We’ve been analyzing HR recruitment channels and candidate customer journeys in China over the past few weeks. It’s pretty interesting to see what works, and what doesn't work. One of the major challenges seems to be HR departments trying to get their heads around the most efficient and effective use of WeChat – social media normally being under the purview of marketing or comms departments.
The Challenge
Attracting new candidates – this feels like something WeChat should be wonderful at. But those of us deep into the channel know how challenging it is to develop leads – getting the content in front of eyeballs is costly and difficult. WeChat is not typically used for search, and building fans takes time and patience.
We analyzed over 50 HR recruiting channels, from both multinational and local companies. One takeaway is how similar the content is across companies – making it hard to differentiate and stand out to potential candidates.
Step 1: Make great, shareable content
- Develop topics that resonate with the target candidates
- Make them highly visual
- Stop copying everyone else’s gifs and cartoons
- Keep it on-brand and designed for the candidate type you are looking for
- Differentiate and accentuate your company’s Employer Value Proposition (EVP) – what’s the thing that makes you special?
- Campus recruiting and professional recruiting are usually separated – you want to tell different stories to these two very different target candidates
Here are a few pieces of content to give you a flavor:
VW takes their candidates on a ride with a nice animated gif.
No surprises with P&G approach – a day in the life of an employee
Adidas takes a personal approach with an employee’s story – at work and in his free time
Step 2: Make a strong call-to-action
If visitors are looking at your WeChat menu content, make sure that the call-to-action is obvious, whether it is a contact form or an invitation to a recruiting event. Here is a sample from top recruitment firm Hudson’s WeChat channel.
Step 3: Incentivize your colleagues to share
Colleagues’ friends and contacts are a great source of potential candidates. Offer a prize for the most shares or some type of reward. EF below with its incentive program for referrals.
Step 4: Use KOLs to promote
Use media channels or KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders/micro-influencers) to spread the word. You have to understand what channels your target candidates follow – are there specific industry verticals to target?
Step 5: Measure and adjust
Successful content and campaigns come from careful planning and testing. Your WeChat recruitment channel, like any digital media, should be a continuously updated and improved.
Consider a mobile recruiting platform integration
There are a number of programs designed to work in WeChat that cover the entire candidate journey, including resume submission. MoSeeker and Ajinga are both popular choices if you have a large-scale program. These usually integrate into the company’s Application Tracking System (ATS), allowing HR to monitor and use current systems through a WeChat front-end.
So how to find those wonderful employees?
China HR departments and recruiting firms have a fantastic opportunity to develop targeted, on-brand content that attracts the right candidates – and using WeChat as the platform is a natural evolution.
