It’s official, Spring has sprung!

The book has closed on Puxatawny Phil’s cruel curse and we can say hello to a blooming new chapter in 2018.

You know what else we can say hello to? A new crop of entry-level candidates. That’s right, commencement ceremonies are around the corner, so if you want to snag the best new talent you need to act FAST. These are a few employer branding strategies that will give you an edge with the cool new kids joining the job hunt this season.

I. Drop the lame job descriptions – An authentic job description is your opportunity to really hone in on the passions, skills and cultural traits your organization needs to be successful. These entry-level candidates often come with only a little background experience, but a lot of valuable new skills and ideas.

So why are you throwing a bunch of corporate jargon and upper-level qualifications into your entry-level job ads? Top emerging talent wants to know how you provide a great atmosphere for your best team members to grow, and in return how they can use their strengths to contribute to your vision.

The quick fix: Sit down with an outsider and have them read a few of your descriptions. If they can’t guess what at least one of your Employee Value Propositions is, you need to go back to the drawing board and find a better way to communicate your organization’s worth.

Remember – white space is your friend, so break up your job ads with bullets, bolded headers, and if you’re feeling exceptionally original, an informative haiku.

 II. Tell the right stories ‚Äì Everyone loves to hear about your company‚Äôs great success sagas, but what about the people who helped you get there? The emerging workforce is hungry for new opportunities to move up and make a difference in their roles.

Make your organization a hot destination for developing talent by giving the people what they want – the REAL stories behind your people’s wins.

Did an employee’s idea spark a new project that is positively changing the business? Are your newer team members finding impactful ways to connect your organization with the outside community? Did the CEO dress up as Santa when you hit your fourth quarter goal!?

Spin cultural experiences into recruitment marketing gold by telling those stories on your Careers Site (don’t forget to snap pictures). Giving the newest talent population an inside peek behind your doors encourages them to imagine the good life at your company and leaves them wanting more.

Once you’ve got some solid content published, blast it out on social media to keep the hype up and encourage your team to share it to their own profiles.

 III. Swag it up ‚Äì That‚Äôs right, we are going back to grassroots marketing tactics, and for a very good reason. People LOVE free stuff ‚Äì and as organizations, we love the brand recognition, ambassadorship, and attention that stems from it. Just make sure you do it right ‚Äì AKA no mass distributed junk, please.

When you hit those career fairs, open houses and campus recruiting sessions, come prepared with a strong recruitment marketing strategy and top-notch swag. Don’t bring last decade’s lame knick-knacks – get the most bang for your budget with cool hoodies, charger blocks, koozies and even pop sockets. Add an extra touch of genius by printing a fun tagline or slogan that plays on your employer brand on your giveaways.

Pro Tip: Appoint an engaging employer brand ambassador to hand out the goods and connect with the talent that drops by – you don’t want your fun swag bag to turn into the unattended Halloween candy bucket all over again.

Try out these tips in your entry-level recruiting strategy and comment below to tell us how you are keeping fresh talent buzzing about your employer brand.