When looking to expand your workforce, finding qualified candidates can be one of the most difficult things to do. However, companies looking to hire new employees shouldn’t feel frustrated by the process.
With effective planning and preparation, it’s possible to use advertising strategies that will help you reach and recruit candidates from all backgrounds, including those who are traditionally underrepresented in certain industries like defense contracting.
Here are some tips on how to effectively advertise your open positions through paid advertising to better attract diverse applicants.
Job Postings
It’s important to remember that not all prospective candidates will search for openings on company websites.
If you want your position listed on job search sites, register with them and spend some time making sure your job description is clearly written, relevant and timely.
When writing your posting, don’t just list requirements and responsibilities:
Instead, paint a picture of why it’s interesting.
What challenges are they likely to work on?
Who will they get to know if they join?
Be specific; you want readers thinking I would love to do that! and not no way I could ever do that as soon as they see it.
Paid Advertising
The best recruitment advertising campaigns have two qualities.
First, they are creative. Second, they utilize paid advertising to target potential applicants who are looking to transition to or enter the Defense Contracting industry.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to recruiting; however, when it comes to choosing your paid advertising channels, focus on social media and online job boards—sites like LinkedIn and Indeed—are among your best bets in terms of efficiency and ROI.
You’ll need a budget that allows you to advertise effectively if you’re going to attract qualified candidates, though many hiring managers find their greatest successes by including the content as well as sponsoring certain industry events or conferences where possible candidates might be found by recruiters in attendance.
How to target qualified candidates with cross-device targeting
Advertising across multiple channels can help you reach your target audience without being overly expensive.
By targeting cross-device and using data tracking, advertisers are able to zero in on their target audiences on a variety of devices, including mobile phones and desktop computers.
The trick is to gather as much information about that audience as possible and then use it all at once during your advertising campaign.
For example, you might know from past behavior that most people who visit your website are also interested in programs, like C4ISR—that’s called cross-device retargeting—and when they later search for something unrelated on their smartphone, display ads can be shown with images relevant to the defense contracting industry.