In the past decade, immigration advertising has seen a meteoric rise in demand. Agencies have been scrambling to create campaigns that will attract the attention of potential employees. With so many people vying for their share of an ever-shrinking pool of workers, it can be challenging to know where to start when crafting your next campaign. To help you with this process, we’ve compiled some tips, so you know what you need to accomplish along the way.
Why PERM Recruitment Ads?
With a possible lack of qualified candidates in the United States workforce, certain positions requiring highly sought-after skills and expertise go unfilled. One option for solving this problem is to turn to foreign nationals who are experts in their field, mainly because they have proven themselves capable of competing on an international level.
With these individuals filling needed positions that, more often than not, play a critical role within an organizations’ success internationally, it ensures competition remains alive across borders.
What to Think About Before Going In on Immigration Labor Advertising
Immigration advertising is a necessary facet of hiring non-citizen employees, but it isn’t the only step to consider. In order to engage these new people, you have to fill out various forms and launch your immigration advertisement campaign before they can start working at your company. Make sure all paperwork has been filled out before beginning an ad campaign so that there are no delays or problems. Your Human Resources (HR) team should be able to help and should be consulted every step of the way.
If your HR team isn’t familiar with this process, you may need to consult an external group or even hire a professional to make sure all the paperwork is in order.
How Much to Pay
The United States Department of Labor (DoL) has set a “prevailing wage” for positions that you are trying to fill. Governments have predetermined these with specific locations and jobs in mind. It’s essential to pay attention to this, because if you advertise with lower wages than what is determined by the prevailing government-set salary, then you’ll face some serious trouble when trying to hire new employees who meet your needs. Many companies have experienced costly hiring delays as a result of employers underestimating the cost of offering the right salary.
The best way to keep you and your company out of hot water is by ensuring that PERM recruitment ads mention a specific salary, at or above what the DoL has set as the “prevailing wage” for the position. If you do not, you might have to face an audit as, to the government’s eyes, it may seem like this was done intentionally in order to hire less expensive employment — non-citizen or otherwise.
Hiring Through the SWA
United States employers are required to post their open positions for at least 30 days before hiring any foreign nationals. That gives domestic applicants an opportunity to apply and be considered first, but if no United States citizens can be found that suit your position, and those 30 days are up, then you can file paperwork with SWA (Stateforce Work Agency) in order to hire a foreign national. You must bear in mind that it’s vital that your company is based out of the state where the job exists because the SWA only handles jobs within one location per state.
Some Additional Immigration Labor Advertising Conditions
Beyond simply placing an order for a job on your appropriate state’s SWA, there are several other immigration advertising steps that must be taken as well. These vary slightly depending on if your position is classified as “professional” or “non-professional.” Professional positions require more in-depth and expensive marketing than non-professionals do. However, they may also have a higher turn out of qualified applicants, which lowers costs per applicant hired through advertisements to find suitable candidates.
Newspaper
After reading this, you may be thinking, “wow, that’s a lot of work!” Well, in order to satisfy immigration advertising requirements, it’s going to be, and one of your best options is going to be newspaper classifieds. You’ll need two Sunday editions with wide circulation and specific features for it to count. These include information on the business or institution, position duties, and the location of the job opening. You must also include how people can apply, so they’re not missing any steps!
Internal Website
Your organization’s career website is the perfect place to post your job openings, but you need a few things before they’re considered “official”. You should include: Job title and description, salary range or rate of pay, posted date, qualifications for applicants (education level too if you feel it essential), and company contact information, including phone number and address (just in case). And don’t forget to keep all documentation for your records.
Job Boards
Another great way to promote your job posting is through job boards like Indeed or LinkedIn. As with internal postings, the same rules apply: Job title and description, salary range or rate of pay, posted date, qualifications for applicants, and company contact information. Remember to keep a copy for your records too.
Journals and Publications
Announcing a position in your company is often an arduous task. What methods should you use to reach as many qualified people as possible? Trade journals or publications associated with professional organizations may be appropriate if the job requires highly technical skills that are not easily found by simply sending out resumes and posting advertisements on popular sites like Monster, Indeed, etc.
Radio and TV
Radio or TV may be a good option for your immigration advertising needs.
Radio and sometimes television spots can reach many people in the short amount of time they are on air. They also allow you to target your audience by location, age group, and gender, which is great if that’s what type of employee you’re trying to get.
