Time to Marry Marketing to Human Resources

Catching up with a friend over a beer the other day, we discussed her job hunt. She had recently interviewed with a local firm and had a positively lovely experience even though she didn’t get the job. She won’t be working with that firm this time, but she plans to refer clients to them.

That’s why it’s time to marry the marketing department to the human resources department.

My friend’s positive experience with that firm was thanks to a warm, welcoming and dignified HR department.  And that positive experience is guaranteed to lead to referrals. Seattle is a larger city, but in some fields, it’s a very small town, and referrals matter. In this case, the HR department is generating referrals, and job-seekers count as clients, and should be treated as such.

Consider the experience of everyone who interacts with your firm, even the people coming to you for a job. Human Resources is often the first point of contact, and should also function like good marketing. Positive experiences can lead to new clients; negative experiences can lead to bad reviews on Glassdoor and similar sites. Respect everyone who walks through the door — it will have long term benefits.

A special thanks for Liz MacGahan for helping with the writing and editing duties for this piece.