Recruit New Talent with Creative Content Marketing

Distinguished content comes from creative employees, and creative content comes from distinguished employees. It’s simple: memorable content marketing has a significant impact on generating a talented pool of candidates. In the modern world of competitive, corporate job recruiting, making your company stand out is essential. Somewhere between the daunting interviews, lengthy applications and colorless newspaper ads, many companies have lost sight of what actually enthuses an employee to join their team. Do you really want to ask the interview question, “tell me your biggest weakness” and in turn get some rehearsed “imperfect flaw” type answer? No. Neither does your candidate.

Thankfully, some companies are acknowledging this problem and breaking the mold to recruit top-tier talent. As an added bonus, they are revamping their brand and growing their company.

Here are 5 of the most innovative content marketing tactics companies are using to attract new hires and top talent.

Make a YouTube video

 Save your money on hiring a professional. By filming, producing and promoting an original YouTube video, you will build buzz around your business, mission, team and company culture, all of which influence a candidate’s decision to apply. People value authenticity. With basic video editing tools and a unique message, your video has great potential of getting views, likes and shares on the internet and attracting interest from potential employees.

Apple’s recruitment video really sticks out. In just the first 30 seconds, we learn their mission and why they need you on their team. Instead of solely focusing on all of their cutting-edge technology, they place emphasis on working as a collaborative team. Each employee’s positive experiences, enthusiasm and success stories make a job at Apple look like the best job in the world.

Host an open house

Consulting startup I Love Rewards Inc. pioneered an extremely effective recruiting technique. After receiving 1,200 applicants for 9 positions, this company ditched the resume reading and sent an email to each applicant thanking them for their interest in the job and requesting their attendance at an open house. Only 400 applicants showed up, weeding out the neutral candidates and significantly reducing the time for the selection process. Current employees and candidates mingled on the first floor. Meanwhile, a round of “speed dating” style interviews was held on the second floor. By the end of the evening, the team had narrowed it down to 68 candidates who were then called back for group and individual interviews. Brilliant.

Have your CEO write a personal letter

The cream of the crop in your field are probably already employed and are not searching for a new job. Go the extra mile and have your CEO personally reach out to your far-fetched dream hires. Flattery speaks volumes. It might just rub off on them. Red 5 Studios, a video game startup in California, put a unique twist on this creative tactic after several failed job-postings. This company handpicked 100 people they wanted on their team and spent time learning their backgrounds. Next, they mailed each person a personalized iPod and a recorded message from Mark Kern, CEO of Red 5 Studios.

Publicize through your e-mail signature

Inform your friends, family and anyone else in your social network through email. A single job posting embedded in the body of your e-mail is not too exciting. Instead, edit your e-mail signature and include that your company is currently hiring. This sneaky tactic has the likelihood of reaching friends of friends, friends of friends of friends, and so on. Mike Ramer, a recruiting trainer and president of Ramer Search Consultants, is a firm believer in utilizing his e-mail signature as a recruiting method. Ramer has a “core signature, which [he] customizes depending on who [he’s] sending to: clients, candidates, recruiting training or employment outreach.”

Put a puzzle on your billboard

Google masters the recruiting game with their creative content marketing. This billboard asks for the first 10-digit prime number occurrence in consecutive digits of the mathematical constant e. This billboard stimulated lots of coverage through numerous media outlets such as NPR and The Boston Globe and is all over the Internet.

If you want to stand out and attract dream hires, it is vital to embrace creative recruiting. Make a YouTube video, host an open house, have your CEO write a personal letter, embed the job posting in your email signature, or put a puzzle on your billboard. Get creative with your content marketing and score those talented new hires.

Liza Greenberg—Content Creator