direct sourcing case study: attract contingent talent with targeted talent marketing.
major health technology company improves contingent recruitment, decreases costs with geo-targeting and personalized communications
industry/client
a Fortune 500 global health technology companygoals/challenges
In its transition to be more solutions-based and digitally focused, the company sought to increase its use of contingent talent to work on business-critical projects. Yet, without a dedicated strategy to identify and attract such talent, connecting with these individuals proved to be a challenge.solution
A direct sourcing model, supported by talent marketing strategies, such as programmatic job distribution, geotargeting, easy-to-understand job ads and managed talent pools was implemented.key results
In the first two months alone, the company saw an 18% increase in applications and an 18% decrease in the spend on cost-per-click advertising. The organization also built a talent pool of more than 8,000 pre-vetted candidates to easily recruit from.
| 4 min read |
a new approach to contingent hiring
For this leading health technology company, ongoing innovation is crucial to its brand and ability to meet the changing needs of consumers around the globe. As the company seeks to transition to a solutions-based, digitally focused company, it has increased its reliance on contingent talent and freelancers to work on business-critical projects — especially for quality and regulatory positions. But as the company experienced, hiring such talent isn’t always easy.
Without a strong brand connection to contingent talent or a dedicated strategy to identify and attract these workers, finding the individuals who could drive quality and regulatory projects forward became a challenge. The company also realized that it would need to do more than just create awareness of the company’s contingent opportunities, it also would need to show candidates the role they would play in developing life-changing innovations.
With the goal of improving how it promotes its contingent brand, its mission and the projects available for those seeking contract work, the company partnered with Randstad Sourceright on a direct sourcing program, supported by employer branding and targeted talent marketing strategies.
targeted, personalized communications attract the right talent
Since those seeking contingent work have different needs and expectations than those looking for full-time roles, the company recognized the opportunity to create a unique talent brand and value proposition specifically for contingent talent. As part of the first phase of the project, the company worked with Randstad Sourceright’s talent marketing team to develop this new talent brand, consistent with its overall employee value proposition.
To ensure the company could get this message to the right people, it developed new category pages that could be geo-targeted and displayed to candidates based on their IP locations. The company also launched programmatic job ad distribution to better ensure its open contingent positions would be seen by relevant audiences. To bring greater consistency to this approach, recruiters were given a playbook consisting of easy-to-understand job description templates and social post content to engage potential talent.
For the second phase of the project, the company focused on enhancing the contingent experience and onboarding processes. This involved improving programmatic job ad distribution campaigns to function seamlessly through automation and adding rules to better personalize ads for hard-to-fill roles. Ads were developed using candidate-friendly language to emphasize meaningful work and show candidates how they would improve people’s lives with the projects they would work on.
Additionally, the company created a plan to drive more awareness and consideration for contingent talent. Instead of directing candidates to its open projects alone, it invites them to join a talent pool, so recruiters can get in touch with them as soon as relevant opportunities become available.
quick access to pre-vetted, ready-to-deploy talent
Equipped with the direct sourcing model and creative talent marketing services, the company benefits from a targeted recruitment strategy geared towards those looking for project work. Contingent talent get an exceptional and personalized experience and can feel confident that they will be working on meaningful, fulfilling projects for the organization.
Since optimizing its direct sourcing program with talent marketing, the company has experienced a significant increase in applicant volume. In the first two months alone, its job postings received 8% more clicks and an 18% increase in applications compared to the previous five months. This resulted in more than 725,000 applications for 476 advertised positions. It has also optimized its spend on advertising with an 18% decrease in cost per click.
As the company benefits from sourcing contingent talent directly, it continues to build up its talent pool with pre-vetted talent that recruiters can quickly reach out to as soon as new project work becomes available. After two years, the company has more than 8,000 individuals in its managed talent pool, composed of new candidates and those who have already successfully completed projects, ensuring fast access to the talent who can drive its key initiatives forward.