
Recruitment copywriting includes more than writing job ads. Specialist recruitment copywriters (or a recruitment copywriting agency like 42group) can help you find the right words for your website, create blogs and case studies, write effective PPC ads and more. (Don’t worry, there’s a comprehensive list below). In 2024, recruitment writers also play a crucial role in boosting your online presence by producing SEO content and optimising your site.
Copywriters are creators and custodians of your brand, ensuring every candidate, client and customer has a positive view of your organisation.
At 42group, we’ve worked with several of the world’s biggest recruitment companies (like Monster) as well as a selection of boutique recruiters (Saragossa, Brunel and Foxtek), creating content for online and offline audiences. We’ve learned a lot about the value a recruitment copywriter can deliver – and have collected it in this recruitment copywriting guide.
What is recruitment copywriting? (And what does a recruitment copywriter do?)
Recruitment copywriters create content that appeals to candidates, showcases your employer brand and ultimately drives applications from suitable candidates.
Here are some of the ways a recruitment copywriter can work with you :
- Website and online content: Recruitment copywriters are going to spend a lot of their time creating, crafting and optimising website content. Alongside generating new content, copywriters should also be able to review, refresh and refine existing content to ensure it remains relevant.
- Social media content: Social media is a vital channel for recruiters and they can’t simply regurgitate the same stuff as the competition. Recruitment copywriters can help by producing social media posts that reach all your core audiences (candidates and in-house recruiters).
- Promotional materials: Copywriters can lead the development of brochures, flyers, and digital content that captures your organisation’s culture, highlights new career opportunities and explains the benefits of working with you.
- Direct response content: Recruitment copywriters should have experience creating content for email campaigns, newsletters and landing pages. The idea is to find words that attract, engage and convert potential candidates and engage other audiences.
- Blog posts: Your website needs regular content to keep it relevant to all audiences, as well as the Google algorithm. We know that consistent and informative blog content is essential for attracting potential candidates and keeping them up to date with essential industry trends and company updates. Copywriters can also edit content produced by in-house experts, as well as generate content.
- Case studies and testimonials: Case studies are valuable social proof. Copywriters can use case studies to showcase success stories and testimonials from successful placements and satisfied customers.
- Long-form content: Copywriters will also be able to create detailed, long-form content including whitepapers, in-depth reports and informational guides. These are a vital part of positioning the company as a thought leader and influencer
- Press releases & PR: While not a standard task for a copywriter, they might occasionally need to draft press releases or manage other PR content.
- PPC ads: PPC is a core way for organisations to engage candidates and clients. Copywriters can apply a process to creating PPC campaigns, generating creative copy routes that can establish human connections.
There’s more to recruitment copywriting than generating job ads (but they can do that, too!). We believe that the best recruitment copywriters play a vital role in shaping the first impression that potential candidates have of your organisation.
They build expectations, build your brand and capture your company culture. One of the core skills for a copywriter is adaptability, applying your tone of voice and brand tone of voice across multiple content channels.
Whether it’s crafting a concise job description for a LinkedIn post or creating a detailed landing page for a specialised role, copywriters have the skills and experience to optimise content for maximum visibility and impact.
We’ve not talked about SEO but we will in a future blog post.
Benefits of working with a professional recruitment copywriter
There are hundreds (or thousands) of freelance copywriters and copywriting agencies, but should you? You should work with a recruitment copywriting agency like 42group that can apply years of experience and knowledge to your campaigns and content.
By now, you should understand the skills of a recruitment copywriter, here’s why you should work with a specialist.
- Establish your voice – Your recruitment brand is crucial to attracting top talent. In the end, your brand is your power. A skilled recruitment copywriter can help you develop and communicate a strong employer brand that resonates with your target audience. How? They do this by creating content that showcases your organisation’s unique values, culture, and opportunities. Copywriters are creative, generating ideas to find new ways to engage your audience. In a competitive market, this is crucial.
- Enhance your brand – Professional recruitment copywriters do more than promote your brand, they protect it too. At 42group, we can ensure that you maintain a consistent brand voice across all your content channels (online and in the real world). This consistency strengthens your brand and establishes your unique voice.
- Engage top talent – In the end, we know that your success is based on securing top talent. A professional copywriter understands how to use your brand to highlight the impact your organisation can have. Using clear, powerful and persuasive language and adopting storytelling techniques, they can create connections with industry-leading talent. Whether it’s creating attention-grabbing social media posts or crafting compelling email campaigns, copywriters are all about building connections.
