Recruiting Funnel –
Efficient Employee Acquisition

Author: Kurt Schauer

Recruiting has more in common with customer acquisition than many people think. Nowadays, it is no longer enough to simply place a job advertisement and wait for highly qualified, motivated employees to appear on their own in order to increase revenue.

Companies are in massive competition and are vying for the same applicants. It is therefore all the more important to make the decisive difference in the recruiting process and to stand out from the crowd. This is exactly where the recruiting funnel comes into play. What it is all about and which steps must be gone through will be explained in more detail in this article.

The Recruiting Funnel – A Definition

Image source: raven51.de

The recruiting funnel, also referred to as a personnel marketing funnel or employee funnel, encompasses all steps from the open position to the hiring of an employee. This tool can be classified under online marketing, whereby companies use the various social media channels to recruit employees.

Through targeted advertisements, the company draws attention to itself on social networks.

The recruiting funnel, also referred to as a personnel marketing funnel or employee funnel, encompasses all steps from the posting of an open position to the hiring of a new employee. This concept can be classified under online marketing, since companies are increasingly using social media for targeted employee recruitment.

Through precisely placed advertisements, the company draws the attention of potential candidates to itself on social networks.

What is the idea behind it?

The job market has changed significantly in recent years, shifting from an employer’s market to a candidate’s market. While employers were still able to select the top candidates for an open position from a large number of applications just a few years ago, demographic changes and the shortage of skilled workers are now presenting companies with massive challenges.

You are in direct competition with numerous other companies that are also competing for the best talent on the market. An unfilled position can have serious consequences for the company and cause considerable costs. Companies must therefore react quickly to the shortage of skilled workers in order to successfully fill their positions.

A compelling recruiting funnel is crucial here in order to impress potential applicants and capture their attention. Companies should always put themselves in the shoes of potential applicants and identify their wants and needs in order to subsequently place targeted and successful advertisements. The emotional design of advertisements or video messages plays a major role in appealing to applicants.

In addition to emotional appeal, communication strategies and the company’s public image are among the fundamental pillars of the recruiting funnel. Today, future employees not only prefer professional challenges but also want to be able to identify with the company. The presentation of the company has therefore become a decisive factor.

The individual steps of the recruiting funnel

A standardized process consisting of four steps has become established in the recruiting funnel, which results in pre-qualified applications:

1. Advertisement

Social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, but also LinkedIn or Xing are used for the advertisements in order to reach potential applicants. The advertisements can be designed as text, with images, or in video format. The benefits and values that the company offers are the main focus.

Through this targeted communication, the right applicants are addressed, which initiates the recruiting funnel. Before creating the advertisements, companies should engage more intensively with their employer branding and a positive candidate experience.

2. The Introduction

Applicants have certain expectations when they approach a company. These questions should be answered by the company as quickly as possible through a clear self-introduction.

Applicants want to know what benefits they can expect if they choose the company. They also want to understand more precisely: What distinguishes the company? What does the corporate culture look like? What values does the company represent? The more overlaps there are between the applicant’s expectations and the company’s presentation, the more likely a potential applicant is to identify with the company.

3. Qualification

The recruiting funnel experiences a clear boost through targeted qualification questions. With the help of these questions, information about the applicant is queried, wishes are determined, and requirements and goals are identified. These questions make it possible to filter out unsuitable applicants from the further application process.

The questions are designed in such a way that qualified applicants can only be identified if there is a match. Application documents are initially not transmitted to the company via the advertisement, since these generally cannot be sent from mobile devices (because applicants often do not have them at hand).

The transmission of the application documents takes place only in the last step – the initial contact. This significantly reduces the risk of the recruiting funnel being abandoned.

4. Initial Contact

The applications received are analyzed in more detail by the company, and suitable applicants are contacted. Before the job interview, the CV and relevant references can be submitted afterwards.

The job interviews can also be conducted digitally, just like the previous steps.

Who is the Employee Funnel suitable for?

The recruiting funnel is a suitable tool in every industry to counteract the shortage of skilled workers. Although companies are facing a shortage of skilled workers, there are certainly enough qualified candidates. However, many of these skilled workers are already in permanent employment with other employers. Therefore, the goal is to make the change attractive to these skilled workers and to convince them with advantages that their current employer cannot offer.

Social networks are an ideal starting point for reaching all potential candidates. Millions of users are active on these platforms every day, and thanks to modern algorithms, it is possible to address interested parties in a targeted manner. The pool of top candidates is available on social networks – the real challenge lies in convincing employer positioning. In addition, the employer must analyze the target group precisely and understand their wishes and requirements in order to tailor the advertisements precisely to their needs.

What are the costs?

The cost for creating an applicant funnel is a one-time fee of 3,200 Euros, and per job advertisement, there is a one-time fee of 550 Euros (duration: 3 months). Additionally, monthly campaign costs amount to 1,200 Euros.

