By David Lange, Co-Founder and Managing Director at adlicious
A shortage of skilled workers is one of the biggest problems in the modern working world. Many companies are already having problems filling appropriate positions — over 70 percent in the IT sector. Strengthened by demographic change, almost 60 percent of HR professionals across industries expect that the battle for experts will continue to increase in the coming years and will become the biggest challenge for the development of their company. The economic damage caused by the shortage of skilled workers is already estimated at around 50 billion euros per year. In order for your own company to be prepared for the future, you will not only have to offer potential employees a lot, but you will also have to take creative paths in recruiting employees. One option: Programmatic advertising as a recruiting tool.
What is programmatic advertising?
Programmatic advertising refers to the fully automated and individualized real-time purchase of advertising space and the associated display of advertising material. In this way, campaigns can be carried out effectively and target groups, in this case potential new employees, can be precisely reached. Both native ads and dynamic advertising media can be used for recruiting. Native ads consist of image-text combinations that are played out in an editorial environment. Accordingly, they have a certain editorial character and reach the desired target groups perfectly with specific targeting. Dynamic advertising media, on the other hand, are display ads with dynamic elements. This has the advantage that only a banner is created as a basis, which dynamically integrates various elements such as texts, images or, in this case, complete job advertisements. Integration takes place via a data feed, which can be adapted at any time to current circumstances, such as new vacancies or positions that have already been filled. Based on data, each user is shown the right position for them. Especially for large companies with many job offers and a correspondingly extensive data feed, the combination of dynamic banners and programmatic advertising will save a lot of time and money.
Recruiting opportunities
Programmatic advertising can be used in various ways to reach potential new employees. Starting with classic retargeting, which is aimed at users who have already looked at the corresponding job ad but have not yet sent an application. Another option is geo-targeting. In this form, the job advertisement is displayed within a defined area around the place of work. Job advertisements with context targeting can also be displayed in a desired environment. For example, new employees can be addressed on relevant industry websites or via specific keywords. So-called prospecting also offers great potential for recruiting. It specifically addresses users who have not yet had any contact with the company, but are highly likely to be interested in changing jobs due to their digital surfing behavior, such as search queries or websites visited. In this way, you reach additional applicants who would fall through the cracks with other targeting variants.
No “one-fits-all” solution for applicant checks
As soon as many, at first glance, suitable applications are received through programmatic advertising, the candidates who have made it onto the shortlist are scrutinized closely. CVs and previous positions may be a first indicator for assessing the potential and the right “fit” for the company, but they are no longer either. In order to choose the right applicant, various tests are therefore necessary during the application process. However, companies should remember that there is no “one-fits-all” solution - different positions require different processes. Case studies or the logic tests known from assessment centers are suitable for filling analytical jobs, such as that of a data scientist. In this way, the applicants' understanding of numbers can be checked and whether he or she is able to correctly assess potential. For creative professions, such as graphic designers, rehearsal days are a good option. Here, applicants can show their skills on specific tasks under “everyday conditions.” The desired soft skills should still be discussed in a personal conversation. In order for these processes to offer real added value, they must be well organized and prepared in terms of content. After all, the time should be used sensibly and effectively. The basis for an effective and fair application process for all parties is a clear and, above all, truthful job description. This is the only way to avoid a rude awakening on the part of one of the parties involved during the ongoing process.
Data as an important factor
Programmatic advertising can be a powerful recruiting tool in the battle for skilled workers. In order to develop its full power, however, three things are needed. On the one hand, appropriate targeting data so that job advertisements can also be displayed to the desired target group. On the other hand, well-structured data feeds and their agency's expertise in creating dynamic advertising materials. If all of that is the case, you're well prepared to battle for talent.
This post first appeared on Trendreport and is available as “open content” (CC BY-SA).
