Our Best Advice: 14 Tips from Our Top Experts

Recruitment marketing can be highly complicated – and there’s nothing the people of NAS like better than to talk about our favorite subject, at length. However, sometimes it makes sense to start with one simple thought. Given the breadth of support that we offer, we asked our team to crystallize their experiences and offer their single most important piece of advice to clients. Here are the results:

Stay fluid and be adaptable. Candidate behavior is changing rapidly. If your strategy is stagnant from year to year (or even quarter to quarter), you are most likely underutilizing your resources. You must take a mindset of adaptability and, ultimately, let the data reveal which strategies are most effective.
Matt Adam | Executive Vice President and Chief Talent Strategist

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Focus on the fundamental problem we’re trying to solve. Oftentimes, trying to “kill two birds with one stone” results in a flock of issues. Stay focused on the needs, wants and realities of the current issue. That will allow for a solution that will yield the positive results you’re expecting.
Jennifer Henley | Vice President, Media Services

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An SEO recruitment marketing strategy should be at the center of your efforts. 
The statistics reveal the truth: If we know that upwards of 80% of candidates start their job search on a search engine, then 80% of your budget should be allotted to assist with those efforts. This includes everything that affects SEO results – from our ACTIVATE™ platform to PPC campaigns.
Sara Argiro | Director, Interactive Client Services

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Listen to your audience, which is your candidates. Hear their questions: does your messaging answer them? Know where they are: if they are using Google, or are on mobile devices – are you also there? Also, to really understand the candidate experience, apply online to your own jobs. Do you feel their pain? How can you improve the experience for them?
Jason Rellick | Regional Vice President

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My advice to clients is two-fold: have a clear understanding of your candidates, and when that is understood fully, provide them with a great candidate experience. We need to truly understand who the candidates are by focusing on their behaviors: Where do they go for information? Which device do they use most often?  What do they need to know about your company to make them intrigued about an opportunity? What limitations are preventing them from applying? If these are understood and acted upon, your organization will be rewarded with a great ROI. 
Jason Weinhaus | Director, Business Development

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Always keep the candidate experience top of mind. It’s easy to sometimes lose sight of the candidate when managing and solving for the needs of your internal teams.
Cricket Agneberg | Associate Director, Interactive Client Services

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Keep in mind the old adage, “your results will equal the effort you make.” This stands true when you are trying to source, hire and retain the best. By using branded employment communications, sourcing talent through creative methods and going that extra mile to find the right targets, your efforts will pay off in the end.
Sean Bain | Account Director

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It starts with your EVP, brand and consistent messaging. The recruitment landscape is constantly changing. What worked six months ago may not work today. A candidate searches in a variety of ways and touches your brand multiple times before the application process; therefore, your brand and culture are of critical value. It is important that your identity as an employer resonate and be authentic. Embrace social. Utilize your own employees to tell their story of why your organization is special. 
Nancy Caputo | Account Director

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Utilize your talent pool.  Most clients have a Talent Network in place, but rarely use the information. Reach out to those potential candidates in your pipeline – especially for hard-to-fill roles. These people have already raised their hands and want to learn more about your organization, so REACH OUT!  
Haley Cherba | Account Director

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Always keep the big picture in mind. We can get caught up in the day-to-day fires or immediate hiring needs, but constantly keeping your big picture strategy in check is very important to ensure that we are collectively working towards the end goal.
Katie Gallagher | Account Director

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Strive to build a “best workplace” environment. If you are already known as a great employer, candidates will be attracted to your organization, and if your current workforce is happy, you’ll experience less turnover. Create a candidate-friendly recruitment process, with multiple strategic touchpoints. Finally, measure your recruitment ROI. Review performance of recruitment strategy and media partners by measuring each on cost-per-apply, cost-per-interview and cost-per-hire. With this data, you’ll be able to “fine-tune” your recruitment methods and adjust your strategy to determine what works best.
Tina Gotter | Account Director

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Flexibility is critical when devising a strategy. Everyone has needs that arise and require an immediate response. Identifying appropriate resources that allow us to quickly shift focus where needed is so important, and should be included and considered throughout the planning process.
Ashley Kauffman | Sr. Account Strategist

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Analytics is about trends. You need at least three months of data to see how candidates are interacting with your site, what is driving them there and what is keeping them engaged. Do not look at one month of reports and decide to make changes to your website, advertising, etc. based on such limited data.
Brenda Silver | Digital Manager, Analytics

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Always research your targeted audience. Particularly in the SEM world, the sheer amount of options to refine your audience are plentiful (interests, job titles, demographics, geographic locations, etc.). This information allows us to create the most impactful strategies on your behalf.
Karl Schneider | PPC Specialist

• Part 3: Simple Mobile Strategies to Connect with Candidates
• The Talk from HR Tech