Learn how you can better communicate benefits to candidates and attract the best talent for your organization.

1. Talent Attraction: Touting Benefits that
Resonate with the Candidates You Seek

2. Contents
Introduction
Communication and ROI
Build a case for benefits
Return on recruitment advertising
Better conversion rates
Figure 1: Job Applications: Click-Through to Conversion Rate
Attract more applicants
Figure 2: Filling Jobs: Employer Experience, United States
Determining what candidates want
Even a good benefit may not benefit all
What millennials want
What working parents want
Generational priorities
Putting it all together
Advertising focus
Driving job seekers to the careers site
Figure 3: PwC Careers, Career Growth
Figure 4: PwC Careers, Career Growth
Talking about benefits
Making the connection
Visuals matter
Job seekers research prospective employers
Where to focus
Don’t forget ‘other’ employees
Endnotes
About the Author
2
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5
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1 / 12Talent Attraction: Touting Benefits that Resonate with the Candidates You Seek

3. 2 / 12Talent Attraction: Touting Benefits that Resonate with the Candidates You Seek
When it comes to employee benefits, the ideal talent attraction equation looks something like
this: Employer determines what benefits job candidates want; employer offers benefits that meet
candidate expectations; employer articulates these benefits — in job postings, at the corporate
careers site, via social media, and elsewhere.
The good news is that many companies today recognize benefits are an important component of
talent attraction and structure their offerings accordingly. But more can be done to communicate
these offerings to attract the right candidates.
There are several reasons to make benefits communication, at the point of recruitment, a
priority.
Build a case for benefits
Not only will doing so help with talent attraction. It will help justify the expense associated with
those benefits.1
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), on average, benefits add 34.1 percent to a
full-time employee’s salary — and BLS only includes paid leave, supplemental pay, health
insurance, retirement and savings, and legally required benefits in its calculation.2
It doesn’t, for example, take into account costs associated with education, training, and career
development, which fall under the big umbrella of employee benefits. When taken in totality,
benefits represent an even larger expense category for organizations.
Return on recruitment advertising
Effective benefits communication also has return on investment (ROI) implications for
recruitment advertising. By sharing benefits information that resonates with job candidates, the
likelihood of interest in a job opportunity increases, resulting in more applicants.
Better conversion rates
Consider that research from Appcast, a provider of programmatic recruitment advertising, finds
for every 100 candidates who click through from a job advertisement to a recruitment portal on a
desktop device, an average of eight will complete a job application.
Communication and ROI
Introduction

4. 3 / 12Talent Attraction: Touting Benefits that Resonate with the Candidates You Seek
Clearly, these numbers suggest there is a lot of room for improvement.
Attract more applicants
In an economic environment where talent attraction has become more challenging, every job
application matters. The 2016/2017 Talent Shortage Survey from workforce solutions provider
ManpowerGroup finds 46 percent of employers are having difficulty filling jobs in the United
States. The top reason? Lack of applicants/no applicants.4
Better conversion rates
Consider that research from Appcast, a provider of programmatic recruitment advertising, finds
for every 100 candidates who click through from a job advertisement to a recruitment portal on a
desktop device, an average of eight will complete a job application. That’s only 8 percent. On
mobile devices, the click-through to conversion rate is even lower: 1.5 percent.3
Figure 2:
ManpowerGroup surveyed more than 42,300 employers
in 43 countries.
Figure 1:
Appcast analyzed more than 250,000 job applications.
DifficultNot Difficult
60%
Desktop device
Job Applications: Click-Through to Conversion Rate
Per 100 Applications
Filling Jobs: Employer Experience, United States
Difficulty, by percentage
Mobile device
50%
80%
70%
90%
100%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
10%
54% 46%
1.8%

5. 4 / 12
Determining what candidates want
Yet, touting benefits in order to attract candidates is not as clear-cut as it sounds.
Employers typically offer an array of benefits, and many simply include a laundry list, aiming for a
cumulative effect. But is this the best strategy? Isn’t it preferable to hone in on the benefits that
are most important to the candidates an organization seeks?
Even a good benefit may not benefit all
By way of example, professional services firm Deloitte recently announced it will offer up to 16
weeks paid time off for eldercare.5
It’s unlikely this benefit will resonate with 20-something job
seekers with young, healthy parents.
Deloitte has been promoting the benefit as part of a new, broader family leave program that
provides “support for eldercare, spousal care, and children beyond the birth stage.” 6
Family leave has been a hot-button issue recently, and is no doubt a valuable benefit. Still, is it a
priority for all job candidate audiences?
What millennials want
Deloitte’s own research shows family leave benefits aren’t even on millennials’ radar when
evaluating job opportunities. Millennials’ top five considerations when evaluating a potential
employer are good work/life balance; opportunities to progress/be leaders; flexibility, i.e., remote
working, flexible hours; sense of meaning from work; and professional development training
programs.7
What working parents want
Another survey, this one of parents with children age 18 or younger, conducted by career site
FlexJobs, finds work flexibility tops the list of factors most important when considering a new job.
A full 84 percent of working parents point to it as the most important factor. Meanwhile, 80
percent of working parents look for work/life balance when considering a new job.8
Generational priorities
Still another survey, conducted by research marketing firm Gallup, provides insight into what
different generations look for when applying for a job. It finds millennials’ most important
criterion is the opportunity to learn and grow. For Gen Xers, this is number four on the list; for
baby boomers, it is number five.9
The research suggests that a company should identify its candidate audience and target its
benefits marketing messages accordingly.
Talent Attraction: Touting Benefits that Resonate with the Candidates You Seek

