The Right Connections for Agency Recruitment

When it comes to recruitment, government has a wonderful story to tell but trouble getting people to listen. And yet individuals, especially from younger generations, want mission-oriented careers that align with their personal priorities. The government “brand,” so to speak, would be a natural fit.

To attract and retain a dedicated, talented workforce, agencies must say “the right things to the right people at the right time,” said Charlotte Lee, Strategic Lead for Customer Experience and Innovation at Granicus Experience Group (GXG), a team within Granicus that helps government entities connect with customers using its digital citizen engagement platform. There must be more of a concerted effort to make people aware of government’s impact and mission, she said.

Strategic Communication

In general, major federal programs need roughly 6,000 job applicants in order to hire eight candidates, Lee said. So, if you think of the hiring process as a funnel, agencies must broadcast job opportunities to a very wide audience and then use what she calls the “power of nudges” — i.e., reminders and status updates — to guide people through the hiring process.

It’s a broad yet targeted strategy, and it breaks down into what Lee calls “four phases of communication” that trace EX: awareness, consideration, decision, and engagement and retention. GXG supports public agencies through all four stages, she said.

For instance, Granicus helped the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) increase its external recruitment efforts for specialized roles, such as bridge engineers, by using Granicus’ govDelivery software. Recruitment messages became more engaging, featured personal employee stories and generated a more enthusiastic response from recipients. That made hiring easier.

The Role of Data

Granicus also helped ODOT with other constituent communications that both benefited the public and streamlined the work of department staff. Ultimately, engagement rates jumped by 64% — in part, because ODOT analyzed data to understand what resonated with its audience.

“When employees are given technology and information that is relevant at the right time, they’re able to provide positive customer experience” for both recruitment programs and other messaging, said Lee. It’s the idea of “respect me, remember me, respond to me,” she explained. Agencies should respect how people want to receive and submit information. They should remember the information that people already provided. And employees should respond to individuals when and how they ask.

But by the time agencies collect certain types of data, such as survey responses, it’s already stale, said Lee. “You need to look at live metrics that actually indicate ‘who [are we] talking to, who are we not talking to … and how is our audience responding.’”

Government will always struggle with bureaucracy, and public-sector hiring will always be slower than that of most private industry. Yet, agencies often can do more to draw talented people to government and compel them to stay.

The employee experience can be personally and professionally transformative, Lee said. Individuals just need to know what’s available.

This article appeared in our guide, “Tools and Tactics for Employee Engagement.” For more insights on bringing out the best in your employees, download the guide:

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