One of the reasons I think agencies ask yours truly to help them find proven, senior-level leaders is because I bring a new business mentality to the idea of searching for the right professional. Thankfully, for the sake of paying my mortgage, this idea could use a lot of unpacking and can go in lots of directions. But today, I want to spend time on an idea that could be useful and differentiating to your agency as it looks to attract and keep the best staff.
Do you use your agency’s new business credentials when you pitch prospective new employees?
Not many agencies do. They often let the agency’s website do the job. Or they might just ask their new business team for a set of standard credentials.
And I wonder how effective that is. Because things like websites or new business credentials are built with many purposes in mind.
How could standard agency credentials be made into recruiting credentials? What could we emphasize in credentials that will help convince someone to join your agency? With a more single-minded focus, our message can become more clear and convincing.
The usual things like agency location, size, client list and capabilities could all be tweaked, calling out the benefits to someone figuring out whether to work for your agency or your competitor.
For instance, things like an agency’s broad client list and its capabilities can mean career flexibility, footsteps, and an augmentation of existing skill sets for candidates.
Of course, the agency’s work itself is a key reason why someone might join the agency. So, case studies are helpful. But I’d tweak those, too. And talk about the people behind the work. What does great work do for the people that created it? Those are different results than brand or agency success measures. Think things like industry recognition, raises and promotions.
More broadly speaking, in a set of Recruiting Credentials, we’ve got the chance to tell prospective staffers why people are attracted to or stay at your agency:
- impact/involvement/making a difference
- fit/agency culture
- support
- training opportunities
- career mobility
- stability
- lifestyle
- financial reward
- and more
How are these best conveyed? If not done right, “testimonials” run the risk of feeling hacky, canned and unbelievable. One solution might be writing a brief: treat Recruiting Credentials like a creative deliverable.
Looking for a fast and cheap alternative? For one agency, I pulled together a quick two-pager that talks about just these kinds of things. It worked well. In part because it had a look, feel and writing style that was on-brand to the agency.
Having these successful people stories in your head are fantastic tools when you’re speaking with a given candidate. They add a lot more weight to your pitch. They can also be used as a stand-alone piece to send ahead of a call. Or right after one. Featuring stories like these on your agency’s website could be a good idea, too.
Anywho, hope this gets you thinking about interesting ways to find and keep your next great leader!