In order to successfully recruit more candidates to your department, creative police recruiting strategies will separate you from competitors. Radio ads and job boards don’t do the trick anymore.
At Epic Recruiting, we have over 16 years of experience recruiting the next generation of officers through creative police recruitment strategies. Let’s take a closer look at the top five creative recruiting strategies for your police department.
NUMBER 1
Police officer careers aren’t for everyone, but that being said, it’s important to showcase every detail about working in law enforcement. Using video in your recruiting strategy is a great way to give a glimpse into your department’s culture. More specifically, creating an overview video that gives an in-depth look to your department allows you to attract the right type of candidate.
A police overview video is one of the many creative police recruiting strategies because it can be utilized in a multitude of ways. It’s great content for your website which captivates recruits right off the bat and it’s ideal even for your social media channels.
Take a look at this police recruiting overview video for Richmond PD. As a fast-paced department with all the latest technology, vehicles, and job opportunities, we use fast cuts, inspiring words, and action shots to recruit those up for the challenge.
NUMBER 2
Next, a vital part of an effective recruiting strategy is a website separate from the typical, clustered city site. Number 2 on our creative recruiting strategy list is having a user-friendly and optimized recruiting website that can serve as a 24/7 online brochure.
Having a recruiting website is an opportunity to show off all that your city or county has to offer. Most importantly, extracting your recruiting page from the city website allows you to control your messaging and how you want to be perceived.
As an example, check out Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office website to discover all that Calaveras has to offer. Joining a law enforcement agency is joining a family and a community. Let your website communicate that and attract the next police officer recruit.
NUMBER 3
Not all creative police recruiting strategies have to be all business all the time and that’s why our third creative law enforcement recruiting strategy is creating bite-sized social media videos. It’s a great way to show multiple sides of the job and also ideal when trying to attract millennials. The goal is to build a strong following on social media platforms and the best way to do that is creating engaging, share-worthy content.
At Hayward PD, we wanted social media content that was entertaining and captivating. Perfect for social media, these lighthearted video shorts show that their department can have some fun with the community. Funny social media videos are a creative recruiting idea that increases views and engagement across your recruiting platforms.
NUMBER 4
One of the most unique aspects of your law enforcement agency are the officers that make the team. Our next creative police recruiting strategy is to produce content around specific members of your department. This video strategy allows your department to share the individual stories of those who serve your community and city.
Berkeley PD attracts people from all walks of life, making it a perfect opportunity to capture a behind the scenes look into where they came from. In this series of recruiting videos, we peek into what makes each of them a special contribution to their law enforcement agency.
NUMBER 5
Last but not least, the final creative police recruiting strategy is developing an online digital marketing campaign to reach a more diverse pool of candidates. Seems complicated, but having a cohesive, omnichannel marketing campaign will allow your department to be seen across the web.
This is a critical strategy and idea to implement as traditional ways of recruiting are now a thing of the past. Relying solely on job boards and career fairs just doesn’t provide the best ROI. In today’s digital age, you must promote your department, digitally. Take a look at the difference between digital vs. traditional recruiting to see the importance of making the switch.
5 Creative Police Recruiting Strategies
These are only a few of the many creative police recruiting strategies out there. The fact is, your department is unique in its own way. Epic Recruiting finds those aspects and shines a light on it. Our bread and butter is creating a brand through high-quality video production and photography all while developing a cohesive online recruiting campaign to reach qualified applicants.
Now, explore other case studies and see the potential of your law enforcement agency. Chat with us today and let’s get to work.