If your talent pool is a bit on the shallow side, it may be time to re-evaluate your recruitment process in one important area: personalization. Why is personalization so essential to recruiting success today? And how can you incorporate personalization into your talent acquisition efforts? The Consumerization of HR and Its Effect on Recruitment Commenting on the ways in which the function of HR has evolved in recent years, Forbes article “Consumerization of HR: 10 Trends Companies Will Follow in 2016” notes that the lines between HR and marketing are blurring. Now more than ever before, a company must pay attention to its employer brand in much the same way it pays attention to its corporate brand. That being the case, recruiters today must borrow a page from marketers, who have a deep understanding of what it takes to establish and bolster a brand. One of the most important lessons talent acquisition specialists can learn from marketers is that personalization is a key factor in marketing (and recruiting) success. Much like modern consumers expect a high level of personalization in marketing messages, top talent today expects an increasingly personalized recruiting experience, and rightly so. Thanks to widespread social media use, recruiters today have access to a vast pool of intel about potential candidates, and recruiters who do their homework stand to profit from tapping into that knowledge base. eBook: Using Social Media for Executive Search – Learn how to leverage social media in your executive search process more effectively. High-Touch Recruiting Solutions Resonate with High Value Candidates In SHRM’s “Job Candidates Still Seeking Personalized Recruiting Experiences”, Jim McCoy, Vice President, ManpowerGroup Solutions and North America RPO Practice Lead, notes: “The impact that high-touch – or human contact – has on a candidate’s recruiting experience cannot be overstated. A one-size-fits-all approach to engaging prospective employees does not work. Organizations should evaluate their talent acquisition strategy and customize job seekers’ experiences based on their preferences. Only when employers consider the total value of candidate-centered experiences, will they be able to efficiently and effectively attract and acquire top talent to achieve their business objectives.” Echoing those sentiments, SHRM’s “12 Recruiting Tips from Talent Acquisition Leaders” states simply: “While advances in technology have dramatically changed the efficiency of recruitment, courting top talent still requires a personalized message — as well as a promise that a potential employee’s career will flourish when he or she joins your team.” How to Personalize the Recruiting Process What, then, are some practical ways to personalize your recruiting strategies? While the default mindset of some recruiters is “What can this candidate do for the company?”, a more productive mindset may be “What does this company offer that will appeal to this candidate?” To answer that question requires a deeper dive into the interests, preferences, and unique motivations of the candidate. Ideally, this deeper dive must come long before a formal interview. To illustrate, consider the example of Rachel Saunders, a Yahoo recruiter interviewed in LinkedIn’s“Personalized Outreach: Yahoo’s Secret to Talent Acquisition Success”. Saunders shares her mindset for recruiting with a personalized flair. She notes: “When it comes to recruiting, I see candidates as my customers. I want them to have a very special experience with me, something different and better than what they normally have with other recruiters. I believe it’s important to set yourself apart in recruiting.” In order to achieve that personalized, high-touch experience, Saunders scours the Web in search of information about her potential candidates, taking special note of their public social media profiles. These profiles reveal much about a candidate’s interests, hobbies, and passions. Using this intel, Saunders crafts an outreach email that is highly personalized for the candidate. Then, through a series of nurturing emails and communications, Saunders slowly builds value in the minds of her targeted candidates for her employer brand. The result? Saunders reveals: “When I send a mildly tailored email, I usually get a 25 percent response rate. However, when I really customize the email and show the candidate I’ve done my homework, the response rate jumps to 60-70 percent.” What is the lesson? Candidates who see that you are invested in learning about them personally and nurturing a relationship of mutual trust will be much more likely to accept a position with your firm. This level of personalization and relationship building will deepen your talent pool and bolster all your talent acquisition strategies. Finding Recruiting Solutions that Enable Personalization The right recruiting software solution can help you build and foster personal relationships with top talent. ThriveTRM helps you quickly identify top talent, collaborate in real-time to find the tools needed to nurture that talent, and facilitate personalized communication with candidates in the process. To see ThriveTRM in action, schedule a demo today.