The Top 5 Challenges Recruiters Face on Google AdWords

The Top 5 Challenges Recruiters Face on Google AdWords Google AdWords presents businesses with an intriguing prospect for promoting their employer brand and driving up job applications. Google’s ads platform gives you the opportunity to move beyond social media sites and start attracting potential applicants through Google search results and across the Google Display Network. While the new possibilities that recruiters are afforded by this platform are exciting, they can also be a bit daunting. So, here’s an overview of some of the most common hurdles: 1. Defining the Right Search Terms Okay, this hurdle really only applies to search ads (though, with display network ads there is the corresponding hurdle of choosing the right display partners), but your ability to master the Google AdWords environment will hinge on getting this right. Because Google determines which ads to display to which users based on a combination of quality score, relevancy score, and monetary bid, you want to be sure that you’re utilizing the search terms that potential applicants will actually use to find you. This can be trickier for building up a recruitment pipeline than for traditional sales, but the same principles apply. To begin with, think about your employee personas. What are their web browsing habits? What search terms are they using regularly and which of those terms are most relevant to your business? Then, you can use Google’s free Keyword Planner tool to figure out the best terms to use. Remember, Google’s default is to charge you for Broad Matches, which means you’ll b e bidding on search terms that are similar to but not the same as those you designate. I recommend using Broad Match Modifier to gain more control over what search terms you’re bidding on. In this way, you can be sure that you’re content is being shown primarily to your target personas. 2. Optimizing Cost per Click The next challenge that needs to be faced is optimizing your cost per click. Because Google AdWords is already used by a number of large companies (who are able to leverage large recruitment advertising budgets), some of the more popular keywords can cost several dollars per click, which many smaller businesses may not be able to afford. One way to circumvent this issue is to choose less competitive keywords, but sometimes there’s only so much wiggle room for your search terms. To determine how much you can really afford to spend per click, you’ll need to consider the expected ROI of each visitor to your landing page. Again, this is a little more complex in recruitment than it would be in traditional sales, but if you have a sense of how much each hire is worth to you, compared with how many applicants per hire you usually get and how many applications you get per click, then you can determine the maximum price you can pay per click before your expected ROI turns negative. 3. Mastering Landing Pages Getting a handle on your optimum cost per click is a good way to make sure that your budget and your recruitment goals are appropriately aligned. But again, the amount that you bid on each search or display ad is not the only determining factor in who sees your ads. Google is also interested in showing people content that they’re likely to find helpful. How do they do that? By checking the relevance not just of the contents of your ad, but of the landing page that the ad redirects to. This means that even if your bid for a particular search term is relatively high, Google can still penalize you for linking to a landing page that’s not relevant to the search term. How do you avoid this fate? First of all, you should make sure that the text of the landing page includes the appropriate keywords, and that, in general, it speaks to the search term. This means that if you’re targeting active job seekers (with, say, “developer jobs Python” as your search term), your landing page s hould include the words “developer,” “job,” and “Python,” in addition to being fairly explicit about the fact that you are, in fact, offering a job for developers working in Python. Not only will this help Google to show your ads to more people, but it will also help prospective recruits to orient themselves after they’ve been redirected so that they don’t get confused about what steps to take next and drop out of the application process. 4. Crafting Your Ad In addition to checking the relevance of your landing page, Google will also use the relevance of the ad itself in order to determine your ranking. The same keyword considerations outlined above apply here as well, but the constraints of the search ads format make integrating the right keywords a different kind of challenge (for display ads, you have enough freedom that your primary concern ought to be attractive visuals and eye-catching graphic design). For your sponsored post, you’ll have space for up to three 30 character headlines and two 90 character descriptions, in addition to your display link and some 15 characters “paths” (non-URL links to specific parts of your website). Use this space to give your prospective applicants a quick idea of your EVP and employer brand, and give them a direct call-to-action so that they know what action to take next. Again, make sure there is alignment between your chosen keywords, the text on your landing page, and the text of your ad. T his way, you’ll get your employer brand in front of more potential applicants, and hopefully build up your talent pipeline in the process. 5. Tracking Your Progress The final challenge on this list is in some ways the most important. Success on Google AdWords tends to be a function of trial and error. These ads can be tricky to get right on the first try, and they can easily become costly corporate albatrosses. One of the best ways to ensure that this doesn’t happen is to enable Google’s conversion tracking. By embedding a few lines of code into the web pages on your site that signal conversions (the “thank you” page after an application is submitted or after someone has signed up for a recruitment newsletter, for example), Google can help you figure out which ads and which individual clicks are driving the most helpful traffic and creating the kinds of conversions that you’re looking for. With these capabilities in place, it’ll be much easier to determine your Google AdWords ROI and to address any issues that may crop up. Unfortunately, many businesses fail to implement this kind of tracking, and the result is often less efficient r ecruitment advertising efforts. About the author:  Monica Cocian, is a digital marketing specialist at SmartDreamers, a platform that helps companies reach more, better candidates in record time by automating recruitment marketing activities to accelerate online talent acquisition. SmartDreamers was founded in 2014 and currently operates in Europe, the US and the APAC region.

