Innovative Approaches to Recruiting

Advancing demographic change, a completely transformed work culture, and – despite all the crises – positive economic development on average have led to a complete reversal of the labor market over the past two to three decades. Whereas companies often had a choice of several applicants at the turn of the millennium, today it is the applicants who choose a company – and they do so very carefully and deliberately.    

This has led companies, especially in the SME sector, where it is not always possible to offer exorbitantly high wages and salaries, to outbid each other in terms of non-salary benefits. Against the backdrop of this development, it may not really be possible to establish a unique selling point. But what can be done to stand out from competitors in the labor market?   

One of the most important approaches here is to be present and remain present. Perception and differentiation are the keywords here, which are usually associated with marketing. And so it is no coincidence that more and more companies are developing into brands in their role as employers – employer brands, in fact (see newsroom article). 

In this sense, the boundaries between HR and marketing are becoming increasingly blurred in recruiting as well. Recruiting campaigns are often nothing less than marketing campaigns that take creative approaches to addressing their target group. All companies in the Kuhn Group are therefore keen to try out new ideas and sometimes take approaches that are rather unconventional for medium-sized businesses.  

At the beginning of the year, for example, M. Jürgensen launched the creative media campaign “DU! MASCHINE.” to attract the attention of prospective school leavers and potential trainees. Using specially AI-generated songs and videos, the company advertised the apprenticeships available via social media and on digital displays in urban areas of Flensburg – a shot in the dark that actually paid off and has already been adapted for filling other positions in the company.   

Kuhn Edelstahl also launched a social media campaign at the beginning of the year, using authentic images and videos to promote the profession of CNC lathe operator. The basic premise was to convey as openly and honestly as possible what working in this job at Kuhn entails. The target audience was to be given as realistic a picture as possible of their future working environment. 

In order to recruit suitable employees for difficult or numerous positions, Kuhn has even conducted guerrilla campaigns in the past. Without giving everything away, this strategy involved actively using the leisure environment of existing employees to search for new colleagues—with success!   

Recognizing the signs of the times and the shifting paradigms in recruiting, the Kuhn Group decided some time ago to reverse the application process when approaching potential employees. On the career page and in job advertisements, our managers apply to their future employees. While this is not entirely new or unique, Kuhn has implemented it in an extremely authentic way. 

The list of creative recruiting campaigns carried out at Kuhn Edelstahl and M. Jürgensen could go on, and new ideas and approaches are constantly emerging on how we can position ourselves as an attractive employer. Today, personnel acquisition must be thought of differently than it was ten or twenty years ago. Today, it is all the more important to present ourselves on the job market with fresh approaches, creative content, and bold ideas in order to attract the attention of potential applicants.