With unemployment rates in the U.S. at an all-time low, it is more important now than ever for employers to approach recruiting and Recruitment Marketing from a strategic angle to stand out from the competition.
One way to do this is through talent segmentation. At First Solar, our team strategically identifies niche talent segments based on organizational needs and hiring initiatives at a given time.
Once we have narrowed in on the right talent segments, we are able to create the most relevant, personalized content for each of those segments and reach them through the most appropriate recruiting channels.
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Here is how this approach works, along with a 5-step process for putting this into play at your organization:
Step 1: Identify your talent segments
Take a look at your current internal talent structure, business goals and current and future hiring needs to determine which talent segments are right for your organization. Rather than focusing on multiple segments concurrently, you may want to start small with one or two niche talent segments to target first.
At First Solar, here is how we identified a few talent segments for our organization:
Since First Solar is committed to diversity in the workplace, targeting women is a top priority for us. According to a recent Solar Jobs Census, women make up just 27% of the solar industry workforce. We strive to attract more women to the solar industry to fill our in-demand roles!
The other talent segment we decided to narrow in on was U.S. veterans. As many as 360,000 men and women leave the U.S. military service each year. Therefore, we knew targeting these individuals would help address talent shortages across a range of functions while having a positive impact on our business.
This was also a smart move for us because U.S. military individuals have sought-after leadership qualities based on their ability to meet deadlines, supervise teams and work in extreme conditions. Strong work ethic, reliability and commitment are just a few more characteristics that U.S. veterans bring back to the civilian lifestyle that benefit our company.
Step 2: Determine your objectives and goals
Once you have identified your talent segments, the next step is to identify your recruiting objectives for targeting that segment.
Your objectives should align with your department and company goals. For example, your recruiting objectives could be to build a larger talent pool, increase employer brand awareness, engage potential candidates in your pipeline and, most importantly, hire quality talent.
Your goals for talent segment attraction campaigns should be specific and measurable under these objectives. Once you have identified your objectives and goals, be sure to review and get buy-in from your stakeholders and talent acquisition leadership to ensure you are set up for success.
Step 3: Pick your channels
Once the objectives are identified, it is time to narrow in on the specifics.
Pick the best Recruitment Marketing platforms and channels to achieve your talent segment goals and specific content to use on those channels. Work with your talent acquisition and recruiting teams to determine the channels that might work best for each segment.
For our team, we decided on the following marketing channels to achieve our goals:
- Social media and digital
- Internal newsletters
- External newsletters
- Career fairs
- Community events
Step 4: Develop your content
The next step is to determine the tactics and create the content for each channel.
In our case, we decided on videos and graphics that featured tailored messaging finely tuned to our segments.
When it came to videos, we knew how important the role of storytelling in Recruitment Marketing would be. The team decided it would be a great way to get our messaging across from real associates that fall within the targeted segments. We collaborated with Stories Incorporated to help us create inspiring videos for each segment.
The U.S. veterans videos featured real U.S. veteran First Solar associates. They shared inspiring stories of being in the military and spoke about how they were proud to work at First Solar because of the support they receive and the bond with other veterans at the company.
The women in solar video featured female associates discussing their experience at First Solar and the growth they have had in their careers at the company.
Step 5: Measure the results
The final piece of the puzzle is measuring your results. Track and measure performance consistently throughout the campaign and hiring process.
Some great metrics to keep an eye on for each segment include:
- Candidate source areas (where candidates first hear about your company/the job opportunity)
- Offer acceptance rates
- Retention rate
- Referrals and conversion rates from applicants and interviews
- Engagement metrics including email open rates, video views and click-through rates
By tracking what is working and what is not, you can learn more about the types of approaches that will be most effective for the niche talent segments you are looking to attract. You can learn more about what data to measure in your Recruitment Marketing analytics here.
I hope hearing about our approach to talent segmentation and content creation is helpful as you look for ways to recruit niche talent and optimize your own Recruitment Marketing efforts!
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