Youre Probably Not Using Your Best Recruiting Weapon

Youre Probably Not Using Your Best Recruiting Weapon What if I told you that your company possesses a powerful recruiting weapon â€" I’m talking nuclear strength.   It’s so powerful, in fact, that using this weapon would almost certainly improve your quality of hires, retention, productivity, and overall employee happiness. And what if I told you that every company has the ability to cultivate this weapon in the arms-race that is recruiting? Maybe you already guessed it, but I’m talking about company culture â€" or the collective behaviors, values, beliefs, and norms within a company.   Put simply, it’s the company’s personality.   And it’s a huge consideration when talent is scoping out their next job. How huge? Consider this: a recent CareerBuilder survey found that “91% of candidates believe employment brand plays a key role in their decision whether or not to apply.”   91%.   And what’s a main driver of “employment brand”? You guessed it: company culture. The (troubling) word on the street: Ok, great â€" company culture is critical.   So what’s the big deal? Well, here’s what I’m seeing: too many companies aren’t doing everything they can to take advantage of their culture to bolster their recruiting. For instance, I’ve seen companies where the only people who really get the company’s culture are their current employees and maybe a few loyal customers.   (And, maybe, some board members and investors.) But that’s it.   No real showcasing of it to folks on the outside â€" for example, to people who might be thinking about finding a new job or employer sometime soon. And that’s a shame. Because every company has a culture.   And it’s worth showing off in order to attract not only the best talent, but â€" and perhaps more importantly â€" the right talent. In essence, companies have a winning lottery ticket…but don’t know how to cash it in.   (Congrats if you caught the Good Will Hunting paraphrase.) Start strutting your cultural stuff. Immediately. So you’ve got this important asset that’s core to who you are as a company…but for the most part lives within the four walls of your office.   Here’s how to harness your (currently) secret weapon. 1)  Make culture a priority: First things first.   Acknowledge that your company culture is a top priority.   And I don’t mean, “Oh yeah, we take culture seriously here â€" it’s really important to us.” I mean, “Holy crap â€" we already have a culture…and it’s pretty cool…so why aren’t we telling everyone about it?!   This needs to change.   Today.” 2)  Describe your culture: To make things real, your company’s personality can’t just exist in the abstract sense. Well…technically it can.   But having your culture exist solely as an amorphous idea in peoples’ heads isn’t going to help you attract talent.   You have to be able to describe it to outsiders, to people who may have never heard of your company before. So grab a few people in the office â€" from the most senior positions down to the most junior â€" and ask them to describe the company’s culture, warts and all. Literally, just describe it. Are you scrappy, flexible with hours, love to throw events and parties, and tightknit like a family (sometimes too tightknit…read: everyone knows everyone’s business)?   Or are you a heads-down organization, with a quiet office and data-driven, analytical people who tend to make decisions autonomously? A couple pointers to keep in mind.  At FirmPlay, when working with other companies to identify and document their culture, we look at four components that you may also want to look at: People: what are the people like, and who tends to be successful at the company? Work: what’s the company’s work style like, from typical hours worked per week to feedback style? Play: what do you do for fun? Office: what’s your physical environment like, both within the office and the external surroundings? If you’re having trouble putting your culture into sentences or phrases, just start by doing simple word association. Once everything is down on paper, take a step back and look over what you’ve got.   Reread everything, thoughtfully.   What you’ll likely notice is that a few themes pop up consistently in peoples’ comments.   Identify these repeating themes (you usually end up with 3-5). They’re your company culture in a nutshell. 