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Give Us Your Thoughts for Your Chance to Win an iPod Shuffle or CareerBuilder Fleece

ipodCalling all recruiters and hiring managers:  Keep warm this winter season (or at least listen to good tunes in the cold) with a brand new 4G iPod Shuffle or CareerBuilder Full-Zip Fleece! Read on to find out how and enter.

Very few spaces exist in which there is a lack of competition for consumer dollars — and the same is true of the competition for talent. It’s not just job seekers who are competing for a job, Trump-style, either — your business is, in fact, competing for candidates all the time. Competition for quality employees is fierce in our current economy, and it’s necessary for companies to consider unique perspectives and find original — or at least noticeable –- ways to identify their ideal candidates. Everyone from small business owners to President Obama is brainstorming ways to get more innovative about job creation. How does that creativity and innovation extend into recruitment — namely, how do you find creative, yet cost-effective ways to connect with the candidates you want?

Do you know who you compete with for top talent in your industry? You may be surprised to find out that you are actually competing for candidates not only in your own industry pool, but in several other industries as well. Many companies are reaching further than before to widen their pool of candidates, and on the flip side, many candidates are exploring new fields and types of positions. Have you thought about what other industries might find your ideal talent appealing? If so, what exactly are you doing to snag the candidates you really want?

fleeceShare your thoughts with us, and you could win a 4G iPod Shuffle or a CareerBuilder Full-Zip Fleece! (Two 4G iPod Shuffles and two CareerBuilder Full-Zip Fleeces are up for grabs.)

How to Enter:
Simply answer this question in the comments section below: How does your company sell itself to ensure you win over your ideal candidates?” Once you submit your answer, you’ll automatically be entered to win a 4GB iPod Shuffle or CareerBuilder Full-Zip Fleece (There are four prizes total; two people will win an iPod Shuffle and two people will win a CareerBuilder Full-Zip Fleece.).

Contest Details:

Entries will be accepted from 12 a.m. CST on Monday, December 7, 2009 until 11:59 p.m. CST on Friday, December 11, 2009.  Each account may only submit one answer for consideration; subsequent entries will not be considered. Spam responses will not be considered. The winner will be picked at random and notified via e-mail the week of December 14, 2009. Please read the full list of official contest rules and regulations.

How does your company sell itself to ensure you win over your ideal candidates?

Amy Chulik McDonnell

About Amy Chulik McDonnell

Originally hailing from Ohio, Amy is a content strategist on the marketing and communications team who has been with both CareerBuilder and the city of Chicago for more than eight years. She writes on a range of recruitment topics on The Hiring Site, striving to bring a dose of clarity and humor to sometimes complicated issues around employee attraction, engagement and retention. The voice of @cbforemployers on Twitter, Amy also writes and edits content for the CareerBuilder website and CareerBuilder ebooks, emails, marketing campaigns, and more. When she's not working, Amy spends as much time as possible reading, cooking, writing short stories, eating Nutella out of the jar, waiting for CTA buses and trains, going to see her favorite bands live, and spending time with people who inspire and challenge her.
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We offer a very relaxed, team orientated enviornment where respect is one of our pillars. We like all of our team members to make an impact in the organization. this is truly a company where you have a voice and can make a difference. We also have a very vested interest in all of our team members and have several activities that they can participate in every month.

We believe in painting an honest picture of the company and the job that our candidates are applying to. There are many positives such as being an owner of a 3+ billion dollar company, above market compensation and benefits, plus a caring atmosphere centered around teamwork and collaboration. But there are also challenges to many of our locations and jobs that need to be shared in order to find the person who's the right fit for each role.

We make a point of welcoming a new employee into our company. We welcome each person with both a welcome party, so they can meet everyone in a more relaxed setting; and with complete and detailed training, so that they feel comfortable and confident with their new position.

We differentiate ourselves along multiple lines. Product, recognition, process, career path and ethics. These are sometimes intangible to someone new to our industry (health and life insurance), but invaluable to those with experience in the marketplace.

Communicating these differences is often challenging but once they ave been experienced, it is night and day.

