TRANSCRIPT;

 

If you’re currently looking to recruit a B2B marketer, or any type of professional for that matter. Then doing so has arguably never been tougher.

 

In the UK right now there’s both record employment and record unemployment.

 

And on top of that ….so many companies are recognising the fact that great B2B marketers can be the answer to their growth problems. So not only have you got companies that have always bought into marketing trying to hire them.

 

But you’ve also got a lot of traditional industries who are now hiring great B2b marketers for the first time.

 

And that means there just isn’t enough great candidates to go around.

 

So in this video, I’m going to give you 3 actionable tips that you can implement into your recruitment strategy today to help you hire the A-players you need to help grow your business.

 

Plus the best thing is, none of them will cost you a penny.

 

And as the famous quote goes, you’re only as good as your team. So if you’re a HR Manager or a manager of people directly (Head of Marketing, Marketing Director or CMO etc.) , then hiring the best people will also make your job easier.

 

Hello, if you’re here for the first time, I’m Matt Dodgson and I’m a Co-Founder of Market Recruitment.

 

And we help B2B marketers accelerate their careers, whether you’re looking for a new marketing job or looking to hire into your marketing team.

 

And while you’re here I’d recommend hitting the Subscribe button followed by the bell so you’re notified of when our next video lands.

 

Right, so let’s get into the 3 tips.

 

So the first tip is ‘Make it more attractive’

 

Now I can hear the groan, well that’s obvious Matt. But bear with me.

 

Because there are 2 things it’s worth thinking about here.

 

One…is to ask yourself honestly about how attractive your business is.

 

And apologies about the football analogy here, but is your business more premier league or conference.

 

And that doesn’t mean one is better than the other. Because often working for bigger companies isn’t all it’s cracked up to be anyway.

 

The important thing here is that if you’re a well known brand with a good reputation then it’s easier to attract someone who’s doing a similar job for a lesser known businesses.

 

Yet for the majority of companies, you’ve got to ask why is someone who’s doing really well in their job, because a-players are doing really well.  Why is someone like that going to leave their company to do the same thing for you.

 

So when I say make it attractive…. I don’t mean pay more or jazz the title up…… although these things can help of course.

 

But what I mean is asking the question of yourself, for the role we’re recruiting for how far away do we need to go from an a2a match to get someone who’s awesome and sees this as a great career move.

 

Because for me that’s where the sweet spot is. Not only do you get a star marketing performer but you also get someone who’s more likely to stay with your business for the long term.

 

And in our market that could mean looking at senior marketing executives for marketing manager roles and marketing managers for head of marketing and marketing director positions.

 

If your ambition is to hire the very best people then they need a step up, and not a step sideways.

 

So Tip No. 2 is ‘People want to work for people, not companies’

 

And this is so true. If you speak to anyone who’s happy at work, it’s normally because of the people.

 

The people around them motivate them, they learn from those people, and they have a laugh with those people. A common phrase you’ll hear is that it feels more ‘like a family’.

 

On the flip side, in my 20 years in recruitment, no-one has ever said to me, ‘I really enjoyed my job because I’m marketing a SaaS CRM solution that helps small businesses.’

 

It’s always about the people.

 

Yet, how often do you see companies lead with ‘the people’ in their recruitment strategy?

 

Normally it’s a case of….right we need to recruitment someone, so let’s put out an advert. And that advert sits alongside all those other boring similar looking adverts.

 

So what’s my point.

 

Well there’s been plenty of research to support the use of video in the recruitment process.

 

The analyst firm Forrester found Humans process video content faster than text, and video drives a deeper emotional connection than any other medium. As the amount of video web traffic continues to increase rapidly, [employers] must use video to differentiate their message, engage Millennials, and explain complex ideas more simply.

 

The 2017 Candidate Experience Research Report which collected data from more than 180,000 candidates worldwide, documents the declining value of job descriptions and the increasing value of employee generated content.

 

In their report they said,  As more and more candidates question the accuracy of job descriptions, organisations need to engage in a more effective tool to provide relevant content to candidates during the Attract phase. Companies should consider using video job descriptions alongside their written versions.

 

And research conducted by SparcSight, who are a talent acquisition technology provider, found that;

 

A hiring manager welcome video would make a candidate 46% more likely to consider the job and 30% more likely to respond to a recruiter or apply to the job.

 

And putting that research to one side, we can verify this.

 

We’ve noticed that when we send candidates a video of the line manager talking us through the role, like the video here, we’ve seen an 82% increase in applications and a 49% increase in the number of candidates who want to be put forward to the job, when compared to traditional job descriptions.

 

And I think it’s because of 2 reasons.

 

One, the candidate gets to see the person they’ll work for.     So they buy into them more. And the manager can also describe the culture and give the nuances of the job that you just can’t see in an advert. And therefore the candidates that apply are much more engaged.

 

And secondly, because it makes you stand out. In a crowded hiring market, you can get an edge on your competitors. Because you come across as innovative, caring and empathetic to what a job seeker wants. You’re giving them the information they really care about.

 

And who wouldn’t want to work for a company like that?

 

So my advice is to try and lead with the people, because you’ll see some amazing results.

 

So Tip 3 is ‘It’s all about the experience’

 

If you’ve looked for a marketing job recently I’m sure you’ll empathise with this.

 

You’re interested in a job, the company calls you in for an interview, you feel the interview went well but you hear nothing. 2 days, 3 days go by, and still no news.

 

How is that going to make you feel? Certainly not loved.

 

And I get that some companies will say they want to get through their process before feeding back, but arguably that shows no respect to a candidate.

 

So a really quick win is to improve the experience a candidate has.

 

1. Be quick to come back on their CV, ideally within 24 hours
2. Give interview options to help a candidate, during lunch, after work, before work
3. Start the interview unconventionally and talk about your business – the good, the bad, the culture, why you’re hiring, what you’re looking to achieve, what success looks like, and where the role can lead to – and then give them the opportunity to explain why they’re the right fit
4. Feedback to the candidate IN the interview – look I’ve still got a couple of candidates to see but I really like you and your skills. People will buy into this.
5. Move fast and organise a 2nd interview quickly after a 1st.
6. At the second interview let them meet the team and give them a show around the office. Give them constructive feedback there and then about their performance. If you have concerns, voice them. Give the candidate the opportunity to address them.
7. And again, move fast after the 2nd interview to offer. And don’t disrespect them by giving a low offer.
8. Once they’ve accepted call them and congratulate them. Invite them to lunch with the team, before they join. And outline their induction ahead of time.

 

Now I fully appreciate you might think that’s a lot to do or that you just don’t operate like that.

 

But this is all about standing out.      

 

Thinking about this process from a candidate’s perspective and ultimately differentiating your business and therefore hiring the very best A-players.

 

It may be more work. It may be different. But I’m confident it will be worth it.

 

So I hope you’ve found that beneficial. If you’d like to discuss any of this either leave a comment below or reach out to me at [email protected]

 

And finally if you haven’t already, please subscribe to this channel and hit the bell so you get notified when our next video lands.

 

Good luck in your hiring and speak soon.