3)  Show, don’t tell: Remember the old writing tip our teachers drilled into us back in middle school?   “Show, don’t tell.”   It applies more than ever here.   It’s hard for people to get excited about working for your company if they can’t see what that would be like.   That means text alone won’t cut it. Keeping in mind the cultural themes you identified in the previous step, borrow a camera â€" DSLR is ideal, but even a good smartphone camera will do â€" and start capturing the buzz in the office.   Take photos of the desks and workspaces, of people meeting and interacting, and even of the kitchen if you have one.   No need to stage anything, either.   Just capture the office as it normally is.   Aim to get 5-10 good photos. And if you’re feeling ambitious, grab the people from Step #2 and have them answer again some of the questions you ran through together â€" only this time looking into the camera.   Again, doesn’t need to be fancy.   Just honest.   It’s worth repeating that you’ll want junior as well as senior folks represented.   Aim to get at least one answer from 2-3 people, and keep the answers to 30-45 seconds or so in length.  (Note: you can upload the videos to YouTube or Vimeo, and then easily embed or link to them wherever you like â€" more on sharing in the next step.) 4)  Communicate your culture: You’ve done the heavy lifting in the previous steps.   Now for the last step: getting the word out. There are a number of ways to spread the word, so much of how you execute this step is up to you.   But here are a few best practices to keep in mind: Start with your careers page:   Take the photos and videos from Step #3, combine with some short captions and descriptions, and embed into your careers page.   There really is no strict formula here, so get creative.   The point here is to focus on your culture before throwing a bunch of job openings in a candidate’s face.   It’s a much more authentic approach. Share on social media:    Share some of your awesome new content on all your social media accounts, a little at a time.   And always make sure to include a link to your careers page and job openings. Upgrade your job descriptions:    From now on, make it a rule to describe your culture in every single job description you ever write.   And link back to your careers page for more cultural info (we’re sounding like a broken record, we know). Arm your coworkers:  It’s no surprise that employee referrals are often the best source of candidates.   To help strengthen your referrals, let your coworkers know about the emphasis on culture in your recruiting efforts, and where they can direct their referrals for more information on what it’s like at your company. You’ve just started harnessing your secret weapon. Don’t stop now: Congratulations!   You’re steps ahead of the majority of companies out there.   But here’s another little secret â€" everyone’s catching on to the power of company culture when it comes to recruiting. To maintain your recruiting advantage, update your content on a regular basis.   Even once every six months works well.   After all, you’re hiring, which means you’re probably growing…which means your culture evolves a bit over time.   Make sure to capture that evolution.   In doing so, you’ll keep candidates engaged â€" especially the candidates who aren’t thinking of a new job for tomorrow, but rather, for 6 to 12 months from now. Because the best part about this whole process? If you do it right, you’ll build up a pipeline of talent that follows you and keeps you in mind.   That is, you’ll have an existing community of engaged candidates you can tap into whenever you have an opening.  So you’ll have less of a need for shotgun recruiting tactics (e.g. massive, generic job boards) that get you hundreds of candidates who aren’t a good fit.   And you’ll shorten your time to hire and overall hours expended per hire, from sourcing to assessing and interviewing. So start harnessing your secret weapon â€" your culture.   Before the secret gets out. Author: Vasilios Alexiou is the Co-Founder of FirmPlay,  a new job search site that takes job seekers behind the scenes at companies using photos and videosso they can discover a job theyll love.   He received a B.A. from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College.  Follow Vasilios at @FirmPlay.

