Job Candidates That Click

It’s an online world out there. If you’re looking for insurance talent, it’s time to get savvy and go where the job seekers are. There are dozens of new and effective ways to reach elusive insurance job candidates in an increasingly digital world.

CHANGING TIMES

Great people are always in demand, but now much more difficult to find. The recruiting pyramid has been flipped upside down and it’s fair to say demand far outstrips supply, despite the current economic conditions. Years ago, there were 10 candidates for one open position; today, there are only one or two good candidates for 10 positions.

For this reason, your company has to work harder to stand out and attract the right candidates. Maximizing your presence online is how your company can make the most cost-effective use of your time, budget and resources.

Using new media to recruit online means a lot more than buying a simple ad on a career Web site. These days it embraces a wide range of new strategies that include:

• online branding;

• effective use of and position on major search engines;

• career section on a company Web site;

• corporate videos;

• presence on social networking sites; and

• online job fairs.

Let’s take a look at each of these areas and how they can help you recruit better, smarter and faster.

Online branding: Be identifiable

Consider this: you spend thousands of dollars each year marketing your business brand to your customers. If you want to attract top talent, you have to do the same thing to reach out to the qualified workforce by developing a strong recruitment brand.

Branding for top talent should be part of your business plan. To build your “branding strategy,” first ask yourself what makes your company a great place in which to work.

Once you have identified your strong suits, put them in a statement and let potential candidates know through development of your visual and verbal brand. Get the word out that your company is a great place to work.

Thanks to the Internet, you can get that message and brand out faster and cheaper than ever before, in addition to reaching a much broader audience.

Search engines: Come up first

Have you Googled yourself lately? If not, do it right away. Exposure on the front page of major search engines is critical not only to the success of your business but also for recruiting candidates.

In fewer than 10 years, Google has become de rigeur for business research. If your name doesn’t light up the front page of Google like a Christmas tree, then candidates won’t find you first. It’s as simple as that.

The best candidates always conduct research on the company before going to the interview. And where do you think they begin? First, your Web site and then Google, MSN or another search engine. If your name is hard to find, it may create a negative perception in that candidate’s mind.

Two things are important: first, you must show up in relevant searches. Second, the information that displays about you should be positive.

Career section: Stand out

Does the career section on your Web site engage potential candidates? Does it convince? Sell your company? It should.

An effective career section on your Web site must deliver a clear, compelling message about your human resource values and policies.

Treat your career section like a giant billboard advertising what a great place your company is to work. The application process should be easy enough that a Grade 5 student can figure it out. The names of key managers with phone numbers and emails should be provided, inviting candidates to call directly.

Many job sites that list positions have application processes that take up to 15 minutes. The key to an effective career page, however, is this: the fewer clicks, the better. A brief (one-minute, ideally), user-friendly approach with a fast, streamlined application process will yield the best results.

Corporate video: Moving pictures speak louder than…

A recruiting video on your career section will help you deliver a dynamic, vibrant and contemporary message. Job seekers like to see current employees talking to them about what it’s like to work there, all the while getting a sneak peak at your office space. Corporate videos should be fast-paced, imaginative and no more than a minute. Always choose the newest, liveliest employees over a dull, stuffy senior executive. After all, the purpose is to attract candidates by appearing fun, professional and — very importantly — non-clich!

The cost is probably less than you think. At about $1,000 per minute, a corporate video can be a smart use of your recruitment budget. And a 15-second video should do the trick.

Social networking: Generate “buzz”

Social networking is one of the fastest growing trends on the Internet. These days, more and more insurance players are embracing these sites as an extension of their marketing and recruitment efforts.

• Facebook has become the most popu- lar social networking site in the world. For insurance companies, it’s a good idea to create an online group for your company and invite both employees and would-be candidates to join. Some fear there is a chance for negative information to be shared. Just be sure to monitor these groups or blogs. An online group on Facebook will give candidates a better idea of what it’s like to work in your company and the chance to chat with employees currently working there. In many cases, it can actually serve to dispel negative press or word of mouth. The key is to make it an open group that anyone can join. And the nice thing is that you can create multiple groups on Facebook — one for current employees, one for candidates, one for alumni, etc.

• Linkedin is a business networking site created for professionals to connect with one another around the world. Overall, it is more of a one-on-one networking tool and better suited to individuals rather than companies.

• Twitter is a networking site with a large following in the United States and growing in Canada. Companies use Twitter to follow up with job candidates and customers from the past. An employer can create an account and send an invitation to follow your career. It allows an employer to follow previous applicants (perhaps they lost out on them) and keep their company’s name fresh with them. Likewise, job seekers can follow their favourite potential employers who have profiles.

Online Job Fairs: Create An Event

An online job fair is a great way to generate recruitment brand awareness, and create an influx of applications over a short, set period of time.

Take the recent example of a medium-sized Canadian insurance company that held an online job fair on a specialty insurance recruiting site. In a three-week period, they received 100 applications, 59 of which qualified for interviews. Twenty-one of these candidates proceeded to second and third interviews, and half a dozen job offers resulted. All this in very little time — and for half the price of a traditional job fair.

When considering an online job fair, you have two choices. The first is to run it on your own, which involves using inhouse technology. If you take this route, you will be responsible for determining workflow as well as the look, feel and application retrieval process (not to mention the advertising). A recommended alternative is to look to a third-party site that has all of the mechanisms already in place to host it and make it as successful as possible.

An online job fair allows potential candidates to take part without running into someone they know, such as their manager. The job seeker can remain anonymous and apply to companies without having to take time out from their schedule to attend. As a result, employers get a more diverse range of applications than they would normally receive.

Here are some useful tips for r unning an effective online job fair:

• the duration should be 2-4 weeks;

• theme is key: Choose one that enhances your online brand;

• have a prize that captures people’s excitement. For example: the first 20 applications could receive gift certificates or be entered into a prize draw for the season’s latest electronic device;

• timing: Don’t set it up for late July or August or in a crunch time for your company. You need to create a working team that can be dedicated to it;

• Use text that is creative, with carefully chosen words to attract job seekers; and

• monitor results.

Don’t forget, an online job fair can be an excellent complement to a physical job fair.

So welcome to the digital age. To compete for the dwindling number of insurance top performers, it’s time to fire up the laptops, log on, think creatively and reach the candidates where they click — in as many compelling ways as possible.

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TIPS FOR CREATING A POWERFUL ONLINE RECRUITMENT BRAND

Repetition: The more places and more frequently they see your name, your colours and logo, the more you will be perceived as a viable employer.

Consistency: Each of your job postings/ads should follow a strict format and contain the same “boilerplate” wording and information every time.

Detail: Provide as much unique information on the offering and your company as possible to engage potential candidates. Remember, you are differentiating yourself from every other employer on the site.

Choose different media: When recruiting for a position or positions, look beyond job postings to tile ads and banner ads to more uniquely reinforce your brand.

More is better: The more job postings or banner ads you have on a given recruitment site, the more leverage you have with that site to get more exposure.

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The recruiting pyramid has been flipped upside down and it’s fair to say demand far outstrips supply, despite the current economic conditions.