4 employers share their creative job advertising strategies

In the ever-evolving recruitment landscape, creativity is key. We asked five employment leaders, including a Senior IT Recruiter and an HR Director, to share their innovative strategies for job advertising. From targeted advertising in niche locations to reaching candidates in virtual communities, discover the unique approaches that have yielded significant returns.

Targeted Advertising in Niche Locations

One innovative technique we used to recruit tree surgeons involved unconventional advertising. We noticed that tree surgeons rarely look for jobs on traditional job sites. However, they frequently visit garden machinery shops for tools and supplies.

Capitalizing on this insight, we placed a “Help Wanted” advertisement near the till in these shops, a spot we knew they couldn’t miss. Within a month, this targeted approach generated three inquiries, leading to two successful hires.

This strategy allowed us to recruit highly hard-to-find employees without incurring significant costs, proving that sometimes a creative and targeted approach can be more effective than high expenditure on broad advertising campaigns.

Geoff Newman, Founder, Starget.co.uk

Personalized Video Outreach Strategy

Don’t mass advertise. I use a video AI, Maverick, that personalizes video messages for me by using my voice to say whoever’s name I am addressing in my video at the beginning. So, everyone who gets a link from me appears to get a personalized video message from me. It can also do a nameless video if I want to do an actual mass post rather than specific targets. 

The real strategy is in using video outreach; it gets candidates (especially targeted candidates) engaged more than a job board posting. If I target someone specific, I address them by name in the video message and let them know I have a client who is interested in them specifically and wants me to help qualify them by going over the job description and asking them a few questions about their experience. 

This is particularly effective for me when targeting those with niche skills who are bombarded by tons of spammy emails and LinkedIn messages. The personalized touch makes them feel like they’re the hero we need and possibly our only hope.

Matthew Jones, Senior It Recruiter, VIP Staffing

Passive Recruitment via Online Engagement

Something we see that works, and is a little different, is passive recruitment. Essentially, becoming friendly with niche enclaves of the types of professionals who you want to work at your business, without actively asking them to apply. 

For example, conversing in LinkedIn groups and showing on your profile that you’re hiring. You may never otherwise be able to show that you’re hiring to a group without paying to advertise or simply hoping that the people within the group apply.

Tracey Beveridge, HR Director, Personnel Checks

Reaching Candidates in Virtual Communities

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many communities of practice started to pop up online, often within moderated Slack and even Discord channels. These virtual spaces often include a channel just for job postings and tend to have members who are both employers and job seekers in a shared industry or skill area–think the People Geek community on Slack, hosted by the employee experience company, Culture Amp. 

As a recruiter, joining these virtual groups (some of which contain thousands of members) will allow you to get in front of a prospective candidate pool directly, so you are not just waiting for them to find a passive job posting online.

Joshua De Leon, Senior Consultant, DEI, Peoplism