Why a copywriter is your best recruiter

The right person in the right place can be extremely beneficial. Not only with their work output but also for the working atmosphere, the company culture and the image of your company. Conversely, a mismatch will cost you a lot of money and aggravation. It is therefore important to fish the right candidate out of the pond. But how do you find them, because you are far from being the only fisherman? In practice, good texts make a difference. In this blog, you will learn how a copywriter is your best recruiter.

From vacancy to employee value proposition

The time-honoured vacancy text has undergone enormous development in recent decades. The job market is a ‘buyers market’, especially during a boom. In other words: employers must do their utmost to stand out and be seen as attractive in order to attract the right candidates.

As a result, you see that more and more marketing and communication methods are also applied to the recruitment of new staff. The buyer journey has been transformed into the employee journey. In addition to company branding, there is also employee branding. And USPs are being sought to advertise jobs. Yes, the canvas also made its appearance. Instead of the value proposition, derived from the business model canvas, the employee value proposition was developed.

A canvas in which a complete picture is given of everything that the employer has to offer the future employee. Not only is your company, organisation, product or service is a brand, you are also an employer brand. From the occasional vacancy, HRM and corporate communication departments increasingly develop recruitment campaigns. Today, recruitment and selection are seen as all-embracing communication.

Use storytelling

From the employee journey, it’s a small step to storytelling. Make the job the hero in an exciting story. What is the purpose of the journey? What obstacles will you encounter? Feel free to give examples of failures and setbacks. That gives your recruitment credibility and authenticity.

Of course, the story has a happy ending. With success for the candidate and the organisation where he or she went on the journey. It may sound crazy to look at recruitment this way. But say to yourself, wouldn’t you rather read a nice story than a list of job requirements?

You would rather read a nice story than a list of job requirements?

Tone of voice

With a job posting, you don’t just sell a position, you sell a company culture. This, of course, requires a well-thought-out tone of voice. Strangely enough, many vacancy texts are a rather boring enumeration of requirements in the area of education and work experience. Supplemented with the activities and responsibilities that go with the job. In short, the recruitment of new staff does not match the image of the employer. And with that, you may miss the right candidate.

Dare to abandon the format of the old vacancy. Tell in a human tone what the character of your company or organisation is. What kind of people work there? What shared values do they have? As we know from successful start-ups, the composition of the team is more decisive than the strength of the business idea. In other words, a mediocre team can ruin a strong business idea. But a top team can make a mediocre business idea a success.

Use all your creativity

So use all your creativity when it comes to recruiting new people. In-text and images. But also when it comes to media. Think beyond the job advertisement or the job boards.

Use the network of your employees. After all, they are your ambassadors. Let them tell in blogs, videos and podcasts how nice it is at your club. Use social selling. Make sure you are present in unexpected places where your target group hangs out. However, take SEO into account: do not be creative with job titles, because then you will miss the candidates who often use this as a search term.

You don’t offer a job, but a nice working environment

Millennials go for the company culture

Just as the location of a house is just as important as the house itself, the work environment is more important than the function. So remember that you offer a very nice environment, where people like to spend a lot of time. But also give them the freedom to work location-independently, if that suits the job.

Today’s employee values that – Certainly the millennial. Research among this group shows that 80% consider the ‘culture fit’ more important than things like position, salary or career opportunities. The ‘about us’ page on your website is therefore at least as important as your vacancy page.

Know your candidate

As with all communication, success begins with empathising with the person you are seeking to interact with. So immerse yourself in the interests of your target group. And that goes beyond the job description. Look, for example, at what your current employees do in their free time. This can provide a surprising entry point for your recruitment campaign: ‘what are you going to spend the money you earn with us on’.

In recruitment marketing, you can also work with personas. Create a persona for each job group, with all the associated needs and lifestyles. This way, your content becomes customised and you communicate in a personal way.

A distinctive process

Suppose that creative recruiting has brought in a large number of potential candidates. Then don’t lapse into a traditional selection process. Try to distinguish yourself in this phase as well. For example, use gamification to discover whether there is a cultural fit. Plan short video calls to see if there is a personal click. Organise ‘chemistry meetings’ at the office or elsewhere to see if the candidate fits in with the current staff. Instead of looking at application letters or e-mails and picking out the most promising 3, an alternative process will probably give you more.

Digital recruitment

Online communication requires a specific approach. Research shows that 90% of digital recruitment expressions are not effective. When it comes to recruitment, it is therefore important to take a number of basic rules as a starting point.

For example, people read 25% slower online. So make your texts even shorter and stronger than you usually are. Draw attention with an eye-catching header. Make sure the job title is included, but try to package it creatively. 85% of readers only look at the first two lines. So you need to score right away to keep them scrolling. Avoid large blocks of text. Use short paragraphs, headings and bullet points. Also alternate with photos, infographics or videos. Be clear about the call to action. What can the candidate do immediately to take the next step?

In short, recruitment is all about original ideas and sharp texts.
That’s why an experienced copywriter is your best recruiter.

Continue Reading: The 10 advantages of a specialised freelance copywriter

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