We attract people who want to get immersed in their job. Being a small company, every person's input is critical to the success of the organization.

Their view of the challenges allow for roll up your sleeves problem solving and getting involved in all areas of the company.

We've recognized that we have to know our place in the market, and know when to adapt. We are rebranding and getting a face-lift come January 2010. But does a catchy PR pitch, a name change, or even a well-executed EHarmony approach for recruiting work? Well, we won't know for a while, but I can guarantee that the team we have will get an "A" for effort. Aside from that, do what we've done from day one... pull the plug on voice mail and keep it cozy. Everyone picks up the phone, and not one potential candidate ever goes to VM. Meaning, OMG, every potential opportunity really is an opportunity. So, in this day and age, it does pay to keep some things basic. Paying attention pays.

We've recognized that we have to know our place in the market, and know when to adapt. We are rebranding and getting a face-lift come January 2010. But does a catchy PR pitch, a name change, or even well-executed EHarmony approach for recruiting work? Well, we won't know for a while, but I can guarantee that the team we have will get an "A" for effort. Aside from that, do what we've done from day one... pull the plug on voice mail and keep it cozy. Everyone picks up the phone, and not one potential candidate ever goes to VM. Meaning, OMG, every potential opportunity really is an opportunity. So, in this day and age, it does pay to keep some things basic. Paying attention pays.

We offer our candidates the stability and growth potential that is associated with being a part of the fastest growing home furnishings retailer in the country. We set ourselves apart from our competition by maintaining a work-life balance (a set schedule, manageable work week) and by being honest and forthcoming with respect to expectations early on in the interview process.

I'd like to say we don't really sell ourselves but, of course, we are constantly selling in some way. It just doesn't seem like. At the same time, though, we've recognized that we have to know our place in the market, and know when to adapt. We are rebranding and getting a face-lift come January 2010. But does a catchy PR pitch, a name change, or even well-executed Eharmony appoach for recruiting work? Well, we won't know for a while, but I can guarantee that the team we have will get an "A" for effort. Aside from that, do what we've done from day one... pull the plug on voice mail and keep it cozy. Everyone picks up the phone, and not one potential candidate ever goes to VM. Meaning, OMG, every potential opportunity really is an opportunity. So, in this day and age, it does pay to keep some things basic. Paying attention pays.

Our company has been around for over 60 years. It's outstanding reputation is it's biggest selling factor. The company sells itself!

Communicate, communicate, communicate. We talk to our candidates all the time to ensure they understand the culture and expectations, we want them to "want" the job not "need" the job.

We sell our long-term stability (60+ years)in an excellent industry. Plus a great location (zero traffic), onsite fitness center, brand new corporate campus, competitive salaries, excellent benefits and a yearly bonus that actually pays out.

We are the largest primary reinsurer of farm mutuals in the nation, and have been in business for 100 years. But have still not lost sight of our core values of trust, integrity and respect. Our employees enjoy working for a top-performing company with a rich benefit package and award winning wellness program in a family friendly atmosphere - all in the heart of the Midwest!

We focus on finding the right fit for each candidate. It isn't about just getting a hiring manager a good employee, but also getting that employee a job that fits with their career interests, goals, and aspirations.

I work for a company with a strong name and product line. Even in this economy our business is going strong. These things are what lead most canidates to us. However, for some positions we have to look for a qualified canidates that is a good match but in skill and fit. When this is the case, tools like Caeerbuilder can come in very handy.

Our Health Care organization's process of development makes my job as a Recruiter easy. Utilizing avenues such as a strong website, local media, social networking, and standard outreach and promotion on career building sites, we continuously update and brand our exciting journey to improve our culture. It involves enhancing the way we interact with and serve our patients and their families, our affiliated physicians and our colleagues. We show clear examples that a behavioral fit is as equally important to us as the skills and experience that a candidate will bring to the organization.

We have a colorful "recruiting" package that we hand out that tells about the company and also includes highlights of the benefits package. Emphasis is placed on the stability and active growth of the company.

