Creating a recruitment campaign that delivers results can be a real challenge today. Indeed, the realities of employment have changed. Of course, there’s the saturation of the job market, but there’s also the fact that talent is more demanding when it comes to working conditions.
So, if a company is to find the best candidate for a job, it needs to attract the most competent profiles, and that starts at the recruitment stage.
Want to make sure you attract the right people to your company? Discover our complete guide to setting up an effective recruitment campaign.
What is a recruitment campaign?
A recruitment campaign can be defined as all the steps taken by a company to recruit new employees.
The aim of such a process is to find a precise number of talents with well-defined skills that meet the company’s human resources needs.
When should you launch a recruitment campaign?
A recruitment campaign is launched when there is a genuine need to fill positions. Ideally, the process should start 2 to 5 weeks before the positions are due to be filled.
Not only does this give candidates time to prepare, it also gives recruiters time to select the right profiles. Of course, this timeframe can be shorter, depending on the urgency of the situation.
What are the different stages in a successful recruitment campaign?
There are several stages to a recruitment campaign. The number of stages may vary from one campaign to another. However, they are categorized into three phases:
- Campaign organization ;
- Campaign execution;
- Integrating new recruits.
When followed correctly, these steps will help you find the right profile for the job.
Clearly identify the position to be filled
A recruitment campaign starts with the precise identification of the attributes of the position to be filled. The description of the vacancy will enable the recruiter to produce the job description. This must contain the following elements:
- Key job functions ;
- Actions to be performed ;
- The applicant’s obligations ;
- Position in the company organization chart ;
- Connections between the position to be filled and other positions within the company;
- Working conditions ;
- Any difficulties associated with the position.
The success of this stage will determine the success of the others. Indeed, if the job description is not clearly defined, the candidates’ profile will not be either, or it will be inadequate to the company’s needs.
To succeed in this stage, the recruiter can draw inspiration from an example of a recruitment campaign.
Drawing up a candidate profile
At this stage, it’s time to define the characteristics of the ideal candidate. This standard profile enables the recruiter to identify the type of talent to target and attract.
This involves defining the necessary skills, qualifications and professional experience. To draw up a profile of the ideal candidate, you need to refer to the company manager, the human resources department or the employees who will be working directly with the future recruit.
Creating an attractive job offer
Writing a job ad is a fundamental step in the recruitment process. A well-crafted advertisement is the key to attracting the attention of potential candidates.
The main tasks of a job offer are as follows:
- Be the first step in the candidate experience set up by the company;
- State the company’s recruitment needs;
- Attract qualified candidates;
- Define the future relationship between the candidate and the company.
A good recruitment strategy to counter the talent shortage can help you write an attractive job ad.
Understanding your target candidate
This step is different from developing a candidate profile. The aim here is to find the right way to communicate with potential candidates for your vacancy.
Running a recruitment campaign is all about communicating, and understanding your candidate target will give you a clear idea of the kind of message you need to communicate. It will also enable you to identify the communication channels you need to use to get your message across.
Are you wondering, for example, how to recruit sales staff in a shortage market? Understanding your target candidates can help.
Distribute job offers to the right places
This is the last stage in the preparatory phase of a recruitment process. It therefore heralds the start of the execution phase. Here, the recruiter must draw up a list of places to post his job ad, and choose those that actually correspond to his needs.
The various places where a job offer can be posted are :
- The company’s career site ;
- Job boards ;
- Recruitment agencies ;
- Social networks ;
- Job fairs and forums ;
The recruiter must also take into account the costs involved in disseminating the advertisement. Not all distribution solutions are available at the same price. Those selected must be the most profitable for the company.
Providing an excellent candidate experience
The candidate experience is the candidate’s perception of a company’s recruitment process. This implies that the company must offer an excellent experience from the moment the vacancy is advertised to the moment of actual recruitment.
The recruitment campaign must therefore not only make candidates want to join the company without frustrating them, but also make it easy for them to apply.
For example, more and more companies are no longer asking for a cover letter in order to give everyone an equal chance when recruiting. Instead, candidates are asked to produce a video in which they talk about their motivations for joining the company.
Some companies go so far as to stop asking for CVs. Instead, applicants are asked to produce evidence of previous work and take tests. To find out more, read our guide to the basics of CV-free recruitment.
Selecting the best profiles
Generally speaking, the slightest job advert generates a large number of applications. The recruiter must then sort through them after analysis, using the job description previously drawn up. This will ensure that the right profiles are not overlooked in favor of the wrong ones.
To sort applications, the recruiter must compare the qualities and skills of each candidate with those defined in the job description. For a non-discriminatory sorting process, consult the guide to equality in recruitment.
Most of the time, this selection and sorting stage enables us to retain 10% of applications. The resulting list can then be filtered by checking the CVs.
To this end, the recruiter can telephone a candidate when he or she identifies dubious elements on his or her Curriculum Vitae. To validate the job seeker’s references, they can also contact former employers.
Some recruiters still use quizzes and personality tests to filter applications and select the best profiles. Recruiters who choose this option should make sure they fully understand how a quiz or personality test works.
He must also master the X steps involved in taking an online personality test.
Organizing effective interviews
For a job interview to be effective, it must be meticulously prepared. The recruiter should produce a general outline to follow. He or she should also set up an isolated room where interviews can take place in peace and quiet, without the risk of interruption.
To organize the interview, the recruiter produces a series of questions to ask the candidates. Of course, each candidate’s answers may give rise to unexpected but useful questions.
You can use interview software to help you successfully interview each successful candidate. Find out more about the challenges, tools and key features of interview software.
Integrating new recruits with care
This is the beginning of the third phase of a recruitment campaign. It’s essential to think about and organize this stage carefully, as it helps to give the new recruit a good impression of the employer brand.
This stage also involves signing the recruitment contract, updating the workforce database, integrating the new employee into the company’s mutual insurance scheme, and so on.
Follow up on the recruitment campaign
Welcoming a new recruit does not end the recruitment process. It’s essential to follow up over time.
Monitoring the campaign reveals its weaknesses as well as its strengths. The procedure will therefore be improved to make the next campaign more effective.
Conclusion
To sum up, it’s important to remember that to set up a campaign to attract top talent to your company, you need to follow a number of steps.
From the identification of the position to be filled to the follow-up of the campaign, you need to ensure that every step is a success. Put yourself in your future recruit’s shoes, so you can always offer the best candidate experience during your recruitment campaign.
