My best recruiting idea: Blog helped grab applicants

Christy Hagler wasn’t seeing many job applicants that were a good fit for the company. Here’s how she used the Web to attract the right people.
As part of an ongoing series, we’ll have practicing recruiters present real problems they faced and how they solved them.
Job candidates didn’t understand a lot about our company when they applied for a position. Our ads couldn’t give an accurate description of what it’s like to work here or what’s expected of new hires.
To attract the right candidates, we needed a way for potential employees to interact with our staff and customers.
The area we focused on was the first place many candidates go when looking for an opening — the Web. We set up a corporate blog.
No corporate mumbo jumbo
Job seekers can read running commentary from our executives and customers when visiting our Web site. The blogs are written like e-mails, so they sound different from typical corporate ads and Web sites.
Our blog discussions have given candidates an opportunity to understand some of our main goals and concerns. Visitors to the blog are even offered a chance to submit feedback on what’s posted.
Now candidates who’ve seen our blog understand what it’s like to work for us before they even come in for an interview. We’ve been able to steer top prospects to our company and away from the competition by providing a better understanding of what’s expected of them.
Christy Hagler, senior marketing manager, Yoh Services, LLC, Philadelphia