We emphasize our long history and stability, including the fact that we are family-owned and relatively small for the amount of revenue we produce. You are not a number or a faceless name when employed with us. We have a great training program and a training facility connected to our corporate office, so you will never feel you are without the proper knowledge and resources to do your job well. We don't have to "sell" our company that way. We give our candidates the confidence to know they could excel here and the rest falls into place.

We are a family owned and family oriented business. Our core managment group is very close knit. When we are interviewing a candidate we stress the family friendly atmosphere and the cohesivness of our management team. We've found that along with pay and benefits, many candidates are looking for this type of atmoshphere.

Rob-Kraft, Inc. is a company that grew like many people that currently work for us and like many people we see as applicants. Our company started with one restaurant and has grown to twenty-five. We use that success story to show our employees and applicants that people just like businesses move up and grow through focus, hard work, ambition and drive. We can show applicants that many of our high level managers started out with us as low level crew members. Those personnel success stories can be theirs as well. If you can display a path to success, that will build loyalty in your employees. We are able to do that personally and as a company. It's an exciting story to tell our applicants.

We are a non-profit community development corporation that "sells" itself by providing our dynamic, culturally diverse community with access to important services- job placement, housing counseling, English classes, and access to government programs. Almost all of our employees are bi-lingual and conversant in various languages, including Korean, Spanish, Chinese, Thai, and Japanese, and 100% of our employees are committed to providing our community members with the education and services they need to navigate within our complex, technologically advanced, and fast-paced society.

We live to serve others, and that is how we draw compassionate and talented people to our organization.

We are fortunate to have a growing company with exciting opportunities. With an economy that is so depressed that speaks for itself.

Of course, we take advantage of the Career Builder tools and represent ourselves so that we come to the attention of strong talent as well.

Our employees are passionate and dedicated to what they do. We value creativity, innovation, and we believe fun provides energy for success.

We focus on making candidates aware of our company culture, values and mission. We try to provide them with a clear picture of who we are as a company and what their potential for rewards and recognition are available to them.

Focus on people every day. Success will follow!

We treat our employees fairly and honestly. We provide above market salaries and great benefits. The way we treat our employees spreads by word of mouth. Therefore, we gain new employees by referrals and by our job postings.

Our current employees are our best asset and we try to convey that message in talking with prospective employees. You're only as good as your workforce!

We emphasize the size(pardon the pun): in a medium-sized retail company we get the opportunity to have an impact. Employees from all levels can make a difference and get the opportunity to work directly with senior management. What better mentors does a company have.

By continual improvement and great service to our clients, we have achieved top in class rating from various RPO analysis firms. To be the best requires a holistic approach towards staffing, internal performance and external service that drives and attracts A list talent. Put simply: STRIVE TO BE THE BEST IN ALL THINGS. EXCEL.

We have a reputation for putting our employees first, we have great benefits, we pay them a fair salary, and we are careful to put them in assignments that allow them to contribute immediately upon assignment and with room to grow in the job. We have near zero attrition.

We are always truthful about the job, company and expectations in this environment or any other. People respect the truth!

We are a small company and we make sure every candidate understands how important they are to our success. When you are small everyone really counts. Good candidates seems to really care about not being just a number.

HR is the first point of contact in the recruiting process. Our attentiveness and responsiveness to the candidate, reflects a positive image of the organization. We remain very competitive in the benefits we offer. The corporate environment is communicated to the candidate, so they have a clear understanding of our workplace atmosphere. Our company's philanthropic and community activities are also highlighted during the candidate interviews.

We listen. By asking candidates to detail for us what is most important to them are we able to present the opportunities that are the best fit. Is there any other way?

We sell ourselves with simple honesty... we never miss an opportunity to tell candidates what a great 'product' we have to offer- a flexible workplace that promotes work/life balance, a company that cares about the health of its customers and employees, and an environment which fosters personal growth and innovation. We walk the talk with one of the lowest retention rates in our industry and high employee engagement scores.