Stop Following Your Passion Try These Three Ideas Instead - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Stop Following Your Passion Try These Three Ideas Instead - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career How many times were you asked as a child, what do you want to be when you grow up? Did you actually end up pursuing this path? What about when you started college, did you ever get anxious when people asked you what you’re major was and felt inadequate, confused or embarrassed because you were undecided? The truth is that most people don’t have a specific passion early in their life and forcing the subject is not only unhelpful but could hinder a person from discovering work that’s suitable and that could someday become his/her passion. While most of us dont  start out having a passion, I believe that all of us  have  something were  meant to contribute to  this world and the challenge is to identify that thing. Here’s three ways you could start honing in on what you’re meant to accomplish in life. Stop asking yourself what job you want and instead identify a problem that matters to you and  needs fixing. If there’s an issue that pulls at your heartstrings, start to learn more about that. Become knowledgeable on the topic and see where you could apply your skills (or develop new ones) so you could help solve that problem. Find out which skills, abilities, personality types are most suitable for this field? Who are the influencers in the industry? What are the core challenges of people working in this field and what skills are needed to help tackle the biggest problems they face? In other words, become an expert on what people  are doing who are making the biggest  difference in your desired area.  Then  hone in on  your  skills and abilities that demonstrate your a suitable and desirable candidate. Becoming knowledgeable about all aspects of the field, (including the people who work there and their management),  before jumping in will  help you discern if this is the right avenue for you to invest your energy. If you feel your vision, values and interests align with those in the field, look for the skills you’ll need to develop so you could become an ideal  candidate. Find your flow Another way to find your calling is to take a step back from your preconceived notions about what you’re meant to be doing and ask yourself a different question? When did I love what I was doing so much that I lost track of time? Some refer to this as being in your flow. Then think more about why you liked this specific activity? What did it teach you about yourself? If you enjoy a passive activity, such as watching professional sports and you feel most “in your flow” when doing this, it could signal that you’re less ambitious than someone who actually likes to participate in playing sports. But if you dig a bit deeper into why this could be pleasureful, it may reveal a positive character trait that you have and could develop. Perhaps the joy you get in watching professional sports is that others inspire you with talent who push themselves to go beyond their limits? Perhaps you admire those who are great team players and who collaborate well because you aspire to emulate those qualities. You could begin to think of yourself differently as a person who strives to attach to greatness and to model your behaviors after those who work hard, struggle, play fair and make valuable contributions to their team. Persistence and determination are desirable character traits that apply to practically every field. The more you learn about yourself and abo ut your transferable skills, the closer you’ll get to discovering an area that suits you. When you’re making a valuable contribution somewhere, and getting appreciation for your work, it could become your passion. Find mentors Look for people who you admire and identify with and who have a similar background and see how they got to their position. Join your alumni association on LinkedIn and all the other places you’ve received a degree or certification from. Then look for people who you esteem, see their profile and note the skills and expertise and previous work experience that they post in their profile. Chances are, these are clues for what got them to where they are today. Read their recommendations and see the groups they joined and follow the influencers they follow. Then join some of those groups and begin following the same influencers. Become familiar with the group discussions and learn more about hot topics and core challenges discussed by group members. Once you become familiar with the discussions you’ll gain a sense for what matters to hiring managers in the industry. This will help you get ready to reach out for an informational interview. Ask those you admire (preferably ones with a similar academic background) what the pros and cons of their job are to see if it’s a path you’d want to pursue. Finding a mentor who you identify with can give you added insight to whether a certain career path could lead to your passion.

