Inspiring Recruitment

Ads

Can Smart Recruitment Creatives Save the World?

2

In the Oscar nominated film “The Imitation Game,” Keira Knightley’s Joan Clarke was hired by Alan Turing, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, to join MI6’s top secret codebreaking operation during World War II. The test? In record time, she solved a crossword puzzle which Turing placed in The Daily Telegraph. While the movie’s plot took much dramatic license—in real life, Clarke never took the test, her Oxford professor helped push her into the program—the British government did recruit codebreakers at the time using crossword puzzles in the newspaper. Ultimately, the codebreakers cracked Germany’s Enigma code, shortening the war by at least two years, saving 14 million lives—making this crossword puzzle one of the most fascinating recruitment ads in world history.

Today, the fun challenges continue in inventive recruitment ads that target creative problem solvers who excel in their industry, be it technology, finance, marketing, or others. So sit back and enjoy our compilation of some of the most creative recruitment ads we’ve seen across mediums of print, online, out of home, and beyond. We hope these ads will inspire you to think out of the box, and help make your recruitment efforts more impactful and effective.

Keira Knightley in “The Imitation Game”

LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

A crossword puzzle published in 1942 in The Daily Telegraph to attract talented code breakers (source and answers)

Industry: Nonprofit website

3 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

Mensa Singapore Are you Mensa enough to be a member? These mysterious print ads were specially created for the members-only society for the mentally elite. Spoiler alert! The encrypted headline in the first ad reads: “Are you the prodigy we’re looking for?”

INSTANTLY ATTENTION-GETTING

EASY TO READ LAYOUT, GENEROUS NEGATIVE SPACE

SIMPLE CALL TO ACTION

Print

4 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

Royal Air Force The cinematic, interactive mission is as close as it gets to the real experience of being on the job. Learning about the job description is an unforgettable adrenaline rush.

EXUDES CONFIDENCE AND BELIEF IN THE MISSION

EXCITING, EMPOWERING MESSAGING

ENGAGING INTERACTIVE CONTENT

Industry: Military LinkedIn Company Page | website

Online

5 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

Imagine Learning Software developers can use code for good. They can use their skills to level up their career paths and change the world. The billboard was part of a targeted campaign from Imagine Learning, the maker of language and literacy software. The campaign also included a dedicated website and recruitment videos.

POWERFUL HEADLINE

EASY TO READ LAYOUT

CLEAR FOCUS ON CALL TO ACTION

BOLD USE OF COLOR

Industry: E-Learning LinkedIn Company Page | website

6 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

EverythingMe EverythingMe makes personalization software for Android devices. These ads are aimed at just the type of puzzle solving, comic book hero fan-ing, cartoon humor loving, board game wizards the company’s looking for.

SUPER CREATIVE CONCEPT

EMPOWERING MESSAGING

SPEAKS TO THE TARGET IN A DIRECT, PERSONAL WAY

COMPANY CULTURE SHINES THROUGH

Industry: Internet LinkedIn Company Page | website

Online

7 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

HomeAway Why work for Homeaway? You’ll be part of a talented and passionate global team that’s revolutionizing the vacation rental industry. Your work will be both challenging and rewarding because it helps families create unforgettable vacation memories together. And you can do all this while wearing flip flops.

DYNAMIC, ENGAGING PHOTOGRAPHY

EXUDES CONFIDENCE

SHOWCASES COMPANY CULTURE

Industry: Internet LinkedIn Company Page | website

Online

8 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

Deloitte By the looks of these ads, one wouldn’t be able to tell that the company was founded more than one and a half centuries ago, in 1845. Deloitte’s fresh and relevant recruitment strategy is part of how the company keeps its status as one of the leading professional services firms in the world.

EXCITING, EMPOWERING MESSAGING

BOLD DESIGN + COLOR THAT COMMANDS ATTENTION

EXUDES CONFIDENCE AND BELIEF IN THE COMPANY

Industry: Management Consulting LinkedIn Company Page | website

Online

9 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

Bloomberg How do you attract young, hungry talent to join a 30-year-old company with 10,000+ employees? By telling them they’ll be empowered to take risks and make a difference.

EXCITING, EMPOWERING MESSAGING

BOLD DESIGN + COLOR THAT COMMANDS ATTENTION

EXUDES CONFIDENCE AND BELIEF IN THE COMPANY

Industry: Media, Financial Services LinkedIn Company Page | website

Online

10 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

Red Hat The world’s leading software provider of open source solutions would like to show you how fun it is to don a Red Hat.

DYNAMIC, ENGAGING PHOTOGRAPHY

CREATIVE WAY OF EXTENDING BRAND; I.E., RED HAT

SHOWCASES COMPANY CULTURE IN AN AUTHENTIC WAY

Industry: Computer Software LinkedIn Company Page | website

Online

11 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

BPS World The United Kingdom-based company likes to think of itself as a resourcing specialist with a difference: “We push the boundaries through our innovative solutions. Our capability is far broader than the traditional recruitment remit.” To communicate this to clients and candidates, the company created a highly differentiated look and feel to make its brand stand apart from the rest.

