With more job openings than there are unemployed people in America, employers are struggling to find and entice the right talent to join their team. Remaining competitive is more important than ever these days. How your company is perceived online and, in the community, makes a big difference in your ability to attract great talent. Here are four ways to elevate your company’s image and increase the quality of your recruiting results:

1. Boost Your Company's Website

Your company's website is one of the most crucial components of any marketing strategy today. Chances are the first thing interested applicants will do is head to your website to look at job openings and see if your company is the right fit for them. This is why it's important to not only have a section for job opportunities on the site, but to also design it in a way that reflects your company's mission, values, and accomplishments. Apart from a sleek design, what's on your website is more valuable. As our HR consultant Pamela Owens previously pointed out, you need to show what makes you stand out from the sea of competitors. You can do this by highlighting your company's activities with updates on your latest news and projects, or by providing a chat-bot so you don't keep potential recruits waiting.

2. Create an Engaging Social Media Strategy

Gone are the days when people would look through the newspaper for job openings or go door-to-door in corporate buildings to submit their resumes. Technology has changed every aspect of our lives. Now people turn to social media when they're on the job hunt, and recruiters are aggressively pushing their job openings onto people's feeds. Maryville University claims digital marketing spending is predicted to grow to a whopping $335 billion by next year, and jumping on this digital bandwagon now, especially for recruitment, is more important than ever. A stellar example of a social media marketing strategy is to upload a recruitment video that gives potential applicants a quick look at how your company functions. It’s critical that you have video on your website and on your social media accounts, and don't forget to add a hashtag or two to your post so you can extend your reach further online. 

3. Create a LinkedIn Profile for Your Company

Speaking of social media, one of the most popular job search and recruiting platforms today is LinkedIn. In fact, Business Insider reports that there around 500 million users on the social network, which is home to about 10 million posts. This is why creating a good LinkedIn profile for your company can help boost your image and visibility. It's important to curate an interesting and appealing page to attract more followers and prospective hires. To strike the right balance between professionalism and personality for your company page, you should regularly post content that's tailored to candidates who are in fields that you’re targeting or content that will be appealing to any job seeker (like enticing perks or benefits your company offers).

4. Build an Enticing Referral Program

Lastly, it's important to keep in mind the rising generation of employees: Gen Z. Born between 1997 and 2012, the oldest Gen Z members have begun entering the workforce, and you need to be prepared to tap into this new and exciting talent pool. Quartz reveals that it's important for 90% of Gen Z employees to have a human element in their work environment. So, how can you engage with this digital generation while avoiding appearing too robotic? A great way to do this is to build a brand ambassador program in which your charismatic and tech-competent employees act as representatives to share your company's message online. Forming this internal program will give your recruitment process a head start for tomorrow's best candidates, as it shows them that you're a company that values its people.

Guest Blogger: Jemie Brooks
Bio: Jemie Brooks is a Portland-based blogger who is captivated with how businesses operate in the ever-growing digital world. When she isn't caught up writing, you can find Jemie going out for a run with her cocker spaniel, Milo.