Wedding Dress Buying Tips for Brides To Be

Wedding Dress Buying Tips for Brides To Be Shopping for a bridal gown is one of the most exciting aspects of preparing for a wedding. You must have dreamed about the day when you will put on different types of wedding dresses in front of your friends while they tell you the one that looks perfect on you. But the number of options available online and in a traditional boutiques can be overwhelming. So you should study everything you can before you buy that amazing wedding gown. Here are some tips to help you get started. Research Top Wedding Dress Boutiques Planning your wedding requires a lot of research and finding your wedding dress is not an exception. You need to decide on the best style for your body shape and wedding theme, visit boutiques within the city and keep all your expenses within your budget. Before you go to a wedding boutique in NYC, you must do adequate research. Ensure that it is the style of wedding gown you want and the price point will not break the budget. You can begin your research from the boutiques website. For instance, on Houghtonnyc.com, you will find various styles of unique wedding dresses that you can afford. If you are not sure of their price range, you should call in advance and ask. This will help you to know whether they stock enough wedding dresses that are within your price range. Stick to Your Budget When you are doing wedding dress shopping, you will be enticed to try on wedding dresses that are more expensive than your budget. Dont do it. Even if it is just $500 higher than your acceptable price range, you must not deviate from your budget because once you do so, you may use up the funds required to pay for some other important items. Remember that this is a dress you will only wear once. So no matter how tempting it is, just turn away from it. Search Online But Order from the Boutique Brides-to-be now have two options: to shop and order their bridal dress online or to go personally to the boutique and try out several wedding gowns. Due to shipping and extra expenses, it is usually cheaper to visit the shop yourself. Most shops in NYC do not charge extra for people who are purchasing locally or from neighboring states. When you order from a shop, you will have a chance to interact with the fashion designers and receive better customer service. You may also have a chance to take advantage of sales and special deals. Know Your Body Type By the time you make up your mind to start looking at different types of wedding dresses, you should know the silhouettes and styles you want and those you dislike. This is one of the benefits of having so many options to choose from online. If you need fresh wedding dress ideas or you will like to know the type of dresses that are trending, you can check wedding magazines online. You can easily use the search filters on websites to eliminate the ones you are not interested in and bring out those you like. Seek the Help of a Professional Before you go out with a few bridesmaids to shop for your wedding gown, let a professional dress maker help you to take price body measurements. With your exact measurements, you will find it easier to select the type of gown that will fit your body shape. A professional will advice you on the kind of silhouette that will flatter your body perfectly. You will also have a chance to see images depicting how brides with a similar body shape look in different types of gowns. Shopping for your wedding dress should be an exciting and rewarding experience. With these bridal gown buying tips, you can shop with greater confidence and find the perfect dress for your wedding day.

How to Do What You Love for a Living

How to Do What You Love for a Living So many people work long hours every day in jobs they despise. Being unhappy in the workplace is accepted by so many of us. After all, we all need an income. We’ve got rent to pay, and we need to know we can afford our next meal. When you look around the office, do you see colleagues and managers that have a smile on their face? Do they look like they’re having fun, and getting something more than a wage out of their job?evalIt is possible to enjoy the job you’re in. Of course, changing your attitude to this kind of thing isn’t easy. Try to get the most out of the social opportunities that work brings. Close friends that are colleagues can really turn a job around.And if your task list is tedious, why not ask to take on some other responsibilities that are a bit more fun? Perhaps there are some things you could do to help bolster your resume?Photo Credit â€" Flickr.com A complete Career Change could be another way to find more job satisfaction. But this isn’t easy to do eit her. So what does it take to earn a living from your passions? Do you have a hobby you really love doing? Why not try to monetize that?For example, if you love fashion, then do a Fashion Executive search online to see what is required of a person in that kind of job. Most key job skills are transferable skills. That means what you do now could be applied to the job of your dreams.If you truly love something, then chances are you’re already doing it. You’re already good at it and knowledgeable about it. The next thing to do is let people know that!Networking in the right circles could help you showcase your talents. You could tell people about your work and what you’ve accomplished. Find events, seminars, and even awards dinners that you can attend. Take every opportunity you can to meet with people you admire in the industry. And Friend them on social media too.There are plenty of groups on social media dedicated to the things you love to do. Join them. It will help you gain a greater insight into the industry and what is required of people who work there. These groups are also the best place to promote your products, services, and talents. If you want to sell something, let the people who are most interested in it know.Photo Credit â€" Flickr.comevalA good web page or blog can be the perfect platform for what you do. If you make or design things, put images up on your website. Share the links with your social media groups and friends. And write about it! The more information you give, the more interesting it can become. Don’t be afraid to set up an online shop. This could be the start of you making money from what you love doing.It’s not always easy to make money from the things you love in life. It’s important not to give up the day job prematurely either. Job hunting and networking could be just the thing to do what you love for a living.

