Attract Better Job Candidates: Tip #3: Discuss Comparisons

Posted November 29, 2022 in

Leaders

Jonathan Jensen

2 followers

Attract Better Job Candidates: Tip #3: Discuss Comparisons

Posted November 29, 2022 in

Leaders

Jonathan Jensen

2 followers

In this series, we have dealt with the challenges companies face with recruitment. Increasingly, employees are more discerning about what they want from a potential employer. The balance of power is shifting, and employers have found themselves doing more to attract potential employees than ever. Consider that a McDoina’ds outlet in Florida offered $50 for people to come in for an interview. Blake Casper, the owner, said, “If we can’t keep our drive-thrus moving, then I’ll pay $50 for an interview.”

$50 to attract interviews? Is that where the labor market is?

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Is this an extreme example? Sure. Is it Exceptional? Maybe not. Is it instructive? Yes. So, what should we do?

It starts with an inbound mindset

If you’ve followed this series, you’ll know that I have been encouraging the reader to adopt an inbound marketing mindset. What does that mean?

Candidates have questions. We must answer them. We have discussed two questions in the previous posts.

If you want to earn the trust of potential candidates and attract a better, more relevant pool, you need to believe that candidates are out there searching for an employer they believe will be a good fit for them. Sadly, too few companies are helping them do this. They leave out important information in the recruiting process. These companies find themselves ghosted as soon as the employment contract is signed.

It’s like watching an episode of Love is Blind, up to the part where the bride leaves the groom at the Alter. At this point in the relationship, the desperate pursuit is over. The groom, smiling from ear to ear, is ready to commit. The bride appreciates that, for the first time, she finally knows enough about her groom to make a decision. Essentially, there are too many doubts and forever is not an option.

“I don’t”, she says.

The groom is ghosted. Devastated, he says, “ I’m never doing this again.”

So, how do we get ahead of potential employee doubts and concerns? We answer their questions. There are types of questions.

The Big Five

Salary and benefits
Problems
Comparisons
Best of lists
Reviews

So far, we have seen how important it is to disclose salary and benefits. We have also seen how valuable it is to write openly about the problems and challenges of working with your company. Next, question 3 deals with comparisons.

Question 3: Comparisons

While your potential candidates are vetting you, they might start comparing you to other businesses. This means we need to write another bold set of posts to openly compare ourselves with other suitors (competitor employers).

Here you have the opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of working with you and compare yourself to the various options your candidates might have.

Examples of comparison articles

Company XYZ vs Company ABC, which one is better to work for?
Company XYZ vs Company ABC, who offers the most flexible employment options?
Where should I work – Company XYZ or Company ABC?
Which company offers better internship opportunities in [City] – XYZ or ABC?
Career development options: ABC cs XYZ vs 123?

Why would you do it?

If you can answer “yes” to any of the following questions, then this strategy would benefit your recruitment processes:

Have you ever lost employees to a competitor and found out a few months later that they weren’t 100% satisfied with their move?
Have you ever attracted talent that worked for a similar/competing company?
Do you compete for a finite pool of talent?
Have you ever had an employee poached by you’re a competitor in your field?
Have you ever interviewed a candidate who told you they were also considering an opportunity at a competing company?
Do you ever wonder what factors potential candidates weigh up when considering you vs another employer?

If you believe potential candidates weigh up working with you against working with somebody else, you need to face the situation head-on. To get ahead of their questions, start answering the comparison questions. Make sure they learn it from you first. See this as your opportunity to position yourself as the voice of authority in your sector and area.

Honesty (impartiality) is key

I must emphasize how important honesty is. You know you’re doing this right if it doesn’t seem natural. You will want to be biased and paint yourself in the best light. But you shouldn’t.

Be completely honest and unbiased. As soon as you do that, your audience will detect it. Trust will be gone. Anything positive you say will seem like a lie. Anything negative will seem like an admission of guilt. Remain completely objective and neutral.

Sources of impartial information

i) Recruitment websites

Depending on your business size, you could find unbiased statistics from recruiting specialists such as Indeed and Payscale. If you cannot find impartial information from external sources, try moving closer to the source.

ii) Competitor company websites and Linkedin Posts

If not, you could use information directly from LinkedIn. If you use LinkedIn as a source, ensure you present a competitor company’s information as accurately as possible. Use a screenshot if you must.

Where do you start?

How does one practically begin answering the comparison questions?

List the companies that you compete with for talent. These might not be competitors, merely employers who attract the same talent pool you draw from.
Read about key factors that they write on their website or job posts. How do you differ? How long have you each been in business? Is the company big or small? Do they boast a small family-style culture or a larger corporate-style culture? What do you know about their compensation structure for specific jobs? Compare these factors to yours.
Do you have any employees that worked for your competitor companies? Could you interview them to hear their perspectives on the two?

Conclusion

Writing comparison articles is a great way to associate your name with all the other aspirational employers in your sector. This is an excellent opportunity to take control of the information that people research when looking for employment opportunities in your sector. Approach it honestly and objectively. Don’t try to position yourself as the best. Instead, position yourself as the source of truth. Being the source of truth builds trust. Earning people’s trust is the top priority when working through the Big Five. The next Big Five topic is related to this one. We will look at “Best of” lists.