Earlier this week, I challenged you to spend some time learning what a person goes through when they look for a job, change companies, or investigate new career options. By better understanding a candidate’s mindset, you’ll be more equipped to engage him or her during the recruiting dialog.
As you spend time contemplating this topic, I thought it might be helpful to connect you with some companies that have put a lot of time and effort into growing their knowledge in this area. To do this, we’ll take a look at a recent competition that you may have missed.
For the last eight years, Electronic Recruiting Exchange (ERE) has sponsored their Recruiting Excellence Awards. In essence, this organization highlights those companies that have successfully learned how to engage candidates.
Like Super Bowl ads, some of these sites and ideas are a little over the top. So, don’t think you have to “keep up with the Jones” regarding their methodologies. Instead, as you look at these examples, focus on what these companies are saying about, and to, the candidates. How are they engaging people who are considering a career change?
And now, for the competition results (with my selection on what is most relevant for real estate companies). The envelope please…
1. Best Company Career Website:
RMS. You may not have heard of this company, but lots of candidates know who they are. One judge says that the RMS career website is “…hands down, one of the best sites I’ve seen. Graphically and emotionally intelligent, not too heavy on graphic elements. Tells the story. Interaction. Heads and shoulders above all of the other sites.”
Check out their website: http://www.rms.com/careers/
2. Best Employee Brand:
Sodexo. This company quickly launched an enhanced employer brand aimed to be compatible with the new, consultative/solutions consumer brand. In the 2011 fiscal year, Sodexo hired about 50 specialized and tough-to-recruit professionals within a few months.
Doing so involved positioning the company as an expert in the energy field, which meant delving into such things as guest blog posts on websites for the energy industry, as well as having people speak at industry conferences.
Check out their website: http://www.sodexousa.com/usen/careers/careers.asp
3. Best Employee Referral Program
Improving Enterprises. This is a great example of how even small companies can do great things. Even after its recent growth (adding 50+ employees), this company has just 148 employees.
Briefly, the way its referral program works is this: If employees refer someone, they get a point. Points add up and are paid on a quarterly basis. Points are considered when the software-developer distributes its profit share. Top performers are recognized at Town Hall meetings.
It has a "Two by Tuesday" program designed, the company says, to mitigate “extremes in the ebbs and flows of recruiting.” Every Tuesday, the company spreads the word regarding their most important openings. People have a week to submit referrals. There’s a race to be the one who refers the most, with daily updates provided.
The company might get 100 referrals in five days, with two or more hires made.
There’s a lot more…open houses, pizza parties, several mini-conferences on the weekends, Monday Night Football and Movie Nights…all aimed at having referred candidates show up.
Check out their website: http://www.improvingenterprises.com/
4. Best College Recruiting Program
US Navy. In 2011, the Navy implemented two new recruiting strategies that significantly improved the NUPOC program. NUPOC — the Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate program — involves recruiting college students and graduates with science and engineering backgrounds for five-year positions to work on nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers.
With the first program, the Navy funded trips for 121 educators to experience a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier or submarine, visit a submarine learning facility, and interact with sailors. The goal was for faculty to then tell their students, and other professors, about these opportunities.
Also, the Navy Recruiting Command partnered with a group called the University Engineering Alliance — formerly the Big 12 Engineering Consortium — allowing the Navy to provide keynote speakers for engineering summits, nuclear experts for classroom presentations, and otherwise work with faculty to present material in classrooms.
In the end, 242 students were hired through the NUPOC program last year, and the accepted applicant’s average GPA was up 5% to 3.43.
Check out their website: http://www.navy.com/careers/nuclear-energy.html
5. Best Military Recruiting Program
AT&T. AT&T provides localized job notifications to the Transition Family/Support Centers of all branches of the military. In 2011, AT&T participated in more than 50 traditional and virtual military career fairs.
This company's recruiters reach out to military transition offices, Army alumni programs, and elsewhere. They created a program where veterans working at AT&T provide job search assistance to veterans applying for AT&T jobs.
Perhaps most importantly, it’s educating hiring managers and recruiters on the value of veterans, how to make heads or tails out of military jargon on resumes, and on the myths about veterans’ ability to integrate into corporations.
Check out their website: http://att.jobs/military
Hopefully, the work that these and other companies have done will inspire you to consider how you can better engage those who are considering a career change. Who knows, maybe you’ll land your company on one of these "best of the best" lists in the years ahead…
Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.
