• by Tara Lamberson , February 4, 2008

Rising employment rates have made college recruiting an even more competitive proposition for U.S. companies large and small in the last few years. As a result, many U.S. employers are exploring new approaches to recruit and retain top talent.

From large Web-managed recruiting services such as Monster or CareerBuilder to consulting firms that specialize in "recruitment process outsourcing" (RPO), many companies are turning to third-party solutions to control cost impacts and lost productivity associated with recruiting and retaining qualified applicants.

Companies that have embraced new Web strategies to optimize recruitment communications have found success. According to a recent study conducted by KPMG, just by improving their corporate recruiting Web sites, in 2007 British companies Unilever, the BBC, and the Royal Mail improved their recruitment while reducing their use of recruitment agencies by up to 80%.

Can companies that embrace Web 2.0 technologies improve recruiting efforts? Over the last year, my company has worked with a large global food services corporation to pilot a "Managed Email Communications" program to strengthen the company's effort to attract, recruit, and retain its fall college class. The goal of the program was to use closely tailored email messaging and viral marketing to increase awareness of company branding and generate interest in the company's college recruitment program. Each email communication was formatted so that recruits were specifically targeted with relevant content, engaging and informing identified students about the company at each stage of the recruitment process.

The campaign consisted of four messages in a series. More than half of the candidates opened the first message, with more than 20% clicking through to the company's Web site to learn more. The strong calls to action for the first message led to the higher click-through Rates (CTR), indicating that the email campaign clearly connected with its audience. With prompts in the first message to 'Learn More' and 'Contact Us' as well as links to the company's press room, investor relations, U.S. business and international Web sites, students were urged to learn about the company and prepare for interviews.

To extend the reach of the pilot campaign, a viral component was added--empowering candidates to "forward to a friend" information about careers with the food services company and available job opportunities. The viral component extended campaign outreach to candidates who otherwise may not have learned about the company, and expanded the company's recruitment database. The viral portion of the recruitment campaign led to a strong pool of additional candidates as each friend contacted through the viral campaign was invited to learn more about the company from either candidates selected by the food services giant or self-selected candidates with a clear affinity for the company.

The email recruitment program decreased attrition rates between those interested in the college program, those accepted, and those who arrived. The continued email communication generated excitement through the fall 2007 recruiting season. Progressive communication methodologies bring recruits closer to their employers and ensure return on investment. The food service giant experienced decreased attrition rates, reflecting the fact that new recruits felt connected to the organization more quickly, which experts know translates into stronger employee-retention rates. Overall, the company found that the email program increased internal recruiters' productivity and efficiency.

By taking advantage of the company's strong corporate presence and powerful brand recognition, the email communication program carried the right messages at the right time to future hires. The email program continues to assist the company in refining the execution of its recruiting process from analysis to understanding of our core audience, and to tracking trends. Each aspect of the email campaign affords the company new opportunities to tailor its messaging and future communications with recruits while using the viral component to build and expand its future recruitment initiatives.

With performance-based metrics now the norm in other areas of Web-based advertising, applying these accountability technologies to recruiting and retention makes sense. Using email recruiting and retention programs, companies may track performance and tie costs directly to results. As this piece illustrates, in addition to improving the quality of recruits and increasing retention rates, email can produce measurable results.

Lamberson is MindComet's vice president of marketing and strategy. She leads the interactive agency strategically, developing measurable and results-focused long-term marketing strategies. Lamberson applies her diverse knowledge of the intricacies of Internet marketing strategies in her position, leveraging best practices in email, online advertising, search marketing and new communication technologies to devise insightful customer relationship strategies and marketing campaigns for both B2B and B2C industries.