Recruiting & Onboarding

Campus hiring: Pull Marketing over Push?

CareerBuilder Blog•

7 January 2014|

Updated on 6 March 2019

Companies have to focus on the pull effect as good talent are extremely choosy

With shrinking base of quality talent, there is a never-ending talent war. Fortune 500 companies are working overtime to make sure they are perceived right by the talent community and the best candidates choose them over others. Employer branding today is the hot topic in the recruitment market.

The past

In the beginning of 90’s, HR Managers started using job boards to source candidates for openings. As the number of applicants grew companies started hiring consultants to help them filter out the candidates. This has worked and is working even now. But companies do realize that the good ones do not come easy. Companies have to show their best. Push marketing in the form of posting jobs in job boards and email marketing has done the job till now.

The present

We are living in the era of LinkedIn where companies can showcase and engage with talent through Facebook and LinkedIn. The big companies are conducting University and B-School related events to promote their employer brand. However active talent engagement is limited to big companies and talent and they end up hiring the best of talent.

The future

Make Noise where there is less noise

Companies have to focus on the pull effect. Just showcasing an employer brand and engaging through likes and comments is not going to enough.

The really good talent is very choosy about the company. The need for the hour is

Hands of Engagement: Companies that are talking to their hires on a consistent basis till they join are going to be successful. Giving short term tasks, conducting workshops and group activities are the latest trends.

Powerful Employer Brand Messaging: Happy Employees are very important. Along with your company culture, promote what your employees say. You would most possibly attract culturally fit talent.

On the ground: It’s a simple noise effect. You will be heard where there is less noise. In today’s era, if you engage with talent only through social media, you are bound to fail. Make noise where there is less of others. Companies that have a mix of online and offline (on the field) engagement are bound to succeed.

ROI on future

Facebook and LinkedIn has already reduced the cost/hire significantly. Today’s rejected candidates might be tomorrow’s hires. And when companies start building a community around their employer brand and engagement, the talent pool that is built would enables companies in finding the right talent easily. Cost/hire = cost for engagement.

The future heading to

There is more supply than demand in the fresher hiring. But at the same time, the very best ones are in short supply. To attract them, one need to go to the ground, talk to them, showcase their employer brand and show the promise of good work. Retaining them is a different challenge all together.

Shankar Ganapathy is the Co-founder of HuntShire Recruitment Solutions. You can follow him on Twitter @shankar_gs

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