Why Recruiters Are Your Next Employer Brand Hires
Let’s face it. Job searching is challenging and frustrating and sometimes can make you question your skills or what you know deep down you are more than capable of doing. As a former recruiter who transitioned into employer branding (EB) a few years ago, I’ve been reflecting on my initial transition from recruiting into EB and remembering how I once started a new EB role with only my experience as a recruiter. It took a lot of exploration, conversation, and looking at my accomplishments through a different lens, but I eventually landed an opportunity that connected my experiences. So the question I’ve been pondering is why aren’t the teams who are hiring for EB roles looking at one of the unique resources right in front of them, recruiters?
As obvious ambassadors and cheerleaders for an organization, I ask newer EB enthusiasts to think differently about their experiences and accomplishments and for EB hiring teams to shift their perspective about the requirements they add to their job postings and how recruiter responsibilities can absolutely transfer. Everyone started somewhere, and people will always say, “fake it ’til you make it,’ but that might not be necessary as there is always a way to reposition experience to make it relevant.
🔎 “You have experience working with Talent Acquisition.”
Every recruiter already has this experience. A recruiter’s job is much more than “finding candidates,’ and so much of the role is pure relationship building and partnership. They partner with leaders and teams across the business to understand their functions, the people, and their challenges, and they are the ones bringing in new talent to the team. While their “job” might not be to collect those employee stories officially, you’d be surprised just how much they already know from having their intake sessions and regular strategy meetings.
✍️“You have experience with writing, ideally copywriting.”
Recruiting functions are often lean, and that recruiter working hard to “find people” might also be handling other projects and initiatives. Think about job description writing, managing responses for Glassdoor pages and their content, writing ATS candidate application and rejection email templates, crafting unique LinkedIn messages, and maybe even creating content for candidate experience and communications initiatives. Not all companies have a marketing team. Consider asking recruiters about their non-requisition-focused experiences. You‘ll probably be surprised.
📖“You’re a natural storyteller and have proven experience communicating messages internally and externally.”
Recruiters know the candidate market and quite literally tell stories every single day. While a recruiter’s job description might not completely match the day-to-day of what an EB description says, there is always a way to transfer those skills, endless resources that are available, oh, and a willingness to learn. Think outside of the resume box and inquire about the stories they have been telling. What are they posting on LinkedIn? What writing samples can they share? What have they done with social media? What resources have they created to help tell stories to candidates? It’s so vital that we think differently about how stories are told and who is telling them. And yes, while grammar and punctuation are essential, we can drop the stress of not being a “copywriter with 10+ years of experience” and thank tools like Grammarly for reminding us where the commas go.
📊“You know how to use data to inform decisions and improve results.”
It’s true that one goal of a recruiter is to hire great people, but their job is so much more than that. While recruiters might not be responsible for social media analytics (or maybe they are), data and analytics are critical criteria for recruiting, and having an “analytical mindset” can mean so many things. Consider asking about a recruiter’s experience using data during a hiring push or how they used data to influence a hiring manager and think differently about a search.
🗣️“You can collaborate across a diverse team and follow global brand and marketing protocols.”
If anyone knows how to partner across a business, it’s a recruiter. If we remove the candidate from the equation, a recruiter’s reach goes incredibly far. From the strategy with the recruiting team to partnering with multiple hiring managers, getting to know members of the organization, and working with coordinators, a recruiter definitely knows how to work cross-functionally. They often do it across time zones, cultures, and these days, probably virtually. And for the recruiters who may not have that “global experience,” just like setting up a new intake meeting with a hiring manager to learn about their business and openings, they can learn about the global nuances.
As I continue searching for my next great EB role, I’m not embarrassed to share that I’ve probably been rejected at least a dozen times and have probably at least another dozen applications floating somewhere in the ATS abyss, unread and forgotten about. The reality is that many job descriptions list a bunch of bullet points with sometimes unrealistic or “filler” requirements in hopes of attracting “unicorn” candidates. Unfortunately, some hiring teams think in black and white and look for experiences that match those job descriptions verbatim. We know actual unicorns don’t exist, but everyone is unique in their skills and experiences, so honestly, we are all unicorns.
To the hiring teams: I encourage you to think differently about transferable experiences for your open positions. Recruiters have incredibly diverse backgrounds and usually carry the passion for people that you want and need for your EB team.
To the EB enthusiasts: Consider thinking differently about what you’ve accomplished. There is always a way to position your experience to align with a role in EB. Your skills can stretch in so many ways, and that “unicorn” company is right around the corner, and will see that connection and be lucky to have you.
