6 Creative Ways to Capture Candidate Attention During a Talent Shortage

Aida Fazylova
Aug 26, 2021 12:20:30 AM

In the midst of a talent shortage, employers may be overlooking one of the best channels to connect with talent today: their cellphones.

The majority of Americans, 97 percent, now carry a cellphone. Furthermore, 90 percent of job seekers use their mobile devices to search for jobs. That means cellphones are one of the easiest ways to interact with your target candidates, regardless of who they are.

Text-based application processes are especially well suited for engaging candidates via their phones. You’ve probably seen text-to-apply advertisements yourself. For example: You’re walking past a “now hiring” poster hanging in a storefront window, and you notice it instructs candidates to “Text ‘Apply’ to XXXX.”

Of course, using that approach relies on making sure that candidates actually see your text-to-apply instructions. The good news, however, is that organizations interact with a pool of potential employees every single day: their customers. Whether they’re in our stores shopping for clothes, greeting the delivery driver at the door, or stopping by the café for a quick coffee, customers are constantly coming into contact with our organizations — and that means you have a multitude of opportunities to get your text-to-apply instructions in front of them. You just have to start leveraging some of your unused advertising space.

Here are six resourceful ways to advertise your open roles — and simple application process — to candidates:

1. Storefronts

One of the most common ways to promote a text-to-apply process is through posters on storefronts. As detailed in our earlier example, these posters often prompt potential candidates to either text a specific phrase to a number or scan a QR code. When you implement this strategy, every customer who enters your store will see you are hiring and can easily start the application process right there. It is also easy to snap a picture of the poster, meaning customers can send it to their friends who might be searching for jobs, too.

2. Social Media

It’s 2021, which means your organization most likely has active social media accounts. With just a few keystrokes, you can prompt your followers to apply through text.

Make an attention-grabbing and straightforward post with instructions, and then send it out to your followers. It’s one of the most effortless ways to make a job ad imaginable. This option is particularly great for companies that may not have physical locations or may want to reach a more geographically diversified pool of applicants.

3. Billboards

Digital and traditional billboards can be a cheap way to get the word out that you are hiring. Billboards can be especially useful in areas with high pedestrian traffic or where public transportation runs. That way, your candidates won’t be driving and can start the application process then and there.

4. Buses, Trucks, and Cars

Ads on vehicles are like moving billboards, allowing your message to reach an even wider audience. This strategy can be especially useful for companies that send employees to customers’ houses, like restaurants that deliver or contractors that send out technicians. That way, your customers and all their neighbors have a chance to see your ad.

Many companies have also had significant success with advertising via buses in populated areas, allowing large amounts of commuters and pedestrians to see that you are hiring.

5. Radio and Podcast Ads

Radio and podcast ads are often available at an affordable price — and with a catchy message, your text-to-apply instructions will stick in listeners’ heads all day. People often listen to radio programs and podcasts while commuting, driving, and doing idle tasks like working out or cleaning around the house — which means you almost have a captive audience.

6. Uniforms

Many companies add slogans to the branded garb their employees wear. Why not go a step further and add application instructions too? Every customer who sees one of your workers will know you’re hiring. And your employees have the potential to be your most potent ad of all. If they do great work and deliver great customer service, customers may be even more motivated to text your application number.

Takeaway

Whether you’re using branded vehicles and uniforms or advertising to a larger audience through billboards and posters, there are many ways your company can use text-to-apply tactics to reach a broad range of candidates today. When you make the application process more accessible, you enable your company to cast a wider net and bring in more top-tier talent.

To learn how XOR fits into your current recruiting strategy, schedule a demo with us!

Tags: recruiting automation, Virtual Recruiting, Text Recruiting, Text Message Recruiting, Screening, Chatbots