A few decades ago finding a job was a matter of joining the queue at the Labour Exchange (later to be relabelled as the ‘Job Centre’) or scouring the ‘Sits Vac’ section of local newspapers. Now this way of job seeking is becoming second rate because of the phenomenal growth of the internet. Today there are hundreds of websites for job hunters to search as well as recruitment companies, job-related networking sites and CV promotion sites.
If a job is something that earns a wage, however, then a career is something very different. A career is much more about following a deliberate path within a chosen field or profession which is more personally rewarding than taking any old job just to pay the mortgage.
Even well qualified, experienced individuals can find it difficult to secure the perfect position within their chosen vocation or field of endeavour. True, they can apply for specific advertised vacancies or trawl the relevant websites for any open positions, but this can be a both time consuming and frustrating exercise.
The reverse position is also true. As an employer, how do you go about finding that unique individual that you might be looking for to grow and develop your business?
Yes – you can place costly adverts in magazines or newspapers, advertise on your website and on job seeker websites but how can you really be sure you are attracting the best people?
In my experience there is another way that can suit both employers and career seekers which is cost-effective, specific and proven to work. It’s all about harnessing the power of PR and using it to exploit a new method of recruiting good people. Good companies should work closely with good PR companies who are willing and able to raise the corporate profile through newsletters, features, press releases and specifically targeted industry articles.
This not only helps to raise awareness of a particular business in the community and the media but it also provides prospective employees with lots of useful information about the company. Those individuals who keep abreast of developments within their chosen industry or field of expertise are very likely to pick up on these articles and press releases and can sometimes turn this information to advantage.
I have personal experience of being contacted directly by individuals who have approached me after reading one of our marketing or PR releases. They realise that there is no instant guarantee of being offered a job but it opens the door to dialogue. Sometimes that initial discussion leads to an ongoing relationship and if the skill set is a good match then we agree to get back in touch the next time an opportunity arises. This direct approach really works, and for me personally has led to us recruiting some of our best people.
The bottom line is that there is nothing inherently wrong with using traditional methods of finding your dream career but sometimes it is also worth thinking "outside the box". PR is not just about promoting the business. It is a way of reaching out to people who work in the same arena, people who might be the perfect fit for your business either now or in the future.
Andy Watts is from Virtua UK
