Attract, recruit, retain talent in digital, data and technology roles

In 2022, we ran a series of webinars about the challenges that many organisations across the public sector are facing, in the current jobs market. Watch the first webinar about attracting talent.

The contents of the video is reflected in the contents of this guide.

An important starting point for any recruitment campaign is ensuring that you understand your target audience and how they will receive your advert. 

You can do this by talking about the role with members of staff who are already working within the profession you’re looking to hire. 

You can also use LinkedIn Talent Insights. This will give you inside knowledge of market trends. For example, if there is substantial attrition (that is, a lot of people leaving) within one company or organisation you will be able to see this with LinkedIn Talent Insights. You can use this knowledge to target workers from this organisation.  

High-calibre candidates will be inundated with messages from recruiters. It is therefore important that your message has a purpose and that the role you are advertising is relevant to their skills. 

Approaching a potential candidate 

When sending a message to a potential candidate, you should start by: 

• introducing yourself and your role 
• briefly introducing the organisation that’s recruiting and its vision 
• explaining the role and why you think they’re suitable for it 

You should tailor each message, but here is essential information which you should include: 

• a link to the full job description on a website 
• the salary 
• the benefits the organisation offers 
• examples of projects that the organisation work on 
• an offer to have a direct conversation over the phone or by video call before they apply 
• the closing date 
• your contact details 

Passive candidates 

It’s important to engage with passive candidates throughout your recruitment process. 

A passive candidate can be defined as someone who is: 

• currently employed 
• not actively looking to leave their current role 
• open to hearing about opportunities 

A recent LinkedIn survey has shown how passive candidates are as much as 75% of the available market.  

Your advertising strategy is key to attracting passive candidates. Your strategy could include: 

• directly engaging with relevant groups on LinkedIn and Twitter 
• sharing blog posts with relevant networks 
• asking for referrals from co-workers 
• directly approaching candidates using a headhunting strategy on LinkedIn 

If you have developed a strong network through your social media presence and an engaging website, then this should also help to attract passive candidates and keep them connected with your recruitment activity. 

In a turbulent job market, candidates must buy into your company’s vision.  

Working in the open 

You can often create intrigue by: 

• working in the open on social media 
• post about the exciting projects you are developing as a business 
• being transparent in all that you do 

This will help drive interest in your vacant roles. 

Learn more about using social media to advertise jobs.

Your company’s website could be a candidate’s first impression of the business. It should clearly show your company’s goals as well as show example projects that excite people.  

A recruitment page on a website should always be engaging for all candidates regardless of whether a company is actively recruiting. At CDPS, we’re currently changing our recruitment page to make this happen. 

• Writing inclusive job adverts