How to Use Public Relations to Improve your Recruitment Strategy
65% of life science HR professionals expect their number of open roles to increase this year. But far fewer candidates are going to be looking for new jobs – so savvy biopharma companies will need to be creative to compete for limited talent.
Using public relations strategies creates more opportunities for passive candidates to be exposed to your organization – and learn about your open roles.
Public relations is not always thought of as going hand-in-hand with recruitment strategies, but it can certainly be effective in ensuring you capture the interest and trust of potential recruits.
When asked, 83% of candidates believe company reputation to be very or extremely important. Your organization’s reputation can be a key deciding factor in whether a candidate will apply for one of your open roles or be open to an unsolicited invitation to apply.
And you can be certain that candidates will have done their research before applying. 97% research a company before they apply for a role – that includes search engine results including how you have featured in the news, your press releases, and the weight of your reputational impact, or how much information is simply available.
Here are some ways you can incorporate public relations strategies into your hiring efforts.
1. Publish press releases
Let’s start with the basics. Candidates value stability and transparency. They will want to see what your organization has been up to. You want to demonstrate the progression of your organization – this can include research advances, additions to leadership, funding success, and more. Ensure press releases are published regularly at least on your website, if they are not more widely distributed on sites like PR Newswire and BioSpace.
2. Mention open roles in releases
Wherever appropriate, include the fact that you have open roles and are actively recruiting in your press releases.
For example, if your leadership has expanded, you can mention that the company is continuing to grow and you’re currently hiring. If you have received funding, you can mention that you will continue to build on your success by growing your team. There are often ways you can add in your recruitment efforts in a way that is organic and logical.
3. Updated career page
This is obvious but ensure your careers page is up to date and communicates your work culture, benefits, open roles, and advantages to working at your organization, in addition to your business success.
If you can, include employee driven content. Ask them for their perspective on why they enjoy working for your organization, or why they chose to work with you.
Demonstrate how you are taking care of your employees during the pandemic. Demonstrate your commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging practices. Candidates will want to be assured that you are committed to their well-being and a positive work environment, whether that’s in the office, lab, or remote.
4. Use sponsored content
Sponsored content is when you pay for an organization to publish your story. It’s different from a press release, in that it is more focused on creating a narrative and reads like a featured news story.
You can use sponsored content to effectively advertise your recruitment drive or open roles by telling an impactful story.
For example, maybe you introduced a new remote work policy and you’d like to share how successful it has been in creating a positive remote work culture. Or perhaps you have a newly created a new team due to a new area of research you have begun to pursue. There are so many ways in which you can use sponsored content to both highlight organizational success and link to your open roles to generate applications.
More stories – more opportunities
The more topics, more press releases, and stories you create, the more angles you have with which you can discuss your recruitment needs.
By incorporating public relations into your recruitment strategy, you are creating more opportunities for passive candidates to find your business – and build your talent pipeline.
