Why Case Studies Are a Great Talent Attracting Strategy

Recruiting the best talent for your company isn’t always easy.  

While there are tools and strategies out there that help to streamline the hiring process, today’s organisations still need to overcome hurdles like skill shortages, saturated marketplaces and offers from competing companies.  

Though end-to-end talent acquisition companies can give you fewer problems to worry about, there are also other ways that you can increase your chances of finding the best recruit, without breaking your budget.  

One particularly effective strategy involves using case studies as a type of “social proof” for your business. With the right case studies, you improve your brand’s reputation, strengthen your position in your chosen sector, and make it easier to earn the trust of potential employees.  

So, what makes the case study so useful? 

What is a Case Study, and Why Is It Useful? 

A case study can come in many forms. For instance, you might write a study that talks about the work you did for your most successful clients and creates graphs that show the results the customer achieved with your help. On the other hand, you might use a case study to show off some of the most prominent achievements you’ve made in terms of company culture and industry growth.  

You might have a talent case study that demonstrates how new employees develop their career in your organisation. 

No matter which routes you take, the primary aim of a case study is to provide your audience with useful data about your business or brand and importantly why they might want to work for you too when it comes to talent acquisition. 

The question is, why are case studies effective at helping you to attract the employees you want most?  

The simple answer is that case studies act as “social proof” for your organisation. They show evidence that you’ve achieved something, give depth to your corporate claims, and help you to achieve a more authentic personality when connecting with new staff.  

How Social Proof Works in Recruitment 

In today’s highly-connected digital environment, potential candidates are keen to find out more about the brands they might want to work with. Since there are plenty of social media platforms, review websites, and forums out there packed full of information about almost any business, the average employee is more informed than ever.  

Case studies are a professional response to our habit of researching companies before we make important decisions. For instance, you wouldn’t book a hotel without looking for a testimonial on TripAdvisor, or ignore the stars on an Amazon purchase, so why wouldn’t you look for the same advice when choosing a new career? 

Case studies can be a helpful way for businesses to answer the most pressing questions that professionals have about their company, without wasting time on lengthy interviews and screening calls. For instance, a case study can provide an insight into: 

• What working for an organisation is really like.
   
• What the culture feels like.
   
• What’s expected of employees.
   
• Whether there are any opportunities for development.
   
• What the brand’s position in the marketplace is.  

The great thing about a case study is that it can help possible staff members to feel more informed about the role they’re applying for while simplifying the recruitment process for businesses too. After all, if your candidates already know what your company is all about, you won’t have to spend as much time sifting through inappropriate applicants.  

How to Make the Most of the Case Studies 

If you’re designing a case study with the intention of attracting more experts to your team, then there are a few things you can focus on to improve your chances of success. For instance, if you have a role in mind, such as software development, you can create a case study that highlights the benefits of the IT team in your business.  

Similarly, it’s a good idea to build your case study with the questions possible employees are most likely to ask in mind. For example: 

• If you think recruits will want to know what your company culture is like, you might provide a case study that demonstrates the value of your team-building and learning activities.  
• If your staff are more interested in how much support and recognition they’ll get at work, you can film a video that showcases your new mentoring programme, and highlight some positive results. 
• If you want to show talent that there’s an opportunity for growth in your organisation, why not write a study that shows the amount of development that’s happened within your industry and your business over the last year? 

When used correctly, case studies are a great way to sell yourself to talented team members. If you’re not already using this strategy as part of your hiring practices, now might be the best time to start!