Original recruitment campaigns: 5 examples and how to make a success of your campaign

There's a clear trend towards original recruitment campaigns, which, when well executed, have many positive repercussions for companies.This type of campaign can create an atypical environment that is conducive to attracting the best candidates for a position. It can also be used to attract employees who are truly in tune with the company. Exciting recruitment campaigns offer many other advantages. Companies that take this gamble generally stand out from the competition, particularly in the job market. They also benefit from a significant boost to their employer brand. Are you planning to try this type of campaign yourself? Here are 5 original recruitment campaigns to inspire you, plus a mini guide to getting started.

5 original recruitment campaigns

Every year, new creative and sometimes unusual recruitment campaigns are set up to recruit effectively.Indeed, many companies are riding the wave of originality, and the results are generally very interesting. Even recruitment tests are evolving. For example, discover a new style of recruitment test here. Here are 5 original and ingenious recruitment campaigns carried out in different sectors in recent years.

1 - Burger King reverses the roles

The world of food service, and fast-food restaurants in particular, is known for its complex working conditions. While companies in this sector may find it more difficult to recruit, Burger King is doing very well with its latest original recruitment campaign. The HR campaign was essentially a counterpoint to the problem of difficult employment in the restaurant industry. With its concept "Burger King® doesn't recruit, Burger King® gets recruited; and we say it in our cover letter", this giant gave power to people looking for a job in this fast-food chain. When asked how to recruit sales staff in a shortage market, this masterstroke provides some good pointers. The concept enabled Burger King to carry out an original recruitment campaign that unearthed over 3,000 talents in an environment where new employees are hard to come by. The campaign also enhanced the company's image and strengthened its position as market leader in the French burger sector. In practice, the company put itself in the candidate's shoes by unveiling an original cover letter, which was much appreciated and widely relayed on social networks. In this correspondence, BK ran for the position of best employer in the hearts of the French, with values such as humility, humor, sharing and transparency.If you want to take inspiration from Burger King for your original recruitment campaign, learn the basics of CV-free recruitment. That would be a good start.

2 - The SNCF's original recruitment campaign on Tik Tok

France's rail specialist, SNCF, had to step out of its bubble to carry out a recruitment process involving several thousand people as part of a project to strengthen its teams.This creative recruitment campaign based on Tik Tok content had three main objectives:

• Attracting a large audience;
• Reaching an audience of young graduates;
• Promoting rail professions.

Through this original recruitment campaign, the SNCF wanted to introduce rail professions to a young audience. The campaign consisted in the creation of short videos that respected the codes and tones of the famous Tik Tok social network. Above all, it was supported by seven highly influential Tiktokeurs, each responsible for presenting a specific profession. The SNCF was able to build more effective teams, and the objectives of this original campaign were achieved thanks to the large audience of these influencers. Social networks in general, and Tik Tok in particular, are becoming an increasingly important part of innovative recruitment campaigns for companies of all sizes. In fact, they offer a vast network and numerous marketing tools for personalizing and fine-tuning communication. How do you know if your recruitment process is the right one?From now on, you need to integrate social networks into your recruitment strategy.

3 - Disney's storytelling for an innovative recruitment campaign

The Disney giant is well known for its many stories, which delight children and adults around the world. Little did we know, however, that the company would be bringing its magical worlds back into its recruitment processes. For its original recruitment campaign, Disney has its employees share their unfiltered experiences of life at the company. These storytellings considerably enhance the employer brand and generate numerous applications for various positions. How do you recruit people you get on well with, and how do you find them? The recruitment strategy of this film giant provides an effective answer to this question: you need to find a way of attracting candidates who share the same values as the company and who will enjoy the working environment it offers.It's true that Disney is a brand with a very high profile, but this approach can be adapted to all companies, whatever their size. You can use it as inspiration for a creative, tailor-made recruitment campaign.

4 - A video clip to reinforce the nursing staff at Elbeuf hospital

The Covid-19 epidemic has wreaked havoc in many sectors, particularly the healthcare sector. Among other things, several hospitals and medical facilities are understaffed and need to fill nursing positions. To attract the best profiles, the CHI d'Elbeuf hospital near Rouen has chosen an original and atypical way of applying. In fact, the hospital team produced a video clip in which staff members extol the virtues of the health center. They highlight :

• Versatility;
• Family spirit;
• Team spirit;
• Technicality.

