping pictures to publish on Instagram and other social media websites for future candidates to check out! The good part about trade shows and job fairs is the free media coverage you can receive!
C. Engage with your audience on social media. Reach out to them via polls and short videos on Instagram stories, spark debate on Twitter, do everything you think your ideal candidate will do when they’re hanging out in the digital world.
4. Keep the Recruitment Process Short and Engaging
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The one mistake HR execs and recruitment consultants make when they’re recruiting digitally? They fail to check up on the candidate as quickly as possible. Ghosting is a new phenomenon happening to both job seekers and recruiters this day and age.
How do you prevent your candidate from ghosting you? Keep candidates informed throughout the application process. Did you know that there are currently more open positions than there are people to fill them? Candidates are no longer scrambling to take up a job position out of fear that they will be unemployed. One way to keep your candidates engaged with you or your company longer is by simply informing them whether or not they’ll proceed to the next step. It’s time-consuming but worth it!
5. Be Open With Your Candidates
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Keep the lines of communication open with your candidates. Establish a clear timeline and make the effort to reply to your candidates within 5 working days. Are you planning to hire your candidate? Tell them immediately as soon as the interview is over, and keep your promise! You want your candidates to be invested in the role so that they’re less likely to accept a competing offer.
6. Turn The Focus to Video Content
Did you know that early in 2017, people binge-watched more than 1 billion hours of YouTube content daily! Imagine all the potential job seekers that will be watching you and your company!
Tap into this content pool by creating vlogs, live videos, skits, and tutorials that relate to your company and its culture! For instance, BGC Group aims to reach out to its younger, millennial demographic with its enigmatic vlog series, BGC Huddles! Our YouTube series talks about everything from our first job experience to what it’s like working with different personalities in the workplace.
Curious to find out more? Watch our series on YouTube or read our blog entry about it here!
7. Stay Authentic
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We live in a modern day and age that relies mostly on reviews to survive. Bad reviews, especially bad Glassdoor and Google reviews can make future job seekers apprehensive to work for your company. However, instead of deleting bad reviews or ignoring them, find ways to counteract and thank the reviewer online.
Jim Conti, people lead at dscount INC, a consumer research program based in America claims to have witnessed an insurance company hire well by admitting that insurance is not an exciting industry for the younger generation. To counteract this, the company admits the sentiment by going out of its way and sharing the various ways why working for them is fun and interesting!
Despite being trendy, digital recruitment is a tough gig online. Like most job seekers, digital candidates look for growth opportunities with a well-established company. With tight competition, HR execs and recruiters will have to step out of the traditional job posting bubble and find creative ways to attract prospective candidates. This age-old question can be answered simply by asking yourself, “what do I want to see as a job seeker,” or “how would I like to be approached?”
If finding and sourcing for the best talents Singapore has to offer is tough, consider investing your time with some of Singapore's top recruitment agencies to help you source for candidates.