Using Lead Magnets to Attract Qualified Job Candidates

What are some good lead magnets to attract more qualified talent?

Does your company have several ways of driving talent to your doors, applications in hand? These days, filling a position is no longer as straightforward as posting an open role. To attract the best job candidates, employers need to build and engage a solid network of talent. Lead magnets, which are often free resources or information offered to attract visitors to your website, are not just for customer sales anymore — they can also be used to engage job candidates.

Below, 14 business owners and HR experts have laid out ideas for how you can attract top talent using various lead magnets.

1. Appeal to a Sense of Self‑Worth

Provide a tool on your website that allows prospective candidates to gauge their market value based on their experience, location, skills, industry and market trends. Then, on the results page, include a call to action button or link for satisfied candidates to check out related open opportunities with your company. This will keep candidates on your site and in your talent pool.

Linda Scorzo, CEO, Hiring Indicators

2. Offer Well-Designed Resume Templates

A well-designed resume template can be a great lead magnet to attract job candidates. By offering a professional-looking resume template, you can encourage potential candidates to provide their contact information and other essential details. In addition, a resume template can help to streamline the process of creating a resume, saving time and effort. Templates are valuable resources to candidates and will help you nurture passive talent.

Michael Sena, Founder & CEO, Senacea

3. Provide Info on Competitive Salary and Benefits

A competitive salary and benefits package can strongly incentivize talented individuals to join your company. Offering a strong package can attract individuals who may otherwise be hesitant to join, and shows potential employees that you’re committed to their well‑being.

Saneem Ahearn, VP of Marketing, Colorescience

4. Promote Your Flexible Working Conditions

If you want to attract better candidates for your job postings, then it’s crucial to offer more flexible working conditions. The pandemic proved that employees can be just as productive when working remotely, and people began valuing their mental health like never before. Therefore, many job seekers will require at least a hybrid working model, as well as time off to keep burnout and other challenges at bay.

Shaun Price, Head of Customer Acquisition, MitoQ

5. Include an Invitation for Email Updates

Email updates are a good way to start a proper correspondence with potential applicants. It helps to keep them and their recruiters engaged in the process with the hope that, by providing them with quality resources and keeping in touch, your company will retain their interest and will hopefully see their application for open positions in the future. Even candidates who aren’t chosen for the role they’re applying for may be incentivized to apply for alternative job positions — if you deliver that information right into their inboxes. This proactive method increases the chances of retaining the interest of highly skilled candidates, which may lead to superior pools of talent to choose from when filling roles.

Max Schwartzapfel, CMO, Schwartzapfel Lawyers

6. Host a Webinar

If you’re looking for better-qualified talent, a webinar is a great lead magnet. By hosting a webinar, you can show off your company’s expertise and attract people who are interested in what you do. Plus, a webinar is an excellent way to build relationships with potential candidates. You can use your webinar to answer questions and get to know the people who might be a good fit for your company. And, if done right, a webinar can also be a great way to generate leads for your business.

Lorien Strydom, Executive Country Manager, Financer

7. Provide Checklists to Prepare Potential Candidates

Checklists! They’re simple to create and share. For example, write up a bulleted list of things to prepare before hitting the job market. Due to their brevity, checklists are easy to comprehend and attractive. In short, who doesn’t love checking off items on a to-do list? Best of all, talented go-getters will be drawn in to ensure that they’re adequately prepared for the job market — and learn more about your organization while doing so.

Michael Van, CEO, Furnishr

8. Reinforce and Leverage Your Employer Branding

Your employer brand is one of the main leverages for attracting the best talent, which is why it needs your careful attention. Start by identifying the values that characterize your company and distinguish it from others. What does your company offer to its employees that your competitors don’t? Secondly, communicate these differentiating elements through all possible relevant channels: your website, social networks, job boards, etc. Don’t hesitate to highlight the testimonies of your employees, since they’re the best ambassadors of the company’s brand. Finally, think about the candidate’s experience and journey. How candidates perceive your company during their job search and interview process is just as important as your brand’s reputation, because a bad candidate experience can quickly tarnish that image.

Danielle Bedford, Head of Marketing, Coople

9. Create an In-Depth Guide About Your Company’s Hiring Policy

One good lead magnet is an in-depth guide about your company’s recruitment process. This could cover your company’s culture, the types of roles you typically hire, plus the interviewing and onboarding process. This guide would be aimed at potential candidates who are serious about applying to your company. By providing this information upfront, you can weed out applicants who are not a good fit and therefore attract better-qualified talent. This guide could be offered as a PDF download on your website after candidates fill out a form or as a physical book that candidates can request.

Wendy Makinson, HR Manager, Joloda Hydraroll

10. Offer a Free Trial

One lead magnet idea is to offer a free trial of your product or service. While this is especially effective if you have a recruiting-specific tool or platform, it can work for any type of company. By allowing candidates to experience your product first-hand, you can give them a taste of what it would be like to work with you and your team.

Admir Salcinovic, Co-Founder, Pricelisto

11. Provide a Free and Personalized Career Assessment

I think one way to attract better-qualified talent is to offer a free and personalized career assessment. This is a great lead magnet for attracting high-quality talent, because it gives candidates insight into your company culture, available opportunities, and even identifies areas for professional development. It also allows the candidate to express their personal style and preferred work environment, which can help align them with your company.

Luciano Colos, CEO, PitchGrade

12. Utilize Your Existing Talent Pool with Referral Bonuses

An employee referral bonus makes for a great lead magnet to attract better-qualified talent. You can send out a weekly email to all current employees, listing open positions and what type of referral bonus the employee will receive if they refer a candidate and that candidate is hired. We receive quite a few candidates from employee referrals, and this incentive helps with our recruiting process.

Lindsey Hight, HR Professional, SportingSmiles

13. Promote Your Encouragement of the Creator Economy

People don’t want to put all of their eggs in one basket. With recent rounds of layoffs, more and more employees are starting to pursue side hustles. They don’t want to be trapped in a company, only for them to get laid off and left with nothing at the end. So, if you want to attract the best of the best, make sure you make it clear that they can pursue side businesses if they want to. Whether it’s creating content or growing a consulting business, you should be open to that. Encourage them to follow their personal goals.

Ernest Bio Bogore, Content Strategist, Creatory

14. Share Your Stories of Employee Growth

What is the one thing that talented individuals seek in the workplace? I have interviewed hundreds and hired just about as many, and I can tell you what they seek is growth and progression. No qualified employee wants their talent squandered, and everyone wishes to see personal growth that reflects their efforts. The best lead magnet to attract better-qualified talent is to create and promote a target-oriented guaranteed progression system at your company. You outline all of the criteria transparently, and if an employee achieves said target over the course of the designated time period, they’ll be awarded with a raise or promotion.

Mike Clancy, CEO, CarDonationCenters

How JobsInTheUS Can Help

Since 1999, JobsInTheUS has helped employers find the top local talent they need to grow their business — through our network of state-specific job sites, including JobsInME, JobsInNH, JobsInVT, JobsInMA, JobsInRI, JobsInCT, and more.

With our popular Career Fairs, we also provide employers the opportunity to meet face-to-face with job seekers, present a company overview, discuss available positions, and respond to questions.