Withe’s guide to promoting your hiring events effectively

So, you’ve planned a hiring event. Fantastic. Now you need to strategically promote your event so that you can attract as many high quality candidates as possible.

Spoiler alert: this is going to take more than just writing up a LinkedIn post.

In today’s competitive hiring landscape, you need to make intentional choices around where you promote your event, which channels you leverage, and the type of messaging you use. Otherwise, you may risk low registration numbers or a large percentage of attendees that aren’t a good fit for your role(s).

Want to set your hiring event up for success from the get go? Here’s everything you need to know to promote your event so you always attract your target candidates.

Check your sourcing data

Does your team track sourcing data? If so, you’ll likely have a sense of which candidate sources work best for the roles you’re looking to fill. Use this information to craft promotional materials that find candidates where they are, and encourage them to register for your event.

Create a landing page for your event

If you’re going to be promoting your event beyond the traditional channels, you’ll need a landing page to send potential candidates to.

Beyond the promotional materials you choose to use, your landing page is the first impression a candidate is likely to have of your event and your employer brand. It’s an opportunity to speak to your target talent pool in a way that resonates with them and encourages them to register.

An effective landing page should include:

• Details of the event
• A list of roles you’re hiring for
• An overview of the employer brand (with links out to more information)
• A simple, easy-to-navigate registration process
• Employee testimonials (in written or video form)

Leverage your social media channels

Your social media channels are another good route for promoting your hiring event. The channels you employ should depend on the target audience you have — younger candidates may spend more of their time on TikTok or Instagram, while more experienced candidates may spend their time exclusively on Linkedin or Facebook.

A way to stand out from the crowd on social media is to leverage short-form video. While this tactic is not often used by recruitment teams, video is an increasingly popular format on most social media platforms.

Some examples of how video or reels can be used for hiring fairs include:

• Talking to the camera, like this example from NEW LEAF
• Footage of a previous event with supporting text, like this example from Jobs Baltimore
• Footage of the workplace or the personality of the employer brand, like this example from Smooth Bar and Lounge

Beyond organic reach, many social media channels will also allow you to do paid targeted advertising. This will allow you to get more specific with who sees your promotional materials. Things to consider as you take this approach are A) how much room in the budget there is to spend on ads, and B) whether you have time and resources to experiment with messaging.

Withe makes it easier than ever for candidates to register for your events with landing pages you can share across all your channels.

Learn more about Withe

Promote the hiring event on your website

If your company is a known brand, your ideal candidate may already be looking through the career page to see if there are any available positions. To make sure they don’t click away without signing up for your event, consider implementing website banners or pop-ups that promote your event. These features should have just enough information (e.g. the types of roles you’re hiring for, and whether the event is virtual or in-person) to get the person to click through.

Extend personal invitations

Your team likely has a talent pipeline filled with past candidates that made it to a last round of interviews, former employees, and/or potential hires you met at networking events or career fairs. Sending these individuals direct emails is a great way to attract candidates that are already engaged with your employer brand, and therefore more likely to register. These emails should include:

• Context (e.g. why you’re reaching out)
• Details of the event including format, roles you’re hiring for, and timing
• A link to the landing page or registration form
• An invitation to respond with any questions

Work with educational partners and professional organizations

If you’re looking to hire recent graduates, partnering with a post-secondary institution to promote the hiring event can give you access to a large group of potential candidates. Consider working with career hubs at colleges and universities, and submitting your event to their portal or newsletter.

You can do the same with professional organizations, if you’re looking to hire more experienced individuals in your industry. These groups likely send out regular communications, and you can ask your event to be featured there.

Partner with local media

Take a look at local publications and see if they tend to share news about hiring events in the area. In Vancouver, for instance, The Daily Hive does monthly rundowns of local tech companies that are currently hiring. This is a great way to expand your reach and potentially attract candidates that are actively interested in a new job, but wouldn’t have seen your event otherwise.

A multi-channel approach is crucial

As we mentioned early on in this piece, taking a data-driven approach to your hiring event promotion is key. The more you know about your candidates and where they spend their time, the better you’ll be able to meet them where they are with messaging that encourages them to apply for your role(s). That said, you should never put all your eggs in one basket. For each of the steps above, ask yourself if it makes sense for your team or your audience. While some recommendations may be well suited to your target candidates, others might not work. We suggest going forward with a spirit of curiosity and experimentation — and always being open to learning from one event and modifying anything that doesn’t work for the next one.

Withe makes it easier than ever for candidates to register for your events with landing pages you can share across all your channels. Learn more about Withe today.