Alexandre Diard 78.6% of candidates… that’s the number of candidates who Google a company before applying (according to Forbes’ Candidate Experience Report). Candidates spend more time than before researching a company that aligns with their values and demands ; they are more selective. That’s why it’s important to implement a strategy that will attract the best talent and retain them.
It is necessary to adapt your recruitment strategy to the new ways of job searching that have developed with new technologies. One of the recruitment strategies increasingly implemented by companies is inbound recruiting. This strategy, based on content and employer branding, reaches actively searching candidates as well as passive candidates. The goal of this strategy? To attract and recruit better candidates.
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What is inbound recruiting ?
Inbound recruiting is a strategy used in human resources that focuses on attracting and engaging potential job candidates in a way that encourages them to apply for a position within a company. Instead of the traditional approach of seeking out candidates through job postings and active recruitment (often referred to as outbound recruiting), inbound recruiting aims to make the organization attractive to prospective employees, so that they come to the company on their own.
This strategy often involves creating a strong employer brand, sharing engaging content about the company culture and values, and maintaining a positive presence on social media and professional networks. It also includes optimizing the company’s career page to improve the candidate experience and making the application process as straightforward as possible. The goal is to build a relationship with potential candidates and create a talent pool that is both interested and aligned with the company’s needs before there are even any job openings. This can lead to a more efficient hiring process and higher-quality applicants who are more likely to fit well within the company’s culture.
Frequently asked questions about inbound recruiting
What are the different stages of inbound recruiting ?
Inbound recruiting applies marketing techniques to the field of recruitment. This strategy adopts the fundamental principles of inbound marketing.
First, it is important to understand how inbound marketing works to best approach inbound recruiting. Inbound marketing consists of 4 distinct stages:
- Attract
This is the acquisition phase. The goal is to drive traffic to the website or to various platforms (blog, social networks, etc.).
- Convert
Once you have acquired traffic. The goal is to convert it into a prospect. For this, you need to encourage Internet users to leave contact information (email, phone, etc.). On the website, this step is represented by a landing page. Optimized and ergonomic, it is designed to maximize the conversion rate.
- Close
You have retrieved the contact information of Internet users you have attracted to your platform. But for now, this has no impact on your revenue. This is the purpose of this step: to monetize your qualified traffic. The most important thing at this stage is to understand the profile of the prospects. There are two possible choices either the prospects are interested in your product or service or they are not yet mature enough for your product or service. In the first case, they are potential customers: you have a chance to close a deal with them. In the second case, it is still important to keep in touch with them: the day a need for your product arises: they will think of you.
- Retain
This involves maintaining a lasting relationship, satisfying your customers. The goal is to turn satisfied customers into true brand ambassadors.
Inbound recruiting, as explained above, creates content targeted at candidate personas. The goal is to increase the company’s recognition, the employer brand, and to create engagement with candidates. To implement this strategy, it can range from the career site to guest posts to creating a blog. This recruitment mode is ultimately about anticipating and answering the questions that all candidates may have before applying.
Outbound recruiting has a totally different logic. There is direct contact between the recruiter and the candidate. To implement this mode of recruitment and thus this contact, it can go through a message on social networks such as LinkedIn, a phone call, or even an email.
Finally, inbound recruiting is primarily a recruitment mode for long-term recruitment. Simple to implement, it significantly reduces recruitment costs if the first steps (definition of your employer brand and definition of candidate personas) are done rigorously.
What are the advantages of inbound recruiting ?
The strategy of inbound recruiting has many advantages. Attracting the best candidates is undoubtedly the biggest advantage of this recruitment strategy. In an extremely competitive world, companies do everything to stand out from one another. Attracting candidates is no small feat. But inbound recruiting changes the game. Indeed, with this strategy, candidates will come to you on their own; as previously explained, you offer them quality content that interests them. No need to solicit by phone: make your life easier!
In the same vein, attracting candidates allows you to increase the number of applications. Creating engagement with potential candidates with your brand increases the number of applications when you launch a recruitment: there will be the “usual” applications but also those from candidates sensitized to your brand.
Another benefit of inbound is the reduction of turnover. Improving engagement with your potential candidates allows you to retain them longer. If you improve the engagement of your future employees, once in the company they will already feel partly loyal: there is less chance that they will leave. Inbound recruiting thus allows better retention of top talent and a reduction in turnover.
