Useful tips for the recruitment strategy

by in Analytics, Recruitment

There is no doubt that the recruitment business is busy all year round. Job seekers are looking for new opportunities constantly. However is there a specific time of the year where job hunting reaches its peak or downtime? How can this information be useful for recruitment agencies and help them better understand the recruitment cycle? Find out how analysis of recruitment websites can help you plan your job advertising strategy.

At Wave we investigated the common online job search trend for recruitment websites of various industries.

Based on the online number of sessions, we could identify the similar trend for all analysed websites.

Data shows that regardless what type of jobs the company offers they had a comparable trend line over the year. Usually, there is a significant drop over Christmas, were people are taking a holiday break and some companies might also postpone their recruitment due to an annual budget limitation.

A high job search interest in the first two quarters

A rapid change is then observed at the beginning of the year and this tendency lasts for the next few months, until June. As we can see on the graph, January is not always the peak time in the recruitment industry. But there is no doubt that recruitment agencies feel busier during that time due to the quiet downtime in December.

The power of job boards

So how can this data be useful if you are a recruitment agency?

Having information about the recruitment trend might help you better organise and plan your budget for scheduling media buying. It gives you a better idea how to advertise on Indeed, Reed, Total Jobs, Monster and other job boards more efficiently to get you a better deal. Some companies however can also offer you a good discount so it is worth negotiating the price with them. Media buying is a great way to access a wider audience of potential jobseekers.

What about your career website?

The other way of acquiring new candidates and clients could be your recruitment website.

Have a look at your current site and check its performance. Does it attract new visitors? Is it up to date? How often do you post new opportunities on your site? How many online applications do you receive?

Having a successful career website is another element of a cost effective recruitment strategy.

At Wave we also had a look into how often visitors return to the recruitment agency’s website to check new jobs. The graph below presents the average % of returning visits within the last 12 months from a new acquired user.

As we can see, after the first week, only 3.25% of the new user base has returned to the recruitment website to check new job opportunities in the second week and this figure diminishes further over time.  That is why, it is important to ‘make a good first impression’ and make sure that candidates and clients can easily find information they need during their first online visit.

As a recruitment agency you should also think about the clients acquisition strategy so you will have new jobs appearing on your site more frequently, which will drive existing jobseekers back to site.

Start planning your recruitment strategy in advance

The most productive period in the recruitment industry usually appears in the first two quarters of the year. However, don’t assume that it is not worth investing over the summer. Although it is a quieter time in the recruitment industry, there is a better chance to get more attractive deal for media buying on job boards.

Make sure your clients and candidates can easily find information they are looking for on your website. Keep your site up to date with the latest opportunities and think of the online marketing strategy to attract new and returning visitors. Don’t forget to analyse and measure your website performance as it’s the only way to find out how successful it is.