You can’t get creative with Recruitment - Says Who?
Says “me”.
Yes, I said once at work but I immediately regretted it as all the work of the great creative minds in recruitment I have seen before, flashed back at me.
It is natural to get all caught up in closing the positions, narrowing the turn-around-time, and so on. It is all the more difficult if the workplace culture does not value or encourage creativity. Many a times the tasks feel mundane and while closing things in haste, we miss out on opening up various new ways and means of doing the same things differently and gracefully. With this piece, my intent is to put together some of the good work that you can relate to and design your own ideas; and to remind you that you can always find time and channels to get creative with recruitment (or anything else), given the right environment and openness to experiment.
While creating the recruitment buzz, it is not just information about the job you should intend to share. Focus on using this stage for branding, while attracting the kind of employees you’d like to work with. You do this by using the language, mode and tone that your company resonates with. If you use the ideas and concepts of different companies for your different job opportunities, just because you liked how well they did it, it won’t work for you the way it did for them.
Take more time in getting the right fit than trying to fit them in later.
Here, I am going to touch upon the “Creating the Buzz” element of Talent Acquisition (TA).
Let’s see some of these creative work that’s out there, making an impactful and a well-rounded recruitment process.
1. Target the Audience:
Go all out to reach out to the right audience with the same taste, interests and vibe as yours, by communicating the way that resonates to your mutual values. When you are truly going for creativity, there is always a scope of something new, something different. Why can’t that be translated into communicating with the potential candidates? The one brand I have seen having their witty communication game always on, has to be Mc Donalds. Look at this example below:
This image beautifully targets the right candidates, i.e. the ones who do not have prior experience. But it is not just that. With just 5 words, this creative speaks volumes. It not only communicates, but conveys that the culture of the Organisation allows one to take time learning & growing, without being fearful of making mistakes.
2. Call to Action - Decodes or Anecdotes:
Make your job posts interesting by making them engaging and target the right applicants by asking them to crack a riddle or a unique puzzle. Many tech companies use this for Engineers & Developers involving solving codes or math equations.
Some examples worth googling:
a. Google’s Billboard Puzzle; b. Uber’s “Code on the Road” Challenge; c. Dyson’s “The Smart Rooms” Challenge.
Alternatively, ask for some funny incident or comments on something regarding the job role that is unique to their profession. The kind of answers you get will not just be insightful to understand their thought-process, but you’ll have a fun time reading them.
Something I created for an HR Recruiter's opening that you can use: (Tag me if this works for you!)
This allows an Organisation to find someone that doesn’t just fit technically, but culturally too. It also gets a candidate excited to apply, driving up their dopamine levels with a feeling of accomplishment.
3. Experience days or job previews
Invite shortlisted candidates for a few hours to experience the work environment and get to meet the team. This gives you a chance to sense the cultural fitment & observe them in real-world setting; and for them to get a feel of the role and the workplace. I got this opportunity once with a company in the Oil & Gas Industry. Whether I got into the company or not is irrelevant, as I still remember feeling valued, accounting to a unique candidate experience.
4. Creativity in Applications
Organisations have embraced dynamic ways to assess candidates beyond traditional résumés and cover letters.
There are many innovative approaches that have helped Organisations identify passionate, creative, and well-suited candidates while making the hiring process more interactive and efficient.
Some examples of this are:
a. Video applications:
- McKinsey & Company replaced cover letters with video pitches, allowing candidates to showcase their communication skills and personality.
- Similarly, Zappos required applicants to submit a 60-second video explaining why they wanted to work there, ensuring a strong cultural fit.
- Heineken took it a step further with its "Go Places" interactive video experience, where candidates answered rapid-fire personality questions, making the process engaging and insightful.
- Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines introduced video auditions for cabin crew roles, enabling recruiters to evaluate candidates' hospitality and confidence before in-person interviews.
b. Social Media Challenges & Hashtag Campaigns
This is a fun way to attract the talent that is eager to showcase their creativity. Such small assignments involve immediate action and visible outcomes that doesn’t just make the candidate experience fulfilling, but improves brand visibility.
For example, Marriott created an interactive game where applicants could manage a virtual hotel, demonstrating their decision-making and problem-solving skills. This was run under the campaign of #MyMarriottHotel Challenge.
Other companies have asked candidates to showcase their skills using specific hashtags, like posting marketing ideas or design work on Instagram or LinkedIn.
Similarly, brands like L’Oréal have encouraged candidates to submit applications through LinkedIn posts or short video pitches instead of traditional methods.
5. AI in TA:
Several Organisations have embraced AI for the initial rounds of screening candidate profiles. This not just saves time, but improves efficiency by giving more time and space to the recruiters to have truly effective interactions.
Some Organisations have played their A-Game in the recruitment process with the use of AI in gamification. For example, Unilever uses AI-based games to test candidates’ cognitive skills, emotional intelligence, and adaptability before an interview.
Some companies have developed escape room-style challenges where candidates solve puzzles to unlock the next stage of the application.
One of the methods is also Hackathons, hosted by several Organisations who get a fair idea about the talents of their potential hire.
“Unstop” is one such platform that provides Hackathons and other such interactive methods of recruitment.
To sum up, Recruitment is no longer oscillating between initial calls and offer letters, but is in fact busy building employer brand.
Leaving you with a cool ad by Indigo, attracting talent using the right method and tone, while leveraging the emotional value that the job potentially brings:
Today, the world is connected in a way that was never even thinkable decades ago. Changing times have changed the way people live and pursue job opportunities. Now is not the time for the Organisations to delude themselves into believing that the candidates are willing to wait for their call-back without exploring other options. Putting it bluntly, candidates do not look at it as opportunities, but as options.
So it is not just imperative, but necessary to build-in or tweak the processes where you not just attract great talent, but build experiences together. So let’s open up the gates for the problem-solving, innovative and creative minds that can lead the Organisation towards its vision taking its people together.
Do not Forget:
Track what works
Keep a record of the sources proactively to understand which source works for you the best. Read “4 HR Areas Critical to track: Why & How” for a little more insight on this.