Recruitment Marketing is a concept that has grown increasingly important as the competition for talent intensifies. With candidates facing hundreds of messages and opportunities, it’s no longer enough just to be visible – you need to stand out. With the right content, in the right channels, at the right time.
But how do you actually build an effective Recruitment Marketing strategy? And what makes the difference between a campaign that reaches the right candidate – and one that only generates irrelevant applications?
To get a recruiter’s perspective on the topic, we spoke with Kristofer Blixt, CEO and Executive Search Consultant at Made for Sales. In the interview, he shares actionable insights and strategies on how marketing and recruitment can work together – and why that combination is the foundation of a successful hiring process.
Kristofer, why is Recruitment Marketing important today?
“We often see that many of our clients, who may only hire once or twice a year, struggle to attract a large and relevant pool of candidates. When the number of applicants is small, there’s a real risk that the right person never even makes it into the selection process.
This becomes especially critical when hiring for business-driven roles where everything depends on finding the right person, with the right experience and qualities, for the right position. Many of our clients are looking to hire sales managers, business developers, marketing managers or salespeople – and in those roles, a poor hire can seriously affect business outcomes.
The problem is often that companies rely on a single organic job post on their website or a job board, without having any clear recruitment strategy, neither short-term nor long-term. It becomes reactive very quickly.
That’s why we believe strongly in having a proactive talent acquisition strategy. Combine search with Recruitment Marketing to reach more relevant candidates, and at the same time build a strong employer presence in the market so that you’re visible to the right people over time.”
So how can companies take a more long-term approach to Recruitment Marketing?
“I like to think of Recruitment Marketing on three levels: short-term visibility, employer positioning, and the recruitment process itself. Short-term visibility is about generating candidate flow right now. Here, we often collaborate with specialists like We Select to maximize the impact of our job advertising.
Positioning is about long-term Employer Branding – how a candidate forms an impression of your company long before they ever see a job ad. This kind of ongoing visibility plays a big role in how attractive the role appears when the time comes.
And then there’s the recruitment process itself. For us at Made for Sales, Recruitment Marketing doesn’t stop when someone applies. Every interaction during the process shapes the candidate’s impression of the company. How we communicate, give feedback, run interviews, describe the role and the organization, it all adds up.”
Finally, what are your top tips for successful Recruitment Marketing?
“Think about what you truly offer as an employer and let that come through clearly in your communication. Why should someone choose to work for you instead of someone else? What opportunities, values, ways of working, or benefits should you highlight?
The goal isn’t to attract as many applications as possible, but to attract the right people who can see themselves growing in the role long-term. If you exaggerate or sugar-coat the role, you risk mismatched expectations, and the candidate may leave shortly after being hired. No one wins in that scenario.
That’s why we always recommend creating a clear requirements profile before starting the recruitment process. You can then use that as the foundation for your Recruitment Marketing efforts and target the right candidates digitally. The better we understand the candidate, the audience, and the business, the sharper our marketing becomes. And the better the marketing works, the better our chances as recruiters to make the right match.”
About Made for Sales
Made for Sales is one of Sweden’s leading recruitment companies, specialized in sales and marketing. We offer a comprehensive approach to talent acquisition – from recruiting the right people to training teams and providing interim solutions.
Contact:
Kristofer Blixt, CEO / Executive Search Consultant, Made for Sales
kristofer.blixt@madeforsales.se
+46 70 897 78 92
