Are you reeling in the best job seekers out there?

In the current labor market where there are "fewer fish in the sea" when it comes to job seekers, the key to catching your target job seeker comes down to using the right bait and knowing WHERE and HOW to catch them.

One of the most powerful things an employer can do to ensure that their recruitment marketing strategy is successful is to create job personas for each of their core jobs...this will then tell you what kind of bait you need to reel them in.

Building a job seeker persona involves creating a detailed profile of the type of job seeker you are targeting.

But how do you know what type of job seeker you should be targeting? One way that we have found useful here at isolved Talent Acquisition is to look at who you already have doing the job you are looking to fill (or one similar to it if it's a new role). Find the employees that you would like to clone, the ones that are stellar at their job, and go from there...

After identifying the employee(s) you'd like to clone, you need to create a profile based on those individuals. This profile should include information such as their age, education level, job experience, job title, industry, and other relevant factors.

After you've created that profile, it's time to start expanding outward and work on that job seeker persona...

Here are some steps you can take to build a job seeker persona:

1. Research your target audience: Start by researching the job market and the types of job seekers you want to target. Look for commonalities such as job titles, industries, education levels, and experience. This will help you determine the WHERE to find them!
2. Identify goals and motivations: Determine what motivates your target job seekers to find a new job. Is it a desire for a higher salary, better work-life balance, or career advancement opportunities? When you know what drives them...you will know HOW to catch them
3. Understand pain points: Identify the challenges and obstacles job seekers may face in their job search, such as a lack of experience, limited job openings in their desired industry, or difficulty in networking. This is your bait!
4. Refine your messaging: Use the information you gathered to craft messaging that speaks directly to your target job seekers. Your messaging should address their goals, motivations, and pain points. Continuously monitor and refine your job seeker persona as you gather feedback from your target audience. This will help you create a more accurate and effective profile over time. Have you ever gone fishing and just fallen right into the honey hole on your first try and didn't have to change anything about your strategy? Your location, your lures, your bait? Probably not very often...you must always be willing to change and refine to get the best results.

By creating a detailed job seeker persona, you can tailor your job postings, messaging, and recruiting efforts to attract the type of candidates you are looking for. You will also have more insight than all your competitors about what's going on in the mind of your job seekers.

If you need help or guidance with building your job seeker persona in order to target the best job seekers for you, please check out our free tool, "Guide to Understanding Your Target Job Seeker!"