Using road shows to recruit potential employees

Creating a mobile tour or road show to recruit potential employees can get your company out there in a way that a job web site or a classified ad can’t. That’s why companies are going live to attract qualified candidates.

Three ways to use mobile tours and road shows to attract potential employees:

1. Go Big or Go Home. If you’re going to make an effort to go out and meet with employees, don’t settle for quick lectures and lit displays. The U.S. Air Force took its first-ever mobile tour aimed at recruiting healthcare professionals on the road this summer, and the organization went all out, outfitting a 39-foot RV with interactive touch screens providing an in-depth look at the Air Force. The 30-week tour offers presentations by a “virtual recruiter,” a holographic projection with Air Force personnel talking about career opportunities.

In addition to routing the truck to lifestyle events, the Air Force can use the vehicle as its booth at the same job fairs it was already visiting each year. “In the past [for healthcare recruiting], we haven’t done much more than a 10-by-10 basic display booth at conventions,” says Capt. Jonathan Ness, chief of event marketing for the USAF. “With this we can go outside of a normal convention setting… and when we are at a conference, we have a bigger and more professional presence.”

2. Go Beyond HR. Intel uses road shows, which took place at large hotels, featured a keynote presentation by one of the company’s senior-level executives, giving potential employees the chance to get an up-close look at top management—and an opportunity to learn about the company’s culture and strategy from someone other than recruiters.

Employees also worked the events, which allowed attendees to have face-to-face interaction with staffers from a variety of departments. The events, which also featured an Intel technology demo area and professional development workshops, drew approximately 2,200 guests—nearly triple what the company expected.

3. Go Where You’re Not Expected. While career fairs focused solely on the target can be a great place to meet potential employees, it can also be smart to go off the convention center floor. For example, the USAF took its healthcare tour to golf tournaments and other lifestyle events where the organization could meet with a high concentration of its target recruits without other companies competing for their attention.