“Holy exceptional talent! This candidate is just what we need!” Ok, maybe it’s a stretch, but with Batman and co. grabbing a large chunk of the spotlight at this year’s multi-tainment expo, Comic Con, I began to wonder: “Is there a talent acquisition world’s version of the ‘dynamic duo’, capable of fighting the evil injustice that is human capital shortage?”
Some contemplation, and one “History of Batman” Google search later, the answer was an emphatic “YES”. And who makes up this wondrous talent acquisition team you ask? None other than your friendly neighborhood recruiters and the marketing department of steel, of course. Alright, too many mixed comic metaphors for one post.
If you think about it, marketing and recruiting are quite similar. Much like the comic world’s Dynamic Duo, they’re driven by the same psychology. Not of revenge and loss (hopefully), but of attracting individuals towards a common goal, and more importantly, connecting to their audience. Both positions truly require an understanding of their target clients, customers, and/or candidates in order to be successful. They need to realize, if not appreciate, what influences them, the happenings of their business ecosystems, what skills they use on a daily basis—truly know what makes their prospective business partners tick.
So they’re motivated by the same goals, but how do they, or rather, how does their work complement each other? Quite well, in fact.
From my experience, the main skill recruiters often lack is the ability to segment their audiences into manageable, targeted chunks, and tailor their approach to suit specifics. This is where marketing saves the day. Marketers love customer segmentation. Why should tailored messaging to segmented audiences be crucial to, in a recruiter’s case, attracting the right professionals for their job orders? Two reasons:
1. You don’t want to bore the crowd
Look at virtually any job board or listing and you’ll see the same basic messaging: “drive operational excellence… maximize profit… exceptional communication skills…” all these platitudes that, it would seem, some HR professionals have grown a little too fond of over the years. With the right (read: targeted) approach, your audience becomes more engaged in what you have to say, if for no other reason you’re not like everything else they’ve seen today.
2. Credibility
Markets couldn’t care less about how companies choose to segment their audience. Instead they focus on what meets their needs. Ergo, you need to tailor your message to speak to their needs. With a little more focus, and a little less commonality, the types of talent you’re looking for will recognize that you understand what influences their business, and by extension, their career decisions.
Where do recruiters help marketing? The personal touch. Marketers deal with just that, markets. Far too often we’re removed from the proverbial trenches of individual face/phone time, and forget to work directly with the users of our tactfully crafted content. By working with recruiters, marketers can get a better understanding of individual engagement, dial-in what works, and throw away what doesn’t. After all, that’s what marketing is all about. Finding what generates the response we want, and sticking to it.
Provided each member of the duo recognizes that their goals are the same, recruiting professionals and marketers working together will always benefit an organization’s bottom line. Where one is weak the other is strong, and the rewards are limitless when like-minded people join forces, complimenting each other’s talents and driving towards a common goal.
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