When it comes to recruiting new employees, now is a more important time than ever to be cautious of not only who you’re hiring, but how you approach the hiring process as a whole. With tight budgets and an unstable economy, there is little room for hiring the wrong “fit” at your agency. So, what should an agency be doing in terms of recruitment? Marketing and appealing to your target audience is a key step, as you’ll see in the third of this five-part series designed to help you recruit top talent.

Campus hires and recent graduates
“If you’re going after campus hires, everything from the verbiage of your job descriptions to your marketing collateral should have a young look and feel,” said Heather Gaengel, recruiting manager at Zywave. And don’t forget about tailoring your booth design to this young audience if you’re recruiting at a college career fair. Tailoring the look and feel doesn’t stop at in-person communication with the candidate. Consider customizing the recruitment section of your Web site to appeal to specific audiences depending on the position of interest. “You want the candidate to feel excited that there is a place for them at your agency,” she said.

Your communication methods with potential hires can also be specifically tailored to them. “If your candidates like to communicate through text and e-mail, then why not recruit them that way?” said Heather. Generation-Y candidates are especially attuned to the rapid response of digital communication. So reach out to them in that way; it will help to put your company in an innovative and tech-savvy light.

Advanced candidates
“Research the mediums of communication that mid-career or advanced candidates in your field are using,” said Heather. Same with campus hires and recent graduates – tailor the opportunity specifically to the candidate’s demographic. “Advertising a job opening on a professional networking Web site for passive job seekers is a great way to recruit,” said Heather. “And don’t forget about opportunities to advertise in trade magazines,” she added.

Don’t just tell, but show your candidates that your agency is successful by highlighting its stability and presence in the market. Do this by providing something as simple as a benefits summary or recently published articles about the company. “It goes a long way with a candidate,” said Heather. And leaving this lasting impression with them is exactly what you want to do.

Of course this will all change with each position you are looking to fill. But ultimately, get in the candidates shoes. Where do they look for jobs? What are they looking for in a company culture? How can you frame each position to be the best fit for the candidate? This all starts with marketing and appealing to your target audience.

This is part three in a five-part series on recruitment at agencies.

© Copyright 2009 Zywave, Inc.