The internet has changed the way a lot of things are done. Children no longer trek en masse to the local library after school to do their homework. They simply tap into the power of the web to do their research. Marketers no longer use only interruption marketing methods. They have embraced the inbound methodology. Similarly, the job of executive recruiters has been forever changed by the internet. Now, executive recruiters, like marketers, use inbound techniques to attract and retain top talent. Do you want to set your recruiting team up for success by employing inbound methods? Here’s how. Tip One: Start with a Candidate Persona Just like marketers begin their strategy with a deep dive into the likes, needs, and habits of their ideal buyer, so too, executive recruiters put much thought into what the ideal candidate for their open position is actually like. Hubspot gives this quick list of actions to take to craft a usable candidate persona: Think about your process for attracting candidates now. Evaluate whether it is working well for you. Define your company culture. Use information from the first two steps to create a reasonable candidate persona for your open position. Create content that would be relevant and engaging to that persona. Distribute that content where candidates matching your persona are likely to be and in a manner those candidates prefer. Template: Creating Ideal Candidate Personas – Our free persona template will help you improve your talent acquisition by identifying who your ideal candidates are and how best to reach them. Tip Two: Create Awareness through Great Brand Building Just as inbound marketers seek to build a relationship with potential customers, so too, executive recruiters must build relationships with top candidates. How? Use blogs, landing pages specifically designed for job applicants, social media posts and comments, networking events, and so on. Show off your company culture at every opportunity. Figure out how to show candidates through subtle ways why your organization is a great place to work. The Moz Blog advises in this regard: “The attributes that you talk about and the attributes that you look for in people will vary between companies, roles, and industries, but it can’t hurt to make sure that you allow people to see behind the veil from time to time. An authentic message will go a long way here, in terms of helping your name stick in people’s minds.” [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/295199255″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] Tip Three: Turn Leads into Applicants Once you have built a relationship with your candidates, you have to close the deal, so to speak. Using a robust talent management software solution can help with this by facilitating excellent communication. Candidates at this stage want and deserve constant communication with your organization. Well-timed emails allow you to keep candidates in the know about what positions are open and what big events are shaping your organization. Such strategic communication can turn a cool candidate into a hot pick quickly. Tip Four: Pay Attention to Analytics A distinguishing characteristic of the inbound methodology is that it relies heavily on analytics. Here, too, talent management software provides the answer. For instance, Thrive TRM offers strong reporting features. With Thrive TRM, you get a complete view of your talent pipeline in real time, at any given moment. Additionally, your entire recruiting team can quickly come up to speed on any candidate because Thrive TRM facilitates collaboration. Exploring the data Thrive TRM captures, you can quickly ascertain where your recruiting efforts are meeting with success and where they need some adjustment. Would you like to see Thrive TRM at work? That’s simple. Schedule a demo today!