Marketing the Right Benefits to the Right Candidates
The stats lay it bare: employee benefits matter to candidates. But how do you choose which benefits to pick? And how do you really show them off? What difference do certain perks make to the type of candidates you attract? Here’s the low down on all things benefits from the experts at Placed.
Research by PageGroup found that 78% of British job seekers would be more likely to apply for a job if the advert mentioned the benefits on offer. Despite this, less than half of job adverts (47%) were found to include any information on benefits whatsoever.
But employee benefits aren’t just there to look good on a job ad. It’s worth noting that your choice of benefits and the way you market them can have an influence on the type of candidate you attract.
Here we list some key things to consider and their impact when carefully selecting your work benefits:
Think about your company values first
Your company’s values should be the foundations of how your brand communicates in all forms, and particularly so to candidates when hiring.
The benefits you offer form an important part of what makes your brand unique. They help to paint a clearer picture of who you are as an employer and what you stand for, so should define the essence of your company.
A strong brand should be at the heart of any organisation’s recruitment strategy because it plays a huge part in retaining top performers and attracting the best talent. Not only does it help to ensure your talent pool is aligned with your values, but that your current employees feel connected and proud of where they work. Remember, the clearer you communicate what you are after, the better your outcome will be.
So when deciding what benefits to offer, think firstly whether they reflect your values and the working environment you want to create. Do you pride yourself in being a flexible, inclusive employer? Offer flexible shift patterns or hours. Do you value career progression and growth? Offer paid apprenticeships or qualifications. Are you focused on creating a healthy lifestyle for your employees? Offer a free or discounted gym membership.
The right benefits will appeal to the right candidates.
Communicate it in the job description
In many cases an organisation is already offering a wide array of benefits which are likely to attract candidates, the issue is that they are not communicating that clearly enough in job adverts or throughout their recruitment and onboarding processes.
Many job adverts are simply a list of requirements and demands made of the applicant and can often turn people away rather than enticing them, particularly in competitive markets where the best talent has multiple roles to choose from.
Make sure you are not just listing your job’s roles and responsibilities, but that you are giving a true sense of how you create the best, unique environment for your employees. You should see this as an integral piece of the overall employee compensation, rather than a separate part of it.
Invest time into writing a killer job description that includes your benefits package and your company culture. Don’t be afraid to have some fun with it – tell the story of your brand through your writing. Some of the best job descriptions are positive, light-hearted and even humorous in areas.
In a competitive market, this will not only attract the right candidates but it will put you ahead of employers who don’t mention this.
Shout about it across all platforms and formats
While the job description is an essential place to promote your benefits, it shouldn’t be your only platform for communication. Candidates will often look further than the job description to learn more about your company, often checking out your company’s online presence too.
Make full use of this by utilising social media, your website, and onboarding process. For example, you could get real employee testimonials showcasing what people love about your benefits package and share these regularly on your social media platforms and website. You’ll then also be attracting a broader reach of candidates rather than just those exploring your job listing platform.
You can also use the interview stage to tailor your benefits to the candidate. Learn what matters most to them and see if your benefit package matches up to it. If so – communicate it!
Invest time into analysing your employee benefit usage
Remember, the job is not done simply once you have crafted an employee benefits package and marketed it. Much like your company culture, your employee benefits package should be an ongoing effort. It is something that requires consistent time and analysis to perfect.
Invest time into evaluating the use of your benefits to your employees. How valuable are they proving to be? Where can you improve them? You can do this through sending out regular staff surveys, speaking to employees directly, and measuring the number of sign ups for each particular benefit. You could enlist the support of benefit plan administrators, or turn employees into benefit and brand ambassadors to boost your efforts.
Well-crafted benefits are not only invaluable to maximising your recruitment results, but they ensure you maintain an authentic company culture and retain staff for as long as possible. In the long run it is going to save your company a substantial amount of time and money, so it’s worth seeing it as an important part of your recruitment strategy.
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