The good news… computer and information technology occupations are projected to grow 13% in the next 10 years! The bad news… this translates to one of the largest skills gap seen in recent memory when compared to other industries. Put simply, IT jobs are only going to become harder and harder to fill.
In a digital world, looking for IT candidates who are well-versed in everything digital themselves requires an approach as innovative and tech-savvy as they are. It is no longer viable to simply copy and paste a job description into an online advertisement, job board, or on your own website to see applications come to you. You have to find other ways to connect with the sharpest minds in the field.
It is critical for you as an employer to identify the type of employee you want to attract and the digital domains they frequent, and then go there and put your message in front of them! With this knowledge in hand you can build a creative, technology-driven strategy for your message to be received compellingly and consistently across many different digital platforms.
Here’s how…
Use Social Media to Your Advantage
It is a well known fact that employers “social stalk” potential candidates, but you should be aware that it goes both ways. Today’s job seekers have all the resources they need at their fingertips to learn everything about your company, and some of the places they’re sure to look are your social media channels.
The reason they start there is because they want to learn about your company culture and views. Remember, with demand for qualified IT candidates being so high, they can afford to be picky and pursue businesses with thriving cultures.
So use your platform as an opportunity to put your best foot forward. Not only can you send out job postings, but you can charm potential employees with pictures of your current employees happily performing their jobs. Showcase a “day in the life” at your office with pictures, videos, and posts, and IT hopefuls can get a real feel for your company brand.
Optimize Your Site for Google
The first step of many job seekers is to turn to Google to type in things like, “software engineer jobs,” “web developer job listings,” or “computer systems analyst positions near me.” What they will often find are aggregate sites with thousands upon thousands of job postings, which can be daunting and confusing. Many people are not looking for MORE listings, they’re looking for the RIGHT listing— they simply just need to do a bit more scouring.
How can you ensure that your job posting shows up front and center for these people? You can take certain steps to optimize your site for Google as well as the job posting page itself. There are many ways to do this. Learn about some tactics below!
Start with Mobile
One of the top things Google looks at is whether or not your site is mobile-friendly. This will not only help you rank better overall in Google, but it is also helpful for the job seekers using their phone to better learn about you. According to a Pew Research study, 43% of phone users said that they have looked up information about a job on their smartphone, and 18% of people said that they have even submitted a job application through their phone.
Optimizing your site for mobile will surely help bring the applicants to you, but you need to ensure that your site can accommodate them! This means that if you, for example, want to use a job application form, you have to make sure that there are no glitches for mobile users to submit their application. You don’t want to turn potentially great IT candidates away just because they couldn’t access the page correctly on their preferred device.
Use Content Marketing to Show Who You Are (And Help SEO)
Content marketing is used in search engine optimization (SEO) to help you show up for terms that candidates search for. However, you can use it to show off your business’s personality!
Once candidates find you through Google, you need to keep them there so they can learn more about you and press that apply button. How? With interesting and engaging content that positions you as an industry expert. Candidates will be able to see your company’s passion and that will, in turn, make them excited to join the team. Build out your blog with industry updates, business news, company culture posts, etc. By enriching each post with keywords and effective metadata, you can kill two birds with one stone.
Contact Adaptive Solutions Group!
Need more help attracting top talent to your company in new and innovative ways? Contact Adaptive Solutions Group to connect with IT candidates in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Denver!