Recruitment marketing is a crucial driver of talent acquisition success in today's competitive hiring landscape. As robust competition for top talent continues, employers must optimize all aspects of their employer brand and candidate experience to find and attract quality candidates. For many organizations, partnering with an expert Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) provider is a strategic solution to stay ahead of shifting talent acquisition challenges. According to the 2023 RPO Trends report, over 40 percent of employers using RPO want recruitment marketing services from their RPO provider.
Aspirant RPO is a leading national RPO firm known for its consultative, partnership-focused approach to talent solutions. To gain valuable insights into Aspirant RPO's recruitment marketing expertise and best practices for building thriving RPO relationships, Lamees Abourahma, with the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association, interviewed Kristi Lisbon, Senior Director of Service Delivery at Aspirant RPO, for the Talent Leader Council blog series. This article is an edited version of their interview.
RPOA: Can you tell us how Aspirant supports clients with recruitment marketing?
Kristi Lisbon: We recognize the importance of recruitment marketing as part of the talent attraction and consult with our clients. As part of the discovery process, we take time to understand their brand footprint and how it can support our partnership to attract the right talent to their organization. We launch recruitment marketing engagements with a thorough audit of all aspects of the employer’s brand, including a detailed analysis of their website design and content, social media platforms and engagement levels, search engine optimization, job postings, and company information on Indeed, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor.
Q: What Common Issues Appear During a Recruitment Marketing Audit?
Lisbon: We frequently see employers misalign their employer brand, company culture portrayal, and job advertisements with the candidates they want to attract in today's market. Whether due to internal culture shifts, adding new types of roles, or simply needing to be more effectively positioning themselves than competitors in their industry, many clients need strategic guidance and hands-on support to refine their employer brand messaging to find and attract qualified candidates.
From this audit, we start our recruitment marketing journey with a clear understanding of the employer brand so that we can help the organization use that brand to affect their business positively.
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Q: Once the initial brand assessment is completed, what other recruitment marketing do you offer your clients?
Lisbon: We analyze potential candidates' online behavior to understand their interests and engagement with potential employers. Based on this analysis, we design a strategy and solutions to “meet them where they are.” We also analyze our clients' collateral and recommend advertising strategies.
This involves developing content and marketing advertisements that reach potential candidates on their frequently used digital channels. Where necessary, our Recruitment Marketing Specialists partner with the employer's marketing team to help drive the recruitment marketing efforts toward finding qualified candidates. For example, we can partner with the client to create a marketing ad with a testimonial for Facebook and reach the candidate pool with content that resonates with their interests.
Q: Why is a strong employer value proposition (EVP) important, and how does it help companies attract top talent?
Lisbon: Recruitment marketing from an RPO provider involves communicating an Employer Value Proposition (EVP) and unique story/culture to candidates through targeted campaigns across digital channels. The EVP is important for companies struggling with defining their culture. Many companies need to update their EVP or define it properly. A well-defined EVP can help external talent believe in the existing culture and create alignment for internal talents. To support companies, we assist in defining the story of their culture, and the recruitment marketing team helps them share it with the world and meet candidates where they are at in the market.
Q: Can you share some examples of innovative recruiting solutions Aspirant offers?
Lisbon: A lot of research and creativity goes into building innovative solutions. We work hard to understand the client's pain points and develop a strategy tailored to the talent pools in our client’s markets. Being a good RPO partner means not following a post-and-pray process. It's about how we can use all our resources to source and hunt for talent to find the best candidates. We advise clients on what we see in the market to help them tailor their job postings to attract better talent. If the person they're looking for is a “purple squirrel,” we consult with them by showing them the qualified candidates who exist in the market to align expectations better.
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Q: What are the benefits of an RPO provider's recruitment marketing solutions?
Lisbon: An RPO provider's recruitment marketing team can improve a client's applicant flow and candidate pipeline workflows by advertising for clients. This will draw in more applications in specific disciplines and talents that align with their cultural attributes. They also use the client's talent community to deliver email marketing campaigns to community members. The goal is to drive talented community members to relevant jobs and increase candidate engagement. We can build in work flows based on how candidates engage with the content, ultimately driving them to apply to positions when they are available. The goal is to position the right candidate for the right position at the right time for our clients.
Q: What are some best practices for ensuring a successful long-term RPO partnership?
Lisbon: For a successful long-term RPO partnership, actively listening to the client without making assumptions is important. It's also important to be realistic about deliverables without promising the world. A robust training process and consistent experience for all recruiters can help ensure delivery, and partnering with the client to understand and deliver on their talent strategies can help build successful long-term relationships. Additionally, RPO leaders must stay informed on the latest technologies, trends, and methodologies to advise clients on the best approaches to compete for talent in today’s market.
In Conclusion
Recruitment marketing is essential to talent acquisition success, and partnering with an expert RPO provider like Aspirant RPO can help organizations stay ahead of shifting talent acquisition challenges. Through a thorough audit process, innovative solutions, and a consultative, partnership-focused approach, Aspirant RPO's recruitment marketing expertise can help clients refine their employer brand messaging, attract top talent, and drive positive business impact. With a strong EVP and targeted campaigns across digital channels, Aspirant RPO can help struggling companies define and share their unique story and culture with the world. Overall, an RPO provider's recruitment marketing solutions can significantly optimize all aspects of an employer's brand and candidate experience to find and attract quality candidates in today's competitive hiring landscape.
