The Big Picture

By John Chambers
For Hcareers.com

The whole shebang. The whole nine yards. The whole enchilada.

These phrases all not-so-eloquently describe a well-rounded recruitment strategy. But it’s an important idea, as it’s often never enough for you or your clients to utilize new trends in the employment industry and ignore tested solutions to source qualified job seekers.

Social or professional networking and search engine optimization (SEO) are popular tools to bring exposure to your client’s brand and job postings, but the current economy demands opportunities that maximize expenditures. If the price tag fits, why not go with employment packages that offer popular opportunities as complimentary resources?

Consider these top three must-haves for a complete recruitment portfolio:

1. Reach

Many employment sites cross-post jobs so your clients’ positions aren’t just seen by one audience group. And it’s key to get onto the right Web sites. Companies such as onTargetjobs offer nine career-center sites with jobs that are posted across hundreds of outlets through a range of connections – from healthcare associations to distribution portals.

The point is just to get out there, especially during a recession.

“It’s not enough to just place an ad in the help-wanted section of the local newspaper anymore; your chances of attracting the employees you want will be much better if you broaden your advertising,” expert resource About.com states. “Place ads in places such as job Web sites and college or university campus boards, for example. Advertise in other towns or cities.”

Build an online recruitment portfolio that will do all of this for you.

2. Niche

Targeted recruitment outlets offer a greater likelihood for more qualified candidates drawn by non-general job postings and market-specific content. Niche outlets are part of the big picture because they offer more: access to top talent through low entry costs; conversion tracking; and the ability to customize offerings.

A majority of professionals found their most recent employment opportunity through an online job board advertisement, and those same audiences plan to use a similar site to land their next job, according to WEDDLE’s 2009 Survey of Recruiters and Job Seekers.

The survey also found that of all the job boards employers use to hire, it’s important to utilize a higher number of niche Web sites. These targeted environments offer a greater likelihood for more qualified candidates drawn by non-general job postings and market-specific content. Finding top, professional talent begins with one-one-one recruitment through resources that are directly tied to individual industries instead of general offerings on broad job boards.

3. Old & New

Tried and true recruitment resources such as Web banners, email campaigns and career fairs still attract qualified job seekers.

And it’s often the original favorite that’s the most effective. For example, industry resource MarketingProfs.com has nominated such a simple word as “like” to be marketing’s most powerful descriptor.

“If you had to guess the single most important word in advertising, what would it be? My vote goes to the simple, innocuous word "like": a nondescript word that carries with it all the conceptualization power you need to create a business identity, to form a brand personality, and to position your product or service in the mind of your audience, “ the marketing industry Web site states. “You need your message to be understandable, engaging, and memorable. And one of the best ways to convey that message is to compare it with something your audience can relate to. It's like teaching your kids a life lesson by reading them one of Aesop's Fables.” SEO, pay-per-click campaigns and social or professional networking should be part of recruitment portfolios, and some career centers or job boards will offer them as complimentary components. The results can be encouraging for client traffic.

Scrapbooking company Blackberry Paper increased monthly site visits and page views by more than 520%, according to its optimization partner, SEO.com.

“Through our optimization tactics, we have been very successful in increasing the company’s Web presence, increasing their monthly organic search traffic by more than 1,500%,” the online search company states.

Whatever you do, don’t just pick one thing. Find a recruitment provider that can offer you and your clients the whole enchilada.