- Boost search engine visibility – SEO is a core part of the recruitment world and something your copyright needs to understand and apply consistently across your digital content channels. We’re talking about optimising existing content, creating new content and doing all the stuff behind the scenes (titles, meta and alt tags, for example) to improve your website’s visibility.
- Existing processes: Copywriting isn’t just about being creative, behind the scenes there needs to be a strategy and a process (or processes). At 42group, we believe every piece of content should have a strategic purpose – and work on this basis. Every piece of content is commissioned as part of a wider plan to boost engagement, reach your audience and create human connections.
In the end, you’re operating in an increasingly pressured and competitive environment. Sure you could continue to do the same things, but the impact of a well-crafted message created by a recruitment copywriter can’t be overstated.
We know from working with several recruitment agencies and recruiters in various sectors that a professional recruitment copywriter brings a unique set of skills to the table, including a deep understanding of human psychology and marketing principles. By tapping into these skills, we create content that goes beyond the superficial to build human connections.
Sound good? Here’s how to find the right copywriter for your business and brand.
4 things to do before contacting a recruitment copywriter
Recruitment copywriters will play an important role in creating content that engages and inspires your audience. If you’ve identified a need for a recruitment writer, it’s tempting to hit the market and start getting estimates for work – but stop.
Before engaging writers or drawing up briefs, here are the steps you should go through. This fairly rapid process will ensure you’re in the right place to work with a recruitment copywriter.
- Identify and clarify your needs: Before starting the process of finding a writer, identify your specific requirements and expectations for a copywriter. We’re talking here about what you want to achieve through a campaign, not a list of assets (although you can produce that as well).
- Explore industry fit: What kind of copywriter do you want to work with? A freelancer is going to be cheaper than an agency, but the process and outcomes won’t be as good. (Sorry, but it’s true). Before going to maker, consider factors such as years of experience, industry knowledge, and specific skills you’re looking for.
- Define the scope of work: Recruitment writers will have to work with your team, but what’s the interface and the range of responsibilities? Will they be responsible for crafting job descriptions, social media posts and email campaigns? (Or all of it?) Setting the scope of work will help you understand whether you need an individual for a few hours a week or want to develop a relationship with an agency.
- Set a budget: The worst type of enquiry for a business is an open-ended one with no budget attached. Set your budget, make it realistic and share it with the agency or individual.
If you do all this, you’ll have everything in place to start your relationship with a recruitment copywriter in the best possible way. (If you’ve got all this ready, contact 42group and we’d be happy to chat about your project and recruitment writing requirements.)
Working with a recruitment copywriter
We’ve been working with recruitment agencies and in-house recruitment teams for over 15 years, and have learned a lot during the process. We’re happy to share it with you.
Here’s 5 things you can do to improve your relationship with a recruitment copywriter:
- Provide *all* information: It sounds stupid, but too many clients keep information hidden or locked away. If you’re working with an agency or an individual, get everything together so it’s ready for the initial meeting. We’re talking about tone of voice guidelines, brand packs, existing content you love (and hate) and anything else you think your writer or agency needs to have.
- Create clear briefs: Clear briefs are the biggest way to ensure you get the best from your recruitment copywriter. We have a brief template that we provide to our clients. You can see it here.
- Give audience info: Provide detailed insights into the target audience demographics, company culture and your value proposition to ensure that the copywriter can understand and embody your tone of voice. This can help to show a copywriter what works for you and what doesn’t.
- Establish and agree expectations: Creativity takes time, but always be clear with expectations of deadlines, turnaround times, response times and communication.
- Involve your copywriter: Copywriters should be part of your team, so treat them that way. Where possible, consider involving the recruitment copywriter in strategic planning meetings and brainstorming sessions. Encourage them to be creative, share ideas and find new ways to promote your business and brand.
Connect with a recruitment copywriter
We can all write, but can we write? A skilled and experienced recruitment copywriter can provide a huge amount of value to your organisation, creating connections with your audiences, including candidates or clients. If you have the need for a recruitment copywriter, take the time to find one who understands the industry, has a clear vision for content and can back up their words with existing content projects for leaders.
Oh, we’ve just described 42group. So, instead, just contact us.
Contact a specialist recruitment copywriter
We’re always ready and waiting to discuss your recruitment copywriting and content projects. If you want to work with one that understands the industry, get in touch.
Get in touch