Candidate Attraction Solutions

Save time and money by using Fusion's Candidate Attraction Solutions

Fusion brings extensive expertise in developing a cost-effective early talent attraction strategy to help you establish your organisation as an employer of choice. We recognise the unique nature of the early talent market and the need for you to have a tailored solution.

This could mean working with you on a full creative campaign from initial concept through to go-live, or advising on the best channels for your current campaign. Whatever the need, we work collaboratively with you on a strategy that effectively showcases your Early Talent Value Proposition (ETVP).

Fusion's Candidate Attraction Benefits

Incorporating creative and engaging content to appeal to early talent.

Leveraging the most effective sourcing channels.

Addressing diversity requirements.

Maximising your budget’s ROI and continuously refining strategies based on key data points.

What is Candidate Attraction?

Candidate attraction in recruitment refers to the process of drawing in and engaging potential job candidates to apply for positions within a company or organisation.

It is a sub-service of recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) and occurs at the beginning of the recruitment life cycle. This critical aspect of attraction recruitment involves implementing various strategies and tactics to make a company an appealing choice for individuals seeking employment opportunities.

Candidate attraction encompasses creating a positive employer brand, showcasing the company’s culture, values, and opportunities for growth, and effectively communicating these aspects through channels such as job postings, social media, career fairs, and networking events.

The Benefits of Effective Candidate Attraction?

Save Time & Money

By proactively sourcing and attracting candidates, organisations can save time and money that would otherwise be spent on more traditional recruiting methods, like job postings and waiting for applications to come in.

Increase Quality of Hires

Comprehensive and effective candidate attraction strategies, coupled with advanced digital engagement will often deliver higher-quality candidates, which leads to better hiring decisions.

Enhance Your Employer Brand

When you reach out to top talent and engage with them, you’re also enhancing your employer brand. This can make your organisation more desirable to potential candidates, which can help you attract even top talent in the future.

Reduce Attrition

Organisations with an effective candidate attraction strategy are able to find and hire employees who are a good fit for their culture and values. This can lead to reduced employee turnover, as employees are more likely to stick around in an organisation where they feel they belong.

What are Candidates Looking for?

In order to effectively attract candidates, it’s important to first understand what they’re looking for. While each individual candidate will have their own unique set of preferences, there are some common themes that today’s candidates are looking for in an employer. These include:

Opportunities For Growth & Development

Employees also want to work for an employer who is invested in their growth and development. This is why candidate assessments where potential is assessed are widely accepted. They want to know that there are opportunities for them to advance in their career and that their employer is willing to invest in their development. In addition, being paid competitively is important, especially during the current challenging times. Being upfront and open about salary is a real positive for candidates.

The Employers Culture

Friendly and supportive co-workers are another big priority for today’s employees. They want to work in an environment where they feel at home, will be supported and the culture is aligned with their own values.

Showcasing your employees will help candidates identify their place within your company. As well as the positive elements, be transparent about what needs improvement. Candidates generally accept that not everything is perfect and respect honesty.

Opportunity for learning and development

The opportunity for training and development continues to be in the top 5 reasons a candidate will progress with an employer (AAGE survey, 2024). It’s critical that employers are showcasing their development journey when attracting potential candidates.

A Positive Candidate Experience

Candidates, especially those who are at the beginning of their careers, have high expectations of the recruitment process. As digital natives, they are used to accessing vast amounts of information quickly, and slow processes are sure to negatively impact their perception of working for you. To provide a good candidate experience, you need to be upfront, provide as much information as possible and give feedback – even to those that are not successful.

Channels and Tools Used in Candidate Attraction?

Job Fairs & Networking Events

Job fairs and networking events are an effective part of a good candidate attraction strategy and a great way to connect with potential employees.

In the Early Careers space, they have long been a popular method to reach large numbers of potential candidates and build an employer brand.

These events provide an opportunity for candidates to meet members of the organisation, ask any burning questions and establish their fit.

