Personnel marketing in project management

In the past, a large number of employees had to apply for limited positions and employers were spoilt for choice. However, in the meantime the tide has turned: In times of skills shortages and the war for talent, employers have to fight for the few available workers. Of course, this does not apply to all professions, but experienced project managers are in high demand. Companies that want to hire good project managers have to be prepared for increased competition. That is why it is more important than ever for companies to present themselves attractively.

Talent acquisition is not just about filling vacancies. It includes recruiting suitable employees as well as the entire process necessary to make a company attractive to employees. Not only when a position becomes vacant, something must happen - generally the company must be seen as an attractive employer. Business consultants recommend that companies always have potential candidates up their sleeve so that they can recruit them when needed. Personnel marketing plays a special role in this context.

Recruiting and retaining skilled employees is considered by many HR managers to be one of the highest priorities. Talent acquisition brings the retention of good and valuable workers to the forefront. In this context, employer branding becomes the focus of HR marketing. The goal is to make potential applicants aware of the company.

Companies resort to storytelling and new modern methods in their recruiting. Through targeted employer branding, all interesting candidates should become aware of the company, not only those who are currently looking for a job. Also, professionals who already work for a company and those who have a completely different profile. Having a well-filled candidate file is of enormous importance for companies, because you never know when you will urgently need the next employee

The market for skilled workers is highly competitive. Project managers are sought after in many industries with a wide range of specialisations. Recruiters, for example, have to look at rejection letters differently. It is no longer enough to simply ignore an application and then assume that the applicant will already realise that he or she will not be invited. In order to build up the company's image in the long term and to inspire suitable professionals for the company, rejections must be made in a human way. The task is to give applicants the feeling that they could be interesting for the company, in the future, despite a current rejection. In the end, the applicant should remember the company and the application process positively even after a rejection and want to apply again at any time. This is a challenge for human resources management. 
 
Interesting candidates for whom there is currently no vacancy could be included in the company's talent pool. Of course, they have to give their consent for this. Recruiters must ask them for their consent and present the company as an attractive employer - this is the only way to fill the talent pool with excellent professionals in the future. In many cases, this has to be done with great foresight, because assessing what kind of applicants will be needed in the future is made more difficult by the fast pace of our working world.

The goal of many top companies is to recruit top talent. Therefore, HR managers must always be in touch with the best professionals. Each job advertisement must be perfectly placed for the respective target group. Besides the appropriate presentation of the vacancy and the company itself, employer branding and the selection of the right marketing channels play a crucial role.

In the long term, HR managers must have a strategy, because simply posting ads is no longer up to date. Data needs to be collected and the ideal strategy for finding candidates needs to be defined. Recruiting requires a mix of different recruitment tools. This depends on the target group, age and education. The topic of recruitment becomes a field that should also be placed as a project in the company. Every single search for a suitable candidate is important, often positions for highly qualified people are vacant for years. Job advertisements from other companies and the company's own previous recruitment processes should be analysed and evaluated.

Candidate campaigns should be created specifically, and the target group should be defined precisely, just as one would do when launching a product. A campaign that specifically targets people who are looking for a job will be designed differently than one that targets professionals who are not actively looking for a job. Email marketing, social media, print media as well as job boards are popular options that are combined in a target group-specific way. The fine-tuned use of different instruments can influence the quality but also the quantity of applicants.

Soon, successful as well as well-trained and certified project managers may no longer have to actively apply for a job but will be found by a recruiter. Many opportunities open up and a rejection that is formulated sympathetically and respectfully can mean a professional opportunity for the future. So: always keep your eyes and ears open!