Drawing parallels between ice cream and recruitment is not as far-fetched as it might sound, writes Katy Harris, talent acquisition manager, THE ICONIC.
Think back to the last time you went to Gelato Messina for an ice cream fix. With the incredible array of complex flavours calling out from the case, was it the classic and humble vanilla that swayed you? Most likely not. How can vanilla make the cut when swarmed by a sea of inspired varieties like salted caramel, Bounty or coconut lychee?
Anyone who’s recruited from the millennial pool recently will tell you that traditional “vanilla" methods just won’t cut through in today’s highly social, ultra stimulating and demanding society. It’s probably not news to you that this cohort expects – in fact,
craves – new ideas and innovative creations that they can tweet, follow and share. Heading into 2015, a smart recruiter’s bag of tricks will look very much like our favourite ice cream shop’s – packed to the brim with a wide array of flavours to meet demand from a discerning audience.
There’s been considerable buzz lately about
social recruitment – the connection you foster between the Candidate and Talent Brand. Akin to that must-have craving you feel when Messina posts its latest creation and next thing you know, you're at the counter buying two scoops, posting a selfie on Instagram stamped with #Besticecreamever.
But Messina isn’t just ice cream – it’s the “new noun for ice-cream” (so says Nick Palumbo, the company’s founder). It’s a brand, it’s an experience, it's actively attracting interest, intrigue and followers to want to eat there and even queue up on an idle Tuesday just to experience it. How? Through open conversation and consistent tone of voice across their social platforms. This marketing approach doesn’t only work for ice cream brands – it can help ensure top talent is equally as fervent to work for your company.
Not convinced? Do you feel you have to sell the role? Sell the company? Explain your culture and environment each time? Well it doesn’t need to be so repetitive or time-consuming. Leverage the power of engaging content on
LinkedIn and Twitter and some of that hard work is already done for you. Furthermore, people are craving that ice cream flavour or new job before you've even had time to say, “I’m hiring”.
It takes time to build, form and grow and does not always go as planned. Messina was not an overnight success – it took years of solo slugging to get where they are today. But better to start now and watch it thrive than be the last guy on the bus, or worse, left behind.
Talent Attraction is not about attracting everyone; rather it’s about attracting the
right talent for your company. So we need to be ‘content conscious’ and market the Talent Brand that is truly reflective of your culture and environment. It’s fine if you don’t have the allure that Messina has, but each company does have a USP. When you tap into yours, selling the role or company becomes a thing of the past – the right Talent now has the awareness, genuine engagement and a
true picture of your business culture.
Top tier talent have more options than ever before – again, the Messina menu is literally a metaphor for this. There’s always a new flavour of the week! And now, in the digital age of recruitment, there’s unlimited access to this information and choice. Even the most passive of candidates will see an enticing job advert or “Salted Caramel Bomb” picture banded in front of them as they innocently surf the net, piquing even the happiest employee’s intrigue or the unbeknownst ice-cream craver. HR departments and internal recruiters, it’s time to drive this change and lead your company or C-suite to this new Gen Y style of social recruiting.
So before you loop in external agency support and blow out your budget, map out your Talent Acquisition strategy with this maximum ROI solution: a fully proactive, relationship-based social recruiting model.
In this ‘Battle for Talent’ is it about fight or flight? I say it’s actually about
site: Optimising your Talent Brand’s visibility. Time to get Blogging, Tweeting and telling your Talent Brand Story. But first...Messina anyone?
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