Corporate Recruiting with Public Radio

Finding the right employee for an important role can feel impossible. Pouring over hundreds of resumes from unqualified candidates can be frustrating. But there is an easier way to find top-tier candidates when it comes to recruiting. Look no further than public radio.

The NPR audience is a plethora of educated, conscientious professionals who take pride in their careers. Moreover, they desire to be a part of something greater.

When your organization’s mission aligns with the audience members’ sense of purpose, it drives success on numerous fronts. For the intention of this article, we will focus on recruitment.

Tapping into these listeners can be and often is, a powerhouse strategy for recruiting. Targeting experienced professionals who are tuned into what is happening nationally and culturally equates to a more robust recruiting pool.

Public Radio Audiences are Top-Tier Employee Candidates

According to the Radio Advertising Bureau, radio reaches a well-qualified workforce. This fact is maximized when considering the public radio audience. 

NPR listeners are highly educated and:

•     301% more likely to have a doctorate degree
•     195% more likely to have a post-graduate degree

Public radio listeners are career-focused and:

•      176% more likely to have attended a recruitment fair in the past 12 months
•      47% more likely to consider their work a career, not just a job

Source: MRI-Simmons Doublebase 2021, NPR News Listeners, Base: Total U.S. Adults

These numbers convey that NPR listeners are exceptional and engaged employee candidates. Moreover, these potential applicants are from a wide range of in-demand industries as depicted below. 

•    161% more likely to work a legal occupation
•    116% more likely to work in top management
•    105% more likely to work in engineering or architecture
•    88% more likely to work in MIS / IS / IT
•    31% more likely to work in a healthcare occupation

Source: MRI-Simmons Doublebase 2021, NPR News Listeners, Base: Total U.S. Adults

Whether your industry is healthcare, law, engineering, or IT, public radio listeners are a strong audience for recruitment. Recruiters would be hard-pressed to find more-qualified individuals at a job fair. Think about it, you can reach tens of thousands—if not hundreds of thousands of premier candidates in one place!

Moreover, recruiters can overcome barriers to contenders in the following ways: 

•    dramatically decrease non-qualified applicants
•    lower your cost per quality lead
•    provide the ability to target applicants
•    eliminate the need to pay for relocation
•    reach employed professionals willing to change careers
•    provide reach behind competitors’ walls 

When you combine all of these attributes, implementing public radio for your next recruiting campaign seems a straightforward and powerful option.  Oh, BTW… there are no extra production costs. Your messaging is delivered by a station host whose voice is a familiar friend to the listener. It doesn’t get any simpler.   

In addition to on-air messaging, with most NPR stations, you can also utilize marketing options through run-of-site ads, newsletter sponsorship messages and more. As a public radio sponsor, you will find that your options and our process are as streamlined as it gets in the marketing world.

The Right Time for Recruitment

Every recruiter knows that hiring needs arise throughout the year, for various reasons. However, studies show that peak hiring occurs in early Spring and late Fall, following the trends of budgeting, financial quarters, holidays, and funding for new hires. 

ERE Recruiting Intelligence reports that the trends of annual hiring cycles can be broken down into four quarters: January, February, September, and October. These are the best months for targeted recruiting campaigns.

Running on-air messages or digital campaigns with public radio stations during peak hiring seasons ensures your message is heard by listeners who are more apt to hold the skillset you are looking for. Choosing a time period in which job seekers are most active safeguards your time, energy and investment. 

One Investment, Multiple Goals 

Finding an ideal forum for both recruiting and marketing may seem like an oxymoron. But the truth is, it’s possible. Public media sponsorship messages are geared towards your needs, during programs where you will reach your desired demographic. All you have to do is send the details over. If changes in your message are needed, they are done swiftly and without additional costs. 

Public media sponsorship also has the ability to achieve multiple marketing goals in one single strategy. Furthermore, because we have explored our audience demographics extensively, we are able to provide the right formula for our sponsors to achieve maximum return on investment.

If you would like to prepare your next recruiting or marketing campaign with public radio, fill out the brief form below. There is no better time than the present to prepare your next strategy.