It’s critical for organisations to think about representation at these events, especially if there is a strong focus on Diversity and Inclusion.

Job Boards

By posting an open position on effective, well-respected early career platforms, employers can reach a large number of potential candidates from all universities.

Incorporating attraction recruitment strategies into this approach ensures you are engaging the right audience while showcasing your employer brand effectively.

Whilst more generic job boards have become less effective in recent years, there is still value from a brand recognition perspective.

Targeted Ads

Another way of attracting the right candidates is through targeted advertising. This can be done on social media platforms, as well as through other online channels like Google Ads.

Targeted ads allow employers to specifically target their advertising to individuals who are likely to be interested in their open positions.

Social Media

Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and more recently, Instagram and TikTok are being used to attract candidates. By establishing a presence on these platforms and actively engaging with potential candidates, employers can reach a large pool of talent that they may not otherwise have access to in communities they are familiar with. This can also be essential when it comes to managing candidates further down the line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have any questions about candidate attraction? Here are answers to some of the most common queries.

What is the goal of Candidate Attraction?

The goal of candidate attraction is to build a talent pipeline of qualified candidates in advance of actual job openings, so that when a position needs to be filled, the hiring process is quicker and more efficient.

The candidate attraction process begins with understanding what is required for candidates to be successful both within an organisation and the particular role.

Once this has been determined, candidate attraction strategies can be implemented to attract the best candidates who match the desired profile.

Outreach and engagement can be done through a variety of means, such as social media, email, or career events. Since 2020, there has been a significant rise in virtual events and networking sessions, allowing employers to have increased reach and provide more opportunities for candidates.

The ultimate goal is to start a relationship with potential employees, and provide them with a good understanding of the organisation and role so they are excited and motivated to apply.

What is the difference between candidate attraction and recruiting?

Candidate attraction is a proactive and targeted activity which is focused on engaging candidates, educating and informing them about your opportunities and converting them to application stage.

Recruiting is a more general term which refers to the broader process including assessment, selection, offer management and on-boarding.

What are some popular attraction activities and channels?

There are multiple channels for organisations to use to attract their candidates and we would always suggest carrying out an audit of previous activity to see what is providing the best ROI.

Within the Early Careers social recruiting is becoming a more preferred channel as engaging to candidates in their familiar digital environments drives stronger engagement.

Early Careers specific platforms such as GradConnection or Prosple provide a readymade community for employers to engage with.

The key to candidate attraction is understanding your audience. What motivates them? Where do they look for opportunities? How can you best educate them?

It’s not simple but having a well thought out strategy will mean you can drive higher quality applications.

How can I make my organisation more attractive to candidates?

Again, this is about understanding your audience, however there are some common key themes.

Firstly, be honest and transparent. Whether that be disclosing the type of work that they may be involved in, or the culture of the organisation, candidates will understand your challenges if you are clear about how you are addressing them.

Diversity & Inclusion is a huge topic and one that employers most continually focus on engage candidates. Whether it be sharing your Diversity & Inclusion policies from the outset or introducing them to your internal networks or relevant employees, showcase how you support individuals from underrepresented groups and how they can succeed in your business.

Finally, give clear and detailed information on the recruitment process. Provide information on each stage, expected timeframes and consider committing to giving personalised feedback.

What are some common mistakes that organisations make when trying to attract candidates?

Failing to carefully craft their social posts, job postings and job descriptions.
Not using language that is relevant for their target audience and using excessive jargon.

Avoiding challenging themselves around some of the skills and experience they are asking for – are they really all necessary?
Not making sure it’s clear what’s in it for them. It’s a 2-way relationship and candidates need to feel they are being assessed appropriately for a role.

Failing to avoid long-winded, multi-stage processes (we recommend no more that 3-4 stages). Candidates can often become disengaged, especially if communication is poor.

Not being honest – candidates will see through any over-positive messages, especially as they progress through the process.