Why should your company consider public radio in recruiting?

If you are a company actively recruiting, I want to share some thoughts on utilizing public radio in that effort.

I am a DC metro area transplant. I listened to public radio when I lived there. When I came down to Alabama to consider moving our family here, I sought out the local public radio station. Why? Because I knew I could hear familiar voices with the national programming. Because I knew I could get a feel for the local flavor of the area. And boy was I delightfully surprised at the sound of 89.3 WLRH Huntsville Public Radio!

WLRH prides itself on putting LOCAL organizations, front and center, during "prime listening times" in the mornings, evenings and weekends. Local events, both music-related and community-related, are just part of the fabric of the station. Listening really allowed me to get a taste for the unfamiliar, sandwiched between all of the familiar national programming.

Your company may be bringing people to our area during your hiring process. Chances are, they may listen to public radio in their hometowns. And chances are, they may seek out the LOCAL public radio station, WLRH, for exactly the reasons I did almost 20 years ago. Hearing that your company supports public radio might just help them in their decision-making process.

Now, even if you are focused on local recruiting prospects: radio allows you to recruit away from your competitors who may be using another medium. Radio also allows for efficient targeting of candidates.

• A 47% male and 53% female gender mix was looking for employment in the last 12 months. This mix is a good fit for public media.
• ?Household Incomes over $100k rank the highest at 37.4% looking for employment in the last 12 months – also a good fit for public media.
• ?Public media offers a highly qualified and educated audience for recruitment messages increasing investment value.
• ?Public media offers a trusted brand and safe environment for recruitment messages using multiple touch points – digital ads, broadcast ads and streaming audio products.

New tactics to find candidates

Recruiters must adapt to the new ways job candidates look for work. In the last six months, 42% of talent acquisition teams have changed job requisitions to drive up applications. Other adaptations include increasing LinkedIn posts (38%), more social media posting (35%), increased recruitment marketing (34%), more virtual recruiting events (29%), additional employer branding activities (27%) and more in-person recruiting (23%).?

If you have any questions about getting your company's message out there while supporting public radio in the process, I'd be happy to help you investigate if it's a good fit for you. Email me at [email protected] or message me here on LinkedIn. Thank you for reading, and happy recruiting!

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**These takeaways are from RAB’s May 18, 2022 presentation, Radio Works for Recruitment, featuring Kevin Grossman, president, Talent Board, and findings from the organization’s "TA Teams Survey Report" and were included in a 2022 article by Greater Public's Laura Landress.