In a work world where the balance of power between recruiter and recruit has changed, candidates are increasingly selective.
Inbound recruiting also allows the creation of a talent pool. Building a base of qualified candidates saves time when a recruitment need arises. This allows for greater efficiency and avoids working in a hurry.
Thanks to the implementation of a CV database as mentioned above, this recruitment strategy allows for considerable time savings during the recruitment process. Indeed, HR teams can thus focus more on the search for complex profiles and not finding a candidate urgently.
Improving your employer brand also boosts your brand image and the commercial reputation of the company. This strategy primarily targets candidate profiles. However, these candidates likely work in companies that might buy your products or services. You thus contribute to the commercial reputation and the image of the company.
The last advantage of inbound recruiting is the reduction of incompatibility between the new employee and the position. Indeed, the HR service has more time to search, is not in a hurry, already has a CV database: they can focus on finding a profile that is 100% compatible with the position to be filled.
What content platforms are useful in inbound recruiting ?
Now that you have defined what you want to communicate and to whom, it is time to move on to the content creation stage. You know the interests of your ideal candidate and you have defined the values on which you want to communicate, now it is about creating interesting content for your target: content that they would consult and read in their free time.
The goal is to create engagement between you and your potential candidates. Whether they are actively searching or not, they will remember you when they are searching. Content creation is very important. Keep in mind that the content written is intended for your target: your goal is to bring your target to your platforms (site, blog, social networks).
Your content will be available on your various platforms: from your career site to your blog to your social networks.
- Blog – Articles
Everyone types searches into Google and generally comes across articles. Inbound recruiting allows you to position yourself in this arena. The goal is to create content for your candidate personas in the form of an article. In this way, they will see your content during their internet search. You will thus increase your brand recognition but also the referencing of the site on which you publish your articles.
Keep in mind that you are writing with a specific purpose: for your candidate personas! Do not try to sell your products or services in these articles but write about a subject that may interest them.
A little advice: display your candidate personas as well as the values and/or the message you want to communicate in your articles. This will allow you to always keep in mind your goal and your target.
- Webinar
The webinar is a support sometimes neglected but very useful for communicating about the employer brand. Video is a medium that is easily shared and on the rise. Do not hesitate to communicate through this channel: multiply your communication supports.
One of the advantages of this support is the strong interactivity. Participants can ask their questions directly via chat and thus engage with you very easily. Moreover, webinars are not just the work of a moment T: they will be available for replay and thus viable over time.
- Career Site
The career site is a very important element. Your showcase site for your customers or prospects is well-maintained and tidy: treat your candidates like your customers. It’s the last step before applying, you have successfully attracted your ideal candidate to your career site (the hardest part is done!) but they land on a page with an outdated design and decide to change their mind. Your efforts are reduced to nothing… you have worked hard on the image of your company among candidates. It would be a shame to ruin your work with a career site that is not in line with the employer brand you are trying to communicate.
- Social Networks
Another content platform where you can communicate about your employer brand is your social networks! You have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or even LinkedIn account? Use them. Integrate your inbound recruiting logic into your overall strategy. If your candidate personas are only present on Twitter (for example), pass your message via this platform. Push your quality content (and created for your candidate personas) on the social networks that you have identified as relevant.
Who is inbound recruiting for ?
The balance of power between recruiters and candidates has changed. Today candidates are increasingly selective, and companies must stand out in this competitive world. New recruitment strategies like inbound recruiting have thus been developed to stand out from the competition. The goal is simple: to allow all companies to highlight their strengths.
It can be applied very well to ETIs (Intermediate-Sized Enterprises). Between large groups and startups, it is sometimes difficult to showcase their strengths. Inbound recruiting allows highlighting the fact that ETIs combine the best of both worlds with flexible management and significant responsibilities.
Regarding large groups, their notoriety is no longer to be reviewed. However, many large groups do not necessarily take good care of their candidates and this is noticeable especially via the career site. These often have outdated designs and a user experience to be reviewed. Taking care of these candidates from the first step of the process is crucial for the employer brand. That’s why applying inbound recruiting to large groups is just as important as its application to ETIs or startups.
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