Recruitment is a hot topic in Quebec and has been for several years. Several factors are complicating the task, including the phenomenon of full employment, changing habits due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the entry of a new generation, the famous Gen Z, into the market. Businesses, like academic institutions, are redoubling their efforts to attract new employees. Some bet on social networks and others on more traditional platforms; Awareness is essential for some, while others develop new strategies, such as employer branding. In short, recruitment is complicated. We spoke to a few agencies and advertisers to talk about their recruitment successes and challenges in 2022.
Creative solutions in a difficult environment
Full employment hits all sectors, and with hundreds of vacancies to be filled every day in the three factories, Cooperative Exceldor turned to lg2 with a concept available in a somewhat forgotten medium, that of the local weekly newspapers, to help it recruit quickly and above all in the easiest and most accessible way. Marie Christine Huppeleader of the advisory group, lg2he explains his strategy to us: “We envisioned a check-off CV, an innovative way to make it easier to apply and make it stand out. Cooperative Exceldor with potential candidates for day labor positions. With this type of position, the simple idea of having to create and submit a resume can seem tedious. We have therefore simplified the experience as much as possible to convince and encourage people to apply. We have therefore focused on solutions that break down barriers to achieve great results.” These results speak for themselves: Caroline MattSenior Communications and Marketing Consultant for Cooperative Exceldordeclares having received a hundred CVs via SMS and confirms that the CV under review will remain a valuable tool for future campaigns.
Generation Z in all this?
However, it is far from the local weeklies that we can find Gen Z. Mathieu AvoineVice President and Creative Director somersaultShe describes her as self-confident: “She often comes to job interviews very well prepared, with concrete expectations and wishes. As an employer, it often feels like we are the ones doing the interview! Looks like she’s a little ahead of other candidates and she knows what she wants. I know older employers find a big generation gap.
Not only is she confident, but as mentioned earlier, she has ideals that support her ambitions Jean Hugo FilionSenior Vice President, Business at Cutletwho worked on the campaign Worn by the world of’University of Montreal“This is a generation that wants to make a difference every day according to their skills and ambitions. There is really a great search for meaning and I believe that all employers and all professional organizations should ask themselves questions in order to get in touch with this generation. It is also a generation that is very sensitive to everything related to equity, diversity and inclusion. It’s philosophical, but it’s also very practical. These are people who want to know themselves, and not only in ideals.
So what strategies should we use to recruit them?
The search for meaning
landscape Worn by the world, which was primarily intended as an awareness campaign to anchor the university in the minds of young high school graduates and CEGEP students planning their academic future, capitalizes on this search for meaning by Generation Z. “It is a generation that is redefining the meaning of community. While our previous generations defined community as our family, our friends, and something very geographical, for them community takes on a much broader meaning, often based on affinities and values that are overly intangible. The campaign has laid the table to meet these affiliate needs. Everything is based on ideology, in line with their values,” explains the strategic planner. Maryse Sauve. Although no campaign results are available yet, Jean-Hugo and Helen MitchellBranding Director at theUniversity of Montrealconfirm that the response has been extremely positive.
Lifestyle, an important factor
While Gen Z is ambitious, they don’t want to live to work. Lifestyle is an important aspect to emphasize in its recruitment campaigns and that is exactly what it is CFP James Bay and somersault for their recent campaign to promote EPDs in the mining industry. “These are super-paying jobs, so we’re playing with the fact that they provide access to a lifestyle. With 6 months of study, which goes very quickly, you can access a high salary and for every two weeks of work, you have two weeks off. The job is demanding, but you can take vacations, buy a house and land. This generation has a lot of energy and loves the outdoors, so we bet on that and it worked very well,” commented matthew. In fact, the results of this campaign were remarkable, with a 300% increase in mining DEP registrations and just over 188,000 unique visitors to the campaign website.
What future for new platforms?
With new communication channels via platforms such as tick tock, many believe they see opportunities to recruit Gen Z in new ways. Although young people are on tick tock, they are not necessarily present in career mode. So the key is to get noticed without having click expectations matthew: “We see tick tock as a known medium. You need to have some repetition to captivate the target that they like the content and remember it.
To the Maryse, these platforms are ideal for helping companies listen to their prospective employees and keep the conversation going: “Whether it’s a university or another brand, we’re used to a brand with a monolithic position presents. A real opportunity is to change this paradigm to a participatory brand. It’s about building a bond with the goal, but that takes a certain amount of humility, but also a lot of sincerity and transparency. These conversations don’t always serve the brand and can generate some controversy, but the brand needs to stay tuned and nurture the common thread based on their goals.”