Our team focuses on doing the right thing for the candidate and clients and build strong relationships. People do business with people they feel they can trust and relate to. We listen first to understand the overall requirements from both the client and candidates and respond accordingly. Our integrity and reputation are everything. Once you have the right information, delivering the right resources is the only way to prove you are absolutely different.

From the moment we contact a candidate we begin to build a relationship. We let them know that we are here to answer any questions and that no question is an unreasonable question. We may not have the answer a candidate wants but we will be candid and ensure we provide as much information as we can. The company leads the market so selling the success is the easy part but getting the top candidates on board is what we are trying to do and candidates continue to have a variety of good offers on the table.

We are a Christian Based IT recruiting company that not only speaks through our words but through our actions. We are committed to giving back to our communities by quarterly fundraising events as well sponsoring orphanages throughout the world. We do all of this while putting qualified IT professionals to work with exceptional organizations.

We 'sell' ourselves and set ourselves apart by talking about our mission, vision and values as an organization. We talk about not just the features of a position but what working for our company can do for the candidate as well.

We never lose sight of the personal touch that allows us to differentiate ourselves from the competition and connect with the candidate. We're sincere in our approach and make every effort to help our candidates in anyway possible.

Our motto is to make this "the best job you've ever had". We value our employees.

Our recruiting brand sells our company based upon culture, technology, and family. We leverage the longevity of our employees to demonstrate the family first culture through our website, social media, and informal recruiting networks. The companies facilities, reputation, and results demonstrate the excellence we expect. But hands down, our most effective closing tool is our employees, they sell us the best.

Our reputation with our clients and the projects we have worked on is what attracts the ideal candidate to our company.

We provide opportunities for employees to offer their feedback and to run with new ideas.

We provide a competitive compensation/benefits package and a great bonus program.

Candidates are our commodity. Whether we need them for a temporary assignment or place them permanently, they are a representation of our company. We need to have a good rapport with our candidates and be honest with them as to our expectations from the beginning. I think we should make an effort to get to know some of the top candidates on more of a personal level, as that creates loyalty. The candidates who like you will most likely do a better job for you as they do not want to disappoint.
To attract candidates for temporary/contract or project work, we offer full benefits, including Direct Deposit. Returning phone calls or e-mails may seem like a waste of time and we can’t do it with everyone, but I think our top candidates will appreciate the time we take to do so.
Other cool things we do: referral bonuses, sending Birthday Cards to temporary employees, “Employee of the Month” contest with cash prizes…

At Emerald Staffing we take the time to get to know our candidates as well as our clients so that we can ensure that our placement's goals are aligned with our client's goals.

We've been in the industry for over 30 years and have seen a lot change which has allowed us to become adaptable within any type of economic climate.

Our company strives to ensure our employees are happy and healthy. We offer many perks that larger corporations might not, including a comfortable working environment, dual monitors at workstations, coffee/juice/hot cocoa all day, a large benefits package, 401k, wellness updates and newsletters via email, etc. We figure if our employees are happy and healthy, they will produce a better work product and utilize work time to it's fullest. Sometimes it's the little things that matter most in order to get the best candidates in the door.

At Mosaic, it's all about our mission to assist individuals with intellectual disabilities. Not only do you have a chance to work for a well respected national organization with a competitive compensation package and benefits, you get to give back in the process and help others. What could be better? :-)

We are a company that is all about family & TEAMWORK. (One Team One Dream) Our main focus is the customer and what their needs are!! We go above and beyond to make sure that the client is taken care of no matter what time of day/night. We offer competitive benefits and pay!!

Word of mouth is our key source of new hires! Applicants are banging down our door to get in because they've heard that we treat our employees with the utmost respect and appreciation. I actually have temp agencies calling me to say they have applicants asking for openings with us specifically!

We are in the service industry, we share our vision of providing unmatched service, we discuss our strong growth. We then discuss the building of or "family" and that we are looking for people who would be a good fit and help the family grow. The hope is to build a culture of respect, hard working family members that support each other.

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  1. [...] Do you want to see what other steps your peers and competitors alike are taking to attract candidates? I couldn’t mention all of the comments in this post, but many excellent minds contributed. Read all the comments here. [...]

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