By Michael Goldberg - President Lionzone Digital Marketing
SOURCE. RECRUIT. HIRE.
Sure, it's a tight labor market. The shortage of truck drivers, mechanics, and all other jobs in transportation, warehousing, and logistics are at the highest levels ever. Recruiters are reaching burnout levels, and it seems like there’s no end in sight! So, what should recruiting managers and recruiters be doing to address these issues and fill the backlog of open positions?
As an experienced recruiter and recruiting manager myself, I say it's time to get back to the basics of our profession. And it starts with sourcing qualified candidates.
Sourcing qualified candidates has always been a challenge. In the 1980s and the ‘90s, sourcing candidates meant searching through hard copies of resumes and making endless numbers of phone calls looking for referrals. Inbound marketing was placing classified ads in newspapers and magazines, hoping someone would see your ad placements. Not to mention direct marketing activities like mailing letters and cards via the post office.
What I would have given for Digital Recruitment Marketing in those days!
So, what is the best sourcing strategy today? Is it social media? Is it PPC, display marketing SEO? Maybe it’s one of the, what seems like, hundreds of Job Boards like Indeed, Glassdoor, Zip Recruiter, Monster, even Craigslist, or one of the dozens of industry-specific job boards like CDL Life? There are so many options and tools in your recruiter’s toolbox; it can be mind-boggling!
In truth, the solution is not one size fits all.
The first step of recruiting is having a solid source of candidates. And a successful candidate sourcing campaign requires planning.
Here are the basic steps Lionzone takes when planning a Digital Marketing candidate sourcing strategy for our clients.
- Understand Job Description & Requirements. – (Don’t make the mistake of thinking that all transportation, warehouse and logistics jobs are the same).
- Evaluate geo-specific needs for each position.
- Develop a strategy for managing lead generation:
- Review performance data and determine the best sources of qualified candidates – Email, PPC, Social, Mobile, etc.
- Set campaign performance goals.
- Plan Ad spend to generate maximum performance from each source.
- Create client-branded campaign content, images, etc.
- Review Daily KPI Data and manage campaign for Maximum Results!
Once you have a consistent funnel of qualified candidates, recruiters can do what they do best, Recruit!
The way we find candidates has changed over the years, but one thing for sure has stayed the same. The first step to a successful candidate sourcing campaign is a SOURCE of qualified candidates.
