Howdy recruiters! One of the coolest parts of being a recruiter is that you can build your skills out sideways. You are part project manager, part digital marketer, part therapist, part secret psycho megalomaniac with narcissistic tendencies...maybe that last one is just me.
The point is, there are amazing insights all around us that can massively level up our recruitment game BUT, because we are busy reviewing ten trillion applicants (thanks LinkedIn) we rarely get to break out of our wee silos to look left and right, learn from a project manager, or a DevOps engineer or an Analyst, or a Marketing Manager.
So I say screw that. Lets break our silos together. Today let's see what marketers can offer us.
Recruiters and marketers have more in common than you might think. Both aim to grab attention, engage an audience, and convert interest into action. In marketing, that journey is visualised through a funnel, and recruitment can borrow heavily from this concept to improve candidate attraction, messaging, and hiring outcomes.
Grab your sledgehammer, let's break the silo!
1. Adopt a Funnel Mindset
Marketers think in terms of funnels:
- Top of the Funnel (Awareness): Attract as many potential customers as possible. Middle of the Funnel (Engagement): Nurture their interest with targeted messaging. Bottom of the Funnel (Conversion): Turn interest into action (like a purchase or sign-up).
Recruitment mirrors this process:
- Awareness: Reaching potential candidates through job ads, sourcing, or employer branding. Engagement: Keeping candidates interested with personalised outreach, well-designed career pages, or thoughtful follow-ups. Conversion: Encouraging candidates to apply, complete assessments, or accept an offer.
Luke Nugget
Map your recruitment process to a funnel. Where are candidates dropping off? Is your awareness stage too narrow? Are candidates ghosting after the screen call? Identifying leaks in your funnel helps focus your improvement efforts.
2. Craft Irresistible Messaging
In marketing, your messaging must:
- Speak directly to your audience. Solve their pain points. Highlight the value of your product (or in our case, the role or organisation).
Recruitment messaging sometimes falls flat because it’s too generic.
Phrases like “Join a fast-paced team!” or “We’re looking for a self-starter!” don’t resonate. Instead, take a cue from marketing and:
- Tailor Messages to Personas: Just as marketers craft messages for different customer segments, recruiters should adapt messaging to different candidate personas. A software engineer and a sales executive won’t be swayed by the same pitch. Focus on Benefits, Not Features: this is like the marketers mantra and for good reason. Marketers sell solutions, not products. Similarly, don’t just list job requirements—explain how the role will enhance the candidate’s career or life. Counter intuitive point, but a problem can be a benefit (weird I know) If you are an engineer, the opportunity to solve a specific problem is the benefit for instance.
Luke Nugget
Try the FAB Framework (Features, Advantages, Benefits) to write job ads and outreach messages. For example:
- Feature: The role offers remote work. Advantage: No need to relocate or commute. Benefit: You’ll have more time to spend with family or hobbies.
3. A/B Test Your Outreach
Marketers test multiple variations of ads or emails to see what resonates best with their audience. Recruiters should do the same.
Test elements like:
- Subject lines in LinkedIn messages or emails. Call-to-action phrases (e.g., “Let’s chat!” vs. “Can we schedule a call?”). The tone of your outreach (formal vs. conversational).
Luke Nugget
Run small experiments. For example, split your outreach into two groups, each receiving a different subject line. Track response rates to see what works better, then double down on the winning approach. I once saw outreach increase 50% due to a different subject line. there are some massive gains to be had and you can share the learning across your team.
4. Learn Content Marketing Principles
Marketers use blogs, videos, and social media to provide content that attracts their target audience. Recruiters can use the same strategy to create employer branding content that draws candidates into your funnel.
- Day-in-the-life videos featuring current employees. Blog posts about your organisation’s values or projects. Social media updates highlighting team achievements or growth opportunities.
Luke Nugget
Build a content calendar/matrix for recruitment. Schedule regular posts that show company culture, promote roles, and keep your brand top-of-mind for candidates. just make it specific and have a call to action.
5. Focus on Metrics that Matter
Did you honestly think that you'd get to the end of my newsletter without hearing about the importance of data? Fat chance bucko. Marketers are data-driven. They track key metrics like:
- Cost per lead. Conversion rates (e.g., ad clicks to purchases). Customer acquisition cost.
Recruiters need a similar mindset, focusing on:
- Cost per hire. Conversion rates at each funnel stage. Time to fill and drop-off rates.
Luke Nugget
Use those metrics to identify where your efforts give you the most value, and where you’re wasting time or resources. A data-driven approach ensures continuous improvement.
6. Nurture Passive Talent
Marketers don’t just target people ready to buy immediately, they nurture leads over time. Recruiters shouldn’t focus just on active candidates.
Engage passive candidates with:
- Regular check-ins or updates about your organisation. Invitations to join talent communities or attend events. Sharing industry insights or relevant news to stay top-of-mind.
Luke Nugget
Use an email drip campaign for passive talent. Create a sequence of value-packed messages that candidates receive over time, keeping them engaged without being pushy.
So there you go...
Marketing has some very clever, very successful people inside it. Us recruiters don't have to remake the wheel and create our own outreach methods, we can break out of our silo and learn from marketers who have already perfected their craft.
Luke Update
I'm super duper busy in the run up to Christmas with consulting stuff so the book has been slow going.
I'll be down in London this week for a couple of days for a talk about recruitment data stuff hosted by The incredible TTC & Ashby. Here are the Event Details if you want to sign up. If you do, come say hi!
Well... that's issue twenty nine! If you have any questions about it, or any feedback on this issue of The Data Driven Recruiter, grab me on LinkedIn for a chat.
I'll see you next week!