How to attract 250 suitable applications in 9 days
I like to tell stories. Not the whimsical, poetic or abstract kind; I’m talking about real stories of the practical kind.
Stories are often the core of great content.
Authentic, compelling stories create connection, motivate and inspire action.
Storytelling is a critical ingredient in effective recruitment.
Recruitment is a marketing challenge. When you’re hiring, you need an honest, engaging narrative to attract attention and inspire people to act.
Here’s a brief story about the power of great recruitment content
(and how it can attract more than 250 suitable applicants in just 9 days)
A national nonprofit organisation needed to fill a key role. We worked with them to define the purpose, scope and specifics of the role; as well as the talent persona they ideally wanted to attract.
We then took these insights and crafted recruitment content and a job ad which didn’t just get attention - it attracted in 506 applicants, in a little over a week.
Of course quality is more important than quantity, so we always track suitability.
In this case, 50% of the people who applied had the right experience, skills and background to be considered.
This recruitment campaign was an absolute cracker, it achieved:
6 to 7X more clicks and 8X more applications than similar roles during the same time period.
The results?
Just 9 days after the campaign went live, the hiring team had a shortlist of 6 great candidates. A week later, an offer was made and accepted.
This nonprofit hired the best candidate from a talent pool of 250 options, in less than 3 weeks.
Why was this campaign so successful?
The salary was decent, but not amazing. It was a hybrid role, but not 100% remote.
Here's why the campaign achieved such strong traction and engagement:
the recruitment content wasn't a blurb about the organisation
the ad didn't read like a shopping list of 'must haves'
the content was audience-centric and compelling
the ad spoke to the purpose of the role, the scope and flexibility on offer
the content included a narrative about how this person would contribute to a broader purpose.
Here's a snapshot:
Authentic, compelling content creates connection and motivates action.
When you're hiring, you need to inspire action: To apply, enquire, share.
You want to generate motivation and excitement. You want the right people to apply, attend an interview, accept your job offer.
Effective recruitment campaigns start with great content.Flexible talent support for NFP leaders
I am deeply committed to making recruitment easier for nonprofit leaders.
I support leaders and organisations to attract the right people through:
traditional recruitment solutions
flexible unbundled recruitment support
helping you review and improve your recruitment approach
helping you understand and articulate your real EVP through employee research
leveraging this research to develop authentic recruitment content
building campaigns that reflect culture and the employee experience
consulting and advisory work to develop talent attraction strategy and capacity.
If you’re curious to know more, send me a message or get in touch for a chat.
As a communications professional and writer turned recruiter, I know modern recruitment is marketing, and I'm on a mission to share this approach with the sector.
Each Friday, I share talent attraction advice and insights. The Nonprofit Talent Edge will help you become more intentional, creative and proactive with your recruitment.
Have a great week.
Cynthia