Fledging The Nest Business Space Vs Shared Office

Fledging The Nest Business Space Vs Shared Office There will come a time that even a home business will need to have some kind of real-world presence. You can’t work from your bedroom or garage forever, you need to stamp your authority in the real world. It doesn’t have to be anything serious such as a large expansion, but it does need to be involving a spreading of wings so to speak. This could be because you have employed more staff, need more storage space, need more computer power, or simply a place to have meetings with your partners. There are a multitude of reasons why a real office should be high up on your priority list when it comes to growing your startup business. Chief among them should be the fact that other businesses take you much more seriously, as might customers. Taking the first step is obviously the hardest because commercial office space does not come cheap and its difficult to get an ideal location. Business space letting Real estate agents that sell homes and rent out rooms to tenants, can also let office space. These might be called special properties, or business space in their portfolio. Most of the time you will be getting a hollow space, and you’ll have to buy the furnishings yourself. Just like renting a room, you’ll be under contract and will have a set term along with monthly payments. There are a number of different property types that are common, but they all have one thing in common. Usually, you’ll only have a one-floor property; a front desk, a small waiting room and an open plan office for your employees. If you’re lucky you will get a small executive office, however, don’t expect this in a one-floor property. Bear in mind, a real estate agent that advertises business space, is most likely to not offer you commercial office space i.e. in a high-rise building. They will offer standalone properties that were previously other types of businesses such as retail. Modern era sharing Small businesses have always far outnumbered medium and large businesses however in the modern era, this has risen to heights never before seen. For your business, you can partake in a shared office scheme, whereby you share office space with another or multiple businesses. Obviously you will have your own space and parameters, however open plan offices will be the norm. However, the great thing is they offer professional office space, notably in commercial buildings with proper services and access. The locations are fantastic, right in the business districts and surrounded by public transport. This makes it much easier for employees to reach every day and consistently arrive on time in the morning. Employees also have access to local amenities for purposes of food, toilets, shopping etc. The offices come with internet and are furnished so you can use the filing cabinets, desks, chairs and more as they were your own. Fledging the nest and finding a real office space in the world, will inevitably cause your business to look more professional. You don’t need to break your expenditure barriers to be able to afford a great workspace as the modern options are incredibly versatile.

Groupon Resume Writing Sample

Groupon Resume Writing SampleWhen seeking employment, do you ever wonder whether your potential employer will ask for a groupon resume writing sample? Not everyone is familiar with the internet marketing tools and techniques. And even if they are familiar with them, it's easy to overlook the most essential part of the process- a resume.If you're in a position to visit your local stores, you may already know about groups. It's an online discount coupons business that is no stranger to the hands of online writers and copywriters. Groupon.com allows businesses of all sizes to offer various promotions via their website and get people to sign up. Of course, as the promotions go on, the prices increase, and the regular people who would normally sign up and get discounts or coupons are not doing so anymore.As a freelance writer and web content specialist, I used to see many companies offering money off jobs for people who worked for them for a certain period of time. The concept of this, of course, is to cut costs and attract quality employees. But the upside to using a coupon writing site to get business leads is you could sell their membership for one tenth of its regular price.This works really well if you're selling a certain type of product or service that has a limited amount of stock. Since you can't afford to keep stocks of all the potential customers, it's a great way to buy names and contacts. But the best part of the deal is you get paid!To use a groupon writing sample, you should email your prospective employers a job description and a list of your qualifications. You can also attach a sample of your writing. The more detail you put into the application, the better your chances of getting an interview. Once you have submitted the resume and samples, send them an automated response asking them if they need additional information.Most employers are happy to accept coupon rates when making hiring decisions. If you have more than one position, they may prefer one offer to the other. And even if you're unsure what coupon rates might be, it's important to present your credentials, and meet the qualifications of your work for any company you are applying for. Don't limit yourself to one company and offer.Using a groupon resume writing sample is a great way to get your work out there. All it takes is the inclusion of a couple of key words that relate to your expertise and your skills and you'll be on your way to getting the job you've always wanted. As you market yourself, you'll receive a big boost in your search for a job, and you'll see how this technique can work for you.This job creation tip is especially helpful for those who are just starting out, or who may have a new job that they want to submit their resume to. Of course, groupon.com is also a great place to promote yourself, get free coupons, and get quality leads.