So it's not just a question of qualifications and experience. Candidates must also possess certain behavioral skills. The question of why focus on soft skills in recruitment no longer arises. The immersive video of the CHI d'Elbeuf medical teams is part of an original and effective recruitment campaign that stands out from traditional medical job advertisements.

5 - The challenge of American telecom company Verizon

Better known in the USA than in Europe, Verizon is a major player in the telecommunications industry. To recruit IT developers, the American company has adopted an original recruitment campaign that's in vogue and adored for its playfulness. What we're talking about here is the gamification of recruitment, which consists of unearthing talent perfectly suited to the position to be filled by playing games. This original technique has the advantage of putting candidates in relaxed, realistic contexts where they can express themselves without filters. It's the opposite of traditional job interviews, which are often stressful and mechanical. More specifically, Verizon is using the challenge in this original recruitment campaign. The company came up with the idea of offering a logical reasoning game in the form of an enigma addressed to candidates on Instagram. This original and captivating recruitment campaign was a great success, with many positive spin-offs for the brand. You can also take advantage of gamification to assess the potential of your current and future employees.

How do you create an original recruitment campaign?

All business sectors are increasingly competitive. So, to find and hire talented, committed candidates, you need the right campaign ideas. Should you follow your intuition when recruiting? The answer isn't absolute, but effective and appropriate recruitment campaigns are the best way to avoid making mistakes.Recruiting managers no longer have to be content with conventional solutions. They need to ask themselves : how can I become an augmented recruiter? And find creative, innovative solutions to attract the best profiles. To help you, here are the steps to setting up a well thought-out, original recruitment campaign.

Identify the position to be filled

Identify and clearly define the position(s) to be filled. This is the first step in setting up an effective recruitment campaign, whether innovative or not. It involves identifying the real human resources needs, so you can make the right choices throughout the process. Moreover, HR recruitment campaigns are first and foremost HR marketing actions. As such, they need to be understood and aimed at a specific target. If you're looking to recruit young medical graduates, for example, you can use the usual channels to place your advertisements. However, if you're more interested in a captivating recruitment campaign, you can follow the example of the CHI d'Elbeuf.

Define your ideal candidate in an original recruitment campaign

For each application, the ideal employee has the right skills for the job. You can refer to the job description. In addition to technical qualities, interpersonal skills and soft skills are of great importance. New recruits must also share the values and qualities of the company's employees. You also need to find ways of ensuring their commitment and motivation, in order to reduce turnover rates within your company. An original recruitment campaign, such as the gamification of recruitment used by Verizon, allows us to pay more attention to the human side and the personality of candidates. You can use it as inspiration for your own HR recruitment strategy.

Communicate a strong, original message that's true to your company

Once the positions to be filled have been defined and the profile of the ideal candidate established, it's time to convey a convincing and captivating message to the target audience. In an original recruitment campaign, it's all the more important to focus on the originality and strength of the message. Among other things, it must :

• Contain a few touches of humor;
• Describe the company's sector of activity;
• Demonstrate the company's convictions and values;
• Create a certain closeness with the reader;
• Show some illustrations if possible;
• Keep it brief and you risk turning away the best candidates;
• Promote the benefits of joining the company.

Share your message in an effective and original way

The originality of a message is also linked to the way it is disseminated. An HR recruitment strategy can be innovative in the content of the message conveyed, or in the channel used for communication. To put it simply, out-of-the-ordinary processes are far more attention-grabbing. For example, while social networks are now essential marketing tools, this was not so obvious just a few years ago. The first HR recruitment campaign on Snapchat was initiated in 2017 by McDonald's and was a real novelty on this social network.Many other major brands, such as Google, Ikea, Heineken, Michel et Augustin, etc., have used innovative and original means of communication. These marketing strategies have been unanimously successful. However, sharing the offer's message must also respect the company's values and identity. This is important at every stage of a recruitment process, whether innovative or not, to ensure committed and loyal employees.

Conclusion

In the final analysis, an original, offbeat or captivating recruitment campaign immediately arouses more enthusiasm and interest.Done right, it offers many benefits to companies. These include recruiting the right talent for the right job, and enhancing the company's employer brand. These two advantages can then effectively contribute to increasing sales and ensuring the company's long-term future.It's important to bear in mind, however, that an original recruitment campaign follows certain rules and is implemented with a methodical, rigorous process that fits in with the recruiting company's culture.