FRESH, OPTIMISTIC DESIGN

COHESIVE LOOK & FEEL ACROSS WEBSITE, ADS, SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES

Industry: Staffing and Recruiting LinkedIn Company Page | website

Online

12 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

Lugera & Makler Would you trust the infamous criminals Bonnie and Clyde to manage security for your company? This ad points out how important it is to partner with the right headhunting agency.

SUPER CREATIVE CONCEPT

CLEAN LAYOUT, CLEAR FOCUS ON MESSAGING

Industry: Human Resources LinkedIn Company Page | website

Print

13 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

TBWA\NEBOKO “Where” matters. The advertising agency’s “Quit and Join Us” campaign was printed on shirts of window cleaners before they washed the windows of competitor agencies, audaciously tempting potential hires.

BOLDLY GOES WHERE THE TARGET IS

THINKS BEYOND TYPICAL CHANNELS

Industry: Marketing and Advertising LinkedIn Company Page | website

14 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

Flickr Who’s looking at your code? Well, coders of course. Flickr cleverly hid a “we’re hiring” announcement, delightfully adorned with ASCII art, in the HTML source code of its homepage.

BOLDLY GOES WHERE THE TARGET IS

SPEAKS TO THE TARGET IN A DIRECT, PERSONAL WAY

THINKS BEYOND TYPICAL CHANNELS

Industry: Internet LinkedIn Company Page | website

15 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

Uncle Grey How did this advertising agency recruit a front-end developer by playing a video game? Watch the video and learn.

BOLDLY GOES WHERE THE TARGET IS

SPEAKS TO THE TARGET IN A DIRECT, PERSONAL WAY

THINKS BEYOND TYPICAL CHANNELS

Industry: Marketing and Advertising LinkedIn Company Page | website

16 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

Work Club The London based digital marketing agency is recruiting for a creative director, one Pinterest pin at a time.

BOLDLY GOES WHERE THE TARGET IS

SPEAKS TO THE TARGET IN A DIRECT, PERSONAL WAY

THINKS BEYOND TYPICAL CHANNELS, CREATIVE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Industry: Marketing and Advertising LinkedIn Company Page | website

Recruitment Videos

18 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

BP: Interview Tips The animated video helps candidates prepare for their interviews by coaching them on each step of the application process. Watch the video

REMOVES THE FEAR OF INTERVIEWING

HELPFUL, USEFUL CONTENT

USES ANIMATION AND MOTION GRAPHICS TO MAKE CONTENT DELIGHTFUL TO CONSUME

Industry: Oil & Energy LinkedIn Company Page | website

Online

19 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

Herman Miller

USES DESIGN TO MAKE THE TALENT BRAND AS ARTFUL AS THE COMPANY’S PRODUCTS

SINCERE, SPEAKS FROM THE HEART

ECHOES COMPANY’S VALUES

Industry: Furniture LinkedIn Company Page | website

Online

Herman Miller: This is You CREDITS: Herman Miller, Fairly Painless

Herman Miller: 108 Years CREDITS: Herman Miller, Part of a Bigger Plan

20 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

Facebook Facebook created a series of video ads to showcase their company culture, targeting specific types of candidates from engineers to marketers, and from interns to international positions.

FEATURES EMPLOYEES OF ALL TYPES FOR AUTHENTICITY

SHOWS INTERESTING PEEK INTO OFFICES

SINCERE, SPEAKS FROM THE HEART

ECHOES COMPANY’S VALUES

Industry: Internet LinkedIn Company Page | website

Engineering at Facebook

Global Marketing Solutions at Facebook

Intern & New Grad Opportunities

Facebook Careers in Asia-Pacific

Online

Connecting the World Takes Every One of Us

21 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

HubSpot: Inside Hubspot "It's a start-up. We have a lot of fun. We work really hard.“ Watch the video

FEATURES EMPLOYEES FOR AUTHENTICITY

SHOWS INTERESTING PEEK INTO OFFICES

NOT AFRAID TO TALK NERDY

ECHOES COMPANY’S VALUES

Industry: Internet LinkedIn Company Page | website

Online

Ready to Kick Your Recruitment Ads Up a Notch?

22 LinkedIn › Inspiring Recruitment Ads

LinkedIn’s Talent Solutions Specialists can help

you get your next recruitment campaign off the

ground. Contact Us.

Before launching your next recruitment ad, it may be useful to remember what you liked about your favorites from the recruitment ad campaigns you just saw, and think about how you can apply the learnings and design best practices to your own campaigns. By nature, a good ad creative can’t be all things to all people. But you could use these questions as thought starters to guide and help spark creativity and ideas. Is the call to action clear? Is my company’s talent brand accurately reflected? Does the design command attention and make people stop and want to read it? Is the copy as succinct as can be? Did we mention the best part of working with us? Will the target candidate get a good sense of our team culture? Will the target candidate know what makes our company the best in class? Did we demonstrate to our targets that we know them and understand their needs? Did we speak from the heart?

CREDITS Design commentary provided by Shiny Day, a California creative agency.

© 2015 LinkedIn Corp. This book is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Please note that the ads illustrated in this book are included by permission of their respective copyright owners and may not be used or distributed separately from the book.