Should we generate fewer qualified applicants than guaranteed by us, we will have worked for you for free.

On average, we generate 30 pre-qualified applicants per advertised position. The more specific the requirements, the lower the number of applicants may be. In an initial consultation, we will jointly determine the minimum number of qualified applicants we can guarantee you. This is based on the requirement profile of the respective job description.

We will clarify the following questions in advance:

Which position is to be filled?
Which platform should be used for the advertisement (Facebook, Instagram)?
In which industry are skilled workers sought?
Which presentation format will be chosen (images, texts, videos)?
What does the funnel look like?
Which qualification questions will be used?

Practical Application –
Efficient Employee Recruitment

Would you like to try an employee funnel yourself?

Click through our example funnel and test for yourself how simple the application process works.

Conclusion

Today, companies face major challenges due to demographic change and the increasing shortage of skilled workers. The shortage of skilled workers, in particular, represents a significant challenge – an unfilled position can considerably increase costs for the company.

Traditional job advertisements often do not yield the desired success. The recruiting funnel, on the other hand, is an effective tool to specifically target top candidates where they are sure to be found – on social networks. If the company succeeds in positioning itself attractively and applicants can identify with the company, nothing stands in the way of a successful application.

Do you have questions?

Kurt Schauer

Managing Director

What is a Recruiting Funnel?

A recruiting funnel describes the entire recruiting process. This can be divided into individual phases, which extend from the first point of contact to the hiring of a new employee. In the course of the phases, more and more potential employees are lost in the funnel (German: Trichter) based on certain criteria. In the end, only suitable candidates remain, who are then hired. Roughly, the recruiting funnel process can be divided into 5 phases. First, the so-called awareness phase must occur. In this phase, an employer must draw attention to themselves or the vacant position through certain channels such as social media marketing, websites, blogs, YouTube channels, and many other possibilities. In this first phase, it is important to reach a particularly large number of people and literally lure them into the funnel, which is filled with potential new employees. The more people who are interested, the higher the probability of finding someone suitable in the end.

Applicant Funnel – How to find qualified employees as an employer

The second phase of the recruiting funnel is about gaining the interest of people who have become aware of you. In this phase, it is crucial to present yourself as a particularly attractive employer. It provides an insight into what a potential employee can expect in your company. What advantages they will have by working in your company and why they should choose precisely this position. You are, so to speak, making promises to potential candidates. These candidates will then ideally contact you via social media, job advertisements, or other channels. There are also several things to consider in the following, third so-called application phase, as most candidates drop out during this phase of the recruiting funnel. Here it is important to keep the effort required from applicants as low as possible. Only then will people contact you who may already have a job and merely want to get a taste of it, or who are generally still unsure. Make the process simple. Ideally, give applicants the opportunity to apply via an online application form and to contact you via mobile.

Recruiting Funnel: Pre-selection of applications

In a recruiting funnel, it is crucial to influence who applies for your job advertisement and, ideally, to attract suitable candidates. Therefore, the previously described phases are essential for the pre-selection of applications. Through your appearance and job description, you specifically try to attract a certain group of people who best fit your company. This way, you influence from the very beginning which individuals show interest in your advertisement and, so to speak, enter the funnel. The following fourth phase deals with the selection process, which can be structured in various ways. Here, it is important to make the right decision and find employees who fit your company. To determine this, you could, for example, make a pre-selection based on the applications. With these individuals, you can then arrange an initial interview and, if applicable, a trial day. Your expectations, as well as those of the potential employees, should be communicated clearly and transparently in this phase to avoid possible disappointments.

Recruiting Funnel – All Phases Up to Hiring

After you have made your pre-selection and met all candidates, it is time to make an offer to your favorite. In this final phase, the contract is then drawn up, leading to the hiring of a new employee. The recruiting funnel is now successfully completed. In this last phase, it is crucial to be open and responsive to the wishes of the other party. Especially highly qualified individuals often have multiple job offers and therefore have a choice. Ultimately, it comes down to which potential employer is more attractive and makes the better offer. Being willing to negotiate is very important here to attract top-tier employees.

The Advantages of a Recruiting Funnel

For a recruiting funnel to be successful, it is very important to thoughtfully execute and follow each individual phase. Only those who know exactly what they are looking for in a future employee and communicate this clearly can ultimately select the right candidate(s) from the applicant funnel. A particular advantage of the recruiting funnel is that all phases can be meticulously analyzed and, if necessary, improved for the future. You can reflect on the process and possibly even request candidate evaluations. The process is therefore continuously optimizable and pays off not only in terms of new, qualified employees but also promotes the knowledge of your existing employees. All phases require different skills, which usually have to be learned first. To be successful with a recruiting funnel from the outset and to receive valuable tips, it can also be worthwhile to enlist the help of a suitable service provider, such as an advertising agency.

Recruiting Funnel – Efficient Employee Acquisition