Traditionally, companies, through their Human Resources departments, have based talent management on two practices: publishing offers in different channels waiting for the appearance of the ideal professional and contacting talent by mail, telephone, etc. This way of proceeding, which requires more and more investment in time and money, does not guarantee the best results.
This could be a problem for any company, but fortunately, the methods to attract talent have also evolved.
What Is Inbound Recruiting?
Inbound Recruiting is the alternative to traditional recruitment. It is a methodology that uses Digital Marketing techniques to find and attract professionals. Inbound Recruiting in personnel selection is a gear that, once set in motion, will allow the company to have qualified candidates continuously and to opt for a job in a company that suits their concerns and to which they feel attracted.
Inbound Recruiting Versus Traditional Recruiting
Inbound Recruiting enjoys excellent success among many companies due to two fundamental factors: on the one hand, the candidate is shown how the company has the solution to their needs and gives them the initiative, letting them decide the moment of contact; on the other hand, it turns them into a fan of the entity by promoting their employer branding (job appeal).
To achieve the ultimate goal, this innovative procedure consists of 4 phases that make up the funnel: Attract, Convert, Hire and Fall in love.
- It attracts: it consists of disseminating the company’s values, its work philosophy, what it is like inside (culture, innovations, what it contributes to society…) and why working in it would benefit any professional.
- Convert: it is the moment in which the user becomes a candidate. It will be necessary to convey which professionals are sought and what knowledge and skills are required, in addition to highlighting in detail the main opportunities offered by the company. To ensure the smooth running of this phase, job application forms must be quick and easy to complete and mobile-optimized. This will be an addition so that the process is still possible.
- Hire: during this stage, it is essential to establish direct and fluid communication with the person and inform them about whether or not they are advancing in the selection process and the status of their candidacy. Interviews, emails, calls, video calls… It is convenient to take advantage of omnichannel to give feedback and constantly accompany talent, avoiding moments of uncertainty.
- Fall in love: once selected, hired and incorporated into the company, the experience must remain excellent during the professional’s stay.
The 5 Phases of Inbound Recruiting
Inbound Recruiting allows the company to solve the talent deficit by reducing time and costs in the personnel recruitment process. Its application in companies is only possible through good planning, for which it will be an essential requirement to comply with its five phases:
- Focus on a specific objective and try to get to know it as well as possible. Having defined the Candidate Person, it will be easier to determine where they can be found and to know what they are looking for to start a new professional adventure in the company.
- Identify the tools that can enhance the Inbound Recruiting strategy and optimize them. One of the main ones will be the website, which must have a careful design so that corporate information is easily accessible and transmits corporate values to users. Digital channels, as a means of disseminating and attracting talent, should be used to publish company vacancies and offer candidates valuable and quality information.
- Correctly define a corporate policy through principles, commitments and values capable of attracting and retaining.
- Be constant and patient. The Inbound Recruiting methodology differs from a strategy that can be implemented from one day to the next but results from good work over time.
- Retain talent. What is the use of implementing a strategy to attract the best professionals for a company if those who are already in it leave looking for new work experiences? Once the person becomes part of the company, there is still much work to be done: talent retention policies must be promoted.
Inbound Recruiting Advantages And Disadvantages
Like most methodologies, Inbound Recruiting also has advantages and disadvantages in its application. We will tell you some of them!
Advantages of Inbound Recruiting:
- By applying Inbound Recruiting strategies, we will obtain better results than in a traditional search and selection process—greater diversity and qualification of candidates.
- Less expensive selection process. Its implementation reduces the investment in the costs of the selection process.
- The candidates are the ones who apply for the offer, so they are usually motivated and interested in the company.
- It strengthens the company’s branding thanks to the generation of content around aspects of the company as the best place to work.
Disadvantages of Inbound Recruiting:
- In the beginning, it can be a significant investment. Each of the stages requires a lot of dedication for optimal development.
- The Inbound Recruiting methodology may be less practical in some areas, for example, in those positions where less qualified profiles are in demand or more active jobs where the tasks are more executive.
Inbound Recruiting Examples
Many high-level companies, such as Tesla, Netflix, Spotify, and Google…, have already bet on Inbound Recruiting in their selection processes. All of them dedicate resources to publicly show their mission, values and what it is like to work in the company.
Tesla has a site on its website called Working at Tesla, where it explains its mission, values, and long-term objectives… This section arouses the interest of future or potential candidates and works, together with other strategies, as the value of attraction and retention of talent.
Google, for example, has a Twitter account called Life at Google, where they show what the day-to-day life of the company is like and what it is like to work at Google. It is the employees themselves who manage the account on some occasions and show details of their working hours. Like Tesla, they have an open space where professionals interested in working in the company can connect directly with those responsible for Human Resources.
Undoubtedly, Inbound Recruiting has meant a significant change in Human Resources since its inception. The construction of relationships of trust and positive synergies between companies and their potential employees, as well as people identifying with the firms and positively perceiving them, represents a real revolution.