We’re not teaching you anything: on the job market, candidates’ expectations are constantly changing! Since the outbreak of the coronavirus (and the associated confinements), we have observed, for example, that the distance between home and work is a recruitment criterion that is more than ever essential in the eyes of candidates… One more reason to invest in location-based recruitment. In this article, we explain how and why to recruit your talents locally.
Geolocation recruiting, definition
As the name suggests, local recruiting is the process of searching for a job or candidate within a certain radius.
As geolocation is becoming part of our daily lives, the recruitment sector has also adapted! Today, there are several applications (JobAroundMe, HandyCatch…) that allow candidates to apply for a job near their home.
💡 As a reminder, geolocation is a technique to determine the precise location of a cell phone or computer, using its geographical coordinates.
When is local recruiting relevant ?
It all depends on the nature of the skill sought by the recruiting company! If the latter is penurious, then restricting yourself to a limited geographical area will only complicate the recruiter’s task. For example, a company looking for talent in particularly rare positions (such as tech) is well advised to offer more flexibility to its talent (with partial or even full telecommuting) – so as to broaden its search.
On the other hand, local recruiting is well suited for one-time hires that can be filled easily. The goal is to target candidates geographically to enhance their recruitment experience (and their work experience!)
Why is location-based important in recruitment?
Why recruit talent locally, at a time when telecommuting has never been more popular? According to INSEE, one in five employees teleworked every week in 2021. So this is a legitimate question.
The reason is simple: the geolocation of a company remains a criterion of choice for candidates today. In fact, according to a Meteojob x Clever Connect study, the top three criteria for selecting a job offer from a candidate are (in order of importance):
- the location
- the content of the missions
- the salary
Since the rise of telecommuting, candidates are looking for more comfort and well-being at work, more flexibility, a better work-life balance… And of course, when you work near your home (or in your ideal city), it helps!
According to the same study, in 2021, 28% of applicants were not willing to accept a daily commute of more than 30 minutes. This compares to 22% in 2020.
For a sustainable recruitment, it seems essential to find the best talents… close to home!
💡 If a company’s location is one of the most looked at criteria by candidates… it means that geolocation recruitment is a guarantee of talent motivation and retention. The closer your company is to candidates, the more attractive it will be!
Allow candidates to visualize themselves in your home!
By providing more information about your company’s location, you are sharing critical information with candidates. Which metro or bus line do I need to take to get to your office? How many minutes on foot or by car? Is there a gym or famous restaurants in your neighborhood? If you are located in an attractive area, this information can be a big factor!
How do you go about recruiting locally?
If you have application tracking software, you should be able to easily share the location of your job postings!
You can even go one step further by providing an interactive map listing all available job offers, according to their location (the candidate experience will be even more pleasant).
Another option is to have your TTY allow candidates to filter your job postings based on their ideal commute time.
Do you have large recruitment needs throughout the country?
If you are recruiting for the same position in different cities, geolocation recruitment will be even more useful. Indeed, with the multi-posting of ads allowed by your ATS, you will be able to publish a job offer in each city/geographical area where you recruit! With the same ad, you will be able to choose several geographical areas of publication. Then, each application will be handled locally by the recruitment managers. Simple, efficient and guaranteed zero waste of time!
👆 Good to know
Geolocation applies to all recruitment channels! Whether it is job boards, social networks (professional or not)… It is possible to use geolocation on your advertisements. Take advantage of it to run targeted recruitment campaigns!
⚠️ Beware of discrimination. Geolocation recruiting is relevant, but is used sparingly. A candidate’s address or neighborhood should not prevent you from considering his or her application for all that!
What is location-based recruitment, in conclusion
As you can see, the distance between home and work is an important factor in attracting talent – when it is not too long! It is therefore in your best interest to recruit talent close to home.
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