Are we in a recession? Are we headed for one?
Regardless of your take on this issue, one thing is undeniable: We’re operating in extremely uncertain economic times.
Let’s table the recession/no recession issue and focus on a critical issue — namely, how you should adjust your recruitment marketing for today’s (and tomorrow’s) economy.
The current volatility is impacting everyone. Whether you’re a business owner, recruiter or job seeker, each person is experiencing unique challenges related to the supply chain, lack of job candidates and/or inflation. But there are job seekers out there searching for jobs for a variety of reasons. And your clients’ jobs need to be filled.
So in times like these, what should you be doing more of, less of, or differently? Below, I share a few ideas for adapting your recruitment marketing to prepare for different scenarios in this uncertain economy.
Build Your Employer Brand
Employer brand will be vital, regardless of which way the economy trends. Why is employer brand important?
If we do go into a recession, featuring layoffs, then top talent will return to the market. That’s the perfect time to top grade. (Think about the layoffs in Q2 2020.) When top talent starts to search for a job, they will have their choice of employer. What does your content say about your company on your career site, in your job postings, across your social channels and in your reputation management?
And if a recession doesn’t materialize, highly qualified candidates will continue to have their choice of opportunities. How can you showcase your firm’s brand now to be prepared to be their top choice? While it’s important to push jobs, it’s also vital to showcase why your staffing firm is an employer of choice.
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Spend Smarter on the Job Boards
“Spend more” isn’t the correct recruiting strategy during uncertain time, but spending smarter can lead to better results.
When looking at the data recently for a caregiver recruitment company, the numbers showed they were overpaying for clicks:
| Timeframe | CPA | CPC | Conversion Rate |
| March 11-15 | $19.13 | $2.29 | 12.0% |
| March 16-18 | $13.84 | $1.47 | 10.6% |
| March 29 – April 14 | $24.00 | $2.59 | 10.8% |
| April 15-20 | $12.90 | $1.42 | 11.0% |
Two pieces of data reveal this company was overpaying for clicks:
- The conversion rate (clicks that leads to apply) is very consistent.
- The cost per click bounces all over the place.
Look at the last two rows of the chart — the conversion rate has a 1.8% difference, but a 45% difference in cost per click. Seeing a constant conversion rate and a variable CPC means you are overpaying for clicks.
Messaging on Your Career Site and Social Pages
Right now, job seekers want to work at the best places and progress professionally. Does your content say that right now? If it doesn’t, it’s time to change.
But now I’m going to throw a few curveballs into this one. What if the open jobs go away? What if unemployment increases? Are you ready to shift quickly?
You’ll still need to highlight the content about your company being a best place to work. But if the economy takes a turn for the worse, job seekers might need to know the basics of how to search for a job since they’ll be competing with a lot of other candidates who were recently laid off.
Have a flexible content plan for your blog and social posts. Look at the images and calls to action on your website. What message do they give in the current state of the economy? How can you change it if market conditions change in a few weeks?
The economy is very uncertain right now. Regardless of what’s around the next economic corner:
- Your employer brand is always going to be important.
- It’s always smart to spend smart on the job boards.
- Your content needs to be flexible and meet the needs of your audience.
Just because the economy is uncertain doesn’t mean your recruitment marketing strategy should be.