One of the wisest things I heard from a client came a few months after the pandemic – “if you don’t start paddling on your surfboard now, you’re going to miss the wave.”
Now, we probably aren’t going to see that type of wave in the recruitment side of the staffing industry, but a wave is coming. For months (maybe even over a year?), getting job orders has been a struggle for staffing companies. After years of “order taking,” it felt like a 180-degree switch where job orders dried up.
But it’s not going to last forever – that’s why you have to prepare now and be ready to get up on that surfboard.
What can staffing agencies do to prepare for the job orders that are coming so you can win the speed game at that time?
Stay Visible in the Market
Impressions don’t pay the bills, but they keep you top of mind with your target market. Numerous studies exist that if companies stop marketing, the perception of your customers is that you’ve closed the doors – fair or unfair.
Where are the places your target market is spending time – both online and in the real world? The marketing strategy shouldn’t be straight advertising. It can be a mix, but let’s find a balance between advertising and content marketing.
Our goal with these strategies is awareness – it might not directly lead to a conversion today but it’s part of the funnel to stay top of mind with your desired customers.
Who are they? Where are they spending time? What are tactics that fit into your budget?
Build the Employer Brand
Now that you’re top-of-mind with your target audience, let’s talk about the employer brand. I’m going to use the story of my 10-year-old daughter.
We do our grocery shopping at Wegmans – a grocery store chain in the Northeast that has very loyal customers. Every year, they post colorful printed materials showcasing Wegmans as a Top Place to Work, almost always ranking in the top 10.
What’s interesting to me is how the mind of a 10-year-old worked. She asked me “Who are the other companies ranked in the top 10?”
Thinking about this, my daughter wanted to know where the best places are. Not just Wegmans at #7 (which is awesome!), but where are the best places? (We looked at the list online.)
Where am I going with this?
As the market flips to more job orders, candidates are going to have choices. How are you building an irresistible employer brand?
- Are you viewed as one of the top places to work in your community?
- What do your testimonials say?
- Do your current employees bring referrals? (do you have a robust referral program?)
When the job orders start to arrive, that’s not the time to collect testimonials or build your local reputation. Constantly push those areas so you have the supporting materials available for candidates to view during their job search.
Build the Bench
Candidates are aware of our awesome company – which is great. Now we need them in the database!
There’s a double-edged sword here – if your company has job openings for active candidates, that’s great. We aren’t building the bench; we’re putting people to work.
But if you’re trying to build the bench and don’t have enough job openings for those candidates, how are you going to keep people in your database engaged?
- Do you have automation set up with texting, email, and phone calls to provide value to those candidates?
- Can you set up a training program to upskill those candidates for even better jobs when you get those orders? That could lead to placements with jobs with higher margins for your company.
- From a soft skills standpoint – can you develop those areas for your candidates.
The thought with the last two points is to make candidates more attractive when you’re ready to present them with future job orders.
We want to focus on the “Speed Wins” mantra – developing not only the hard skills, but the soft skills of the candidates in your database will pay off in the long run.
Catch the Wave!
With job orders coming in slowly, it’s easy to reduce the emphasis on recruiting. Why should I spend money on candidates or my employer brand if we don’t have a lot of potential placements?
Consider it a future investment – an investment in the right strategies and tactics that will pay off.
If you need help working on the right recruitment marketing strategies and tactics for your staffing company – our team is here to help. Contact our team today to get started or view our Smart Recruiting Guide – featuring nearly 200 ideas!
