Digital Recruitment in 2021: employer branding taking centre stage

Dec 16, 2020 2:21:21 PM

As a leading digital recruitment agency, cranberry panda have spent the last ten years helping ecommerce brands attract top digital talent. It's something we love doing and will continue to do!

However, while we do everything to market the roles and companies we work with, it is candidates who make the decision on going forward for a role. In the turbulent year of 2020, where redundancies and furlough struck hundreds of thousands, digital recruitment has played a big part in keeping companies connected to talent.

In 2021, companies need to keep this connection alive...and stronger than their competitors. Now, more than ever, employer branding is taking centre stage. We thought it was an interesting discussion to have as we head towards 2021. 

A digital talent surplus won't make hiring easier

Digital talent holds the power. As mentioned, it is the candidates who make the decision on whether they want to start the proceedings of a hiring process. If a company is not standing out to them, is it really worth pursuing?

There are many commentators speaking about the talent surplus. As so many people saw their career plans stall, there are more people open to work. In July, in the midst of global lockdowns, LinkedIn introduced the #OpenToWork filter for profile pictures, so candidates could make it clear to recruiters that they were on the hunt for a new opportunity. 

So, does that mean filling a vacancy in your company will be easier? Not necessarily...candidates will now be even more careful when choosing their next step, especially if they experienced redundancy. They have more access to online information about companies, employee reviews and hiring processes. Candidates want transparency in today's climate and if they don't feel they're getting it, they might just look elsewhere.

It's not just about talent who are actively searching either. In many cases, the best talent are not even looking to move roles. In 2019, the statistic for passive candidates stood at 73%...but this doesn't mean they aren't at least interested in a conversation. 

Digital recruitment means evolving your employer branding efforts

In the age of digital recruitment, standing out means a total digital transformation of your employer brand. Job adverts are important, of course, but it takes more to get candidates to the job advert to begin with. Furthermore, if you think bean bags and pool tables are going to win you the top digital talent, think again!

Allow your employees to tell a story

Your existing workforce are the people candidates will want to hear from. Senior management need to be encouraging the team to tell stories about their day to day working life. Ask them real questions that will invoke an emotional response. 'What has been your biggest achievement here?' or 'What are you looking forward to in the next year?' work much better than asking what their favourite thing about the office is.

Use these stories on your company social pages, using an employee spotlight series that candidates can clearly see. It also has the added benefit of allowing you to check in with your workforce...employer branding is about staff retention too! Another idea would be a Glassdoor drive, encouraging the team to leave their thoughts. Candidates, both passive and active, will take notice when researching online.

Employer branding is a marketing exercise 

What are your current employer branding methods? How do you keep talent engaged? A candidate who might not be right this year, could be the perfect addition to your team in the years that follow.

Applying lifecycle marketing methods to your employer branding will help plan out exactly what you can do to stand out above the many companies waiting on a job advert to deliver the winning candidate. It's attraction, retention and repeat engagement...much like you would do with your customers. 

Show you are forward thinking when it comes to digital

Digital talent know exactly what they want. In a fast paced digital world, they want to see a company is keeping up with the trends. Companies should be completely transparent about where they stand, but also talk about where they want to go. For example, what digital tools are your teams using and what are your plans for further digital evolution? Candidates, especially after 2020, want a company with a bright future that they will be a part of.

Using digital campaigns in your talent attraction will show you mean business - you're not relying on LinkedIn to work its magic, but you're actively using the digital channels at your disposal to send your message out to the top talent.

What are your hiring plans for 2021?

We've only scratched the surface of the importance of employer branding in digital recruitment. We expect to see plenty of new developments and trends as 2021 kicks off, so we'll be sure to keep the discussion going.

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss your hiring plans for 2021, click below to get in touch with the team!

Want to discuss your 2021 hiring plans? Send an enquiry and let's see how we can help!

Contact the recruitment team

What do you think?

Share your thoughts on this post - whether you agree, disagree or have your own insight to share, we want to hear from you!

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