In the interview with Joe Anderson Rau, founder and managing director of Online Business Lab.

The Frankfurt-based agency Online Business Lab. has made a U-turn. Away from social selling towards e-recruiting. Because the experts in sales, performance, business development and communications have frequently found in their collaboration with customers that companies wanting to implement digital sales strategies often lack the specialists needed for this. To help employers find suitable professionals, Joe Anderson Rau draws on his experience in recruiting and building teams in the digital environment, particularly at the interface with IT. The move from social selling to social recruiting was therefore almost a logical consequence. Because the principles from sales can be applied to many parts of the HR context. That is why, together with his colleagues, he focuses on supporting companies in the competition for the best candidates and skilled workers with a strategy combining active sourcing, employer branding and social selling aspects. This is what is known as social recruiting. What lies behind this method of employee acquisition and what advantages it offers to managing directors and HR decision-makers is explained in the interview with him.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Employment trends are increasingly showing the shift from an employer market to an employee market. What is the reason for this?

Joe Anderson Rau: Applicants are now clearly setting the pace. What is striking is that, in particular, medium-sized companies are increasingly finding it difficult to attract qualified skilled workers for permanent positions. One key reason for this is that potential candidates are hard to reach via traditional channels such as job advertisements, listings or advertising. But what can SMEs – as the backbone of the economy – do to attract and retain knowledge carriers for their own company in the long term? E-recruiting is a new, promising approach that can be very effective.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: A shortage of skilled workers costs a lot of money. Not only in terms of the recruitment process, but also in day-to-day business. How can decision-makers benefit from your approach compared to the classic method?

Joe Anderson Rau: On average, the search for suitable candidates takes between three and six months. The lack of suitable applications over this period is indeed costly. This is particularly true because company growth is affected. For example, orders cannot be accepted due to a lack of appropriate expertise. The competition in the industry is happy about this. It is no wonder, then, that companies are increasingly commissioning recruitment agencies and trying to fill these vacancies through headhunting. The e-recruiting method is a completely new approach to specifically attract desired employees. The focus is on reaching potential candidates where they spend their free time – namely online on the various social media platforms.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Is the traditional application process with CV and cover letter therefore a thing of the past for candidates?

Joe Anderson Rau: In fact, a trend is emerging in this direction. Social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Xing, but also Instagram, are playing an increasingly important role in job applications. This has consequences for both candidates and—possibly even more so—for companies. If an employer has no profile on these platforms, they effectively don’t exist online. This can negatively impact their ability to attract sought-after skilled workers. In addition to a virtual corporate presence, e-recruiting strategies enable SMEs to operate much more successfully in this space. This works through a clever mix of content marketing and active sourcing strategies, which help build attention and trust—leading to interest from a wide range of suitable candidates.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Human Resources goes digital—the hunt for talent now takes place online. Is this a flexible trend phenomenon or already an obligation?

Joe Anderson Rau: Anyone who has heard of social selling—i.e., acquiring new customers via social media—will likely also be interested in social recruiting. Just as companies go online to target their ideal customer groups, they are increasingly competing in the digital space for the best performers in the highly competitive candidate market. It’s no surprise, then, that some of the principles known from sales are also being applied in HR. So, what can companies learn from this?

Anyone who hunts for target customers online knows that they can only win them over if they truly understand their needs and make them feel understood from the very first interaction. Given that candidates can now choose their jobs due to the shortage of experts and high demand for their skills, attracting top talent requires a shift in mindset. Just like in sales, candidates online also want to feel understood and engaged from the start. To achieve this, companies need authenticity and trust, which they can build through employer branding and a targeted content marketing strategy. Those who master these principles can gain a long-term and sustainable competitive edge in the war for talent.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: To sum up briefly: What are the three most important e-recruiting advantages that companies can benefit from?

Joe Anderson Rau:
1. E-recruiting allows targeted access to a wide range of desired candidates and provides access to interested parties that would otherwise be difficult to reach.
2. Costs and expenses incurred during a complex candidate search are lower.
3. The time saved enables teams to be assembled earlier, allowing projects or orders to be started and completed sooner.

DIGITAL FUTUREmag: Thank you very much for these noteworthy recruitment impulses.