City of Welland’s recruitment strategy recognized with international award

A strategy to reach new talent and recognize existing employees through social media recently earned the City of Welland an award in an international competition. KRIS DUBE / TORSTAR FILE PHOTO

Courtesy of Welland Tribune

A strategy to reach new talent and recognize existing employees through social media recently earned the City of Welland an award in an international competition.

The gold standing came through the 2022 Hermes Creative Awards, a competition for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of traditional and emerging media recognizing outstanding industry work.

“With all municipalities looking for top talent and retaining those employees already in place, we needed to develop a way to stand out, even if just a little bit,” said Welland’s corporate communications manager, Marc MacDonald.

“Working alongside human resources, the communications department designed an effective and creative approach in telling Welland’s story and highlighting the great staff we have in all areas of the corporation.”

One of more than 6,500 submissions to various categories this year, Recruitment, Retention and Recognition: How the City of Welland’s LinkedIn strategy brings, keeps and celebrates top talent, was adjudicated in the electronic/social media category, the city said in a release.

It said the strategy was authored by the staff in the communications and human resources departments, and focuses on city council’s strategic priority of communications, community engagement and organizational culture.

Launched in October 2021, Welland’s messaging focuses on creative narratives about the city, reframed hiring posts, and celebrations of the milestones and accomplishments of current staff.

The release said as a result, monthly followers on the city’s official LinkedIn profile have increased month over month. Impressions reached more than 40,000 per month at their peak, and reaction to content increased by 600 per cent.

“In addition to social media metrics, candidates applying for open and new positions are highly competitive in terms of the quality and quantity of qualified applicants,” it said.