6. 5 / 12
Putting it all together
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a provider of assurance, advisory, and tax services, has done
exactly that.
The firm’s global survey of millennials finds the top five factors that make an organization an
attractive employer are opportunities for career progression; competitive wages and other
financial incentives; excellent training and development programs; good benefits packages,
including pensions, healthcare; and flexible work arrangements available.
When looking at these categories more closely, it becomes clear that two of the top three
categories point to the same requirement on the part of millennial job seekers: they want
employment opportunities that will allow them to learn and grow.
PwC offers career development, and promotes it as a major benefit of working for the company.
This message is articulated in a variety of ways, and reinforced throughout the recruitment
process.
Advertising focus
In job postings, many employers include benefits of working for the organization below the
description of the job, as an afterthought. PwC puts career development first.
Here is how a job posting for a global mobility services professional assistant begins:
Talent Attraction: Touting Benefits that Resonate with the Candidates You Seek
PwC is a network of firms committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax and advisory
services.
We help resolve complex issues for our clients and identify opportunities. Learn more
about us at www.pwc.com/us
At PwC, we develop leaders at all levels. The distinctive leadership framework we call the
PwC Professional (http://pwc.to/pwcpro) provides our people with a road map to grow
their skills and build their careers. Our approach to ongoing development shapes
employees into leaders, no matter the role or job title.
Are you ready to build a career in a rapidly changing world? Developing as a PwC
Professional means that you will be ready - to create and capture opportunities to
advance your career and fulfill your potential. To learn more, visit us at
www.pwc.com/careers

7. 6 / 12Talent Attraction: Touting Benefits that Resonate with the Candidates You Seek
The job posting goes on to provide additional details about the company and then, and only
then, describes the position.
For millennials, as well as others who seek career development and career growth, the message
is clear: check out what PwC offers.
As important, the job posting provides multiple links where would-be applicants can find out
more.
Driving job seekers to the careers site
One of these links is to the section of the careers site that describes the company’s leadership
framework, PwC Professional. Visitors to this area of the site are immediately able to explore
career growth — it’s the first item on the right. A link leads to a page all about career growth at
PwC.
At the top of the page is the message that every career path is different. Below this message is a
video called “The story of Taylor.”
When viewing this video, a job seeker might expect to learn about someone named Taylor who
works for the firm. But the video isn’t one person’s story; it’s the story of five PwC associates,
three men and two women, who share the name Taylor. Each person speaks about aspects of
their PwC experience — and career development, coaching, and work-life balance have different
significance for their individual lives. The video ends with two screens. The first reads, “This is the
opportunity of a lifetime,” while the second reads, “Grow your own way.”
Figure 3:
PwC Careers, Career Growth.
http://www.pwc.com/us/en/careers/campus/why-pwc/career-growth.html

8. 7 / 12Talent Attraction: Touting Benefits that Resonate with the Candidates You Seek
The messaging may resonate with candidates other than millennials, but the messaging is
“taylored” for this audience. In the United States, the firm hires 11,000 college students annually,
and among its 49,000 U.S. employees, the average age is 28.
“This generation is interested in more than just money,” says Alexa Merschel, U.S. campus talent
acquisition leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers. “Millennials ask about benefits.”
Talking about benefits
PwC communicates its benefit offerings through various channels, including job postings, its
careers site, and social media, among others.
At every touch-point, benefits are part of the conversation. At college job fairs and other
in-person meetings, the firm hands interested student candidates a print brochure.
Directly below the video are large colorful boxes that explain how this growth will take place. They
read: Training, Coaching, Flexibility, Career Mobility, and Total Rewards. To the right of each
category is a description of what these mean at PwC.
Figure 4:
PwC Careers, Career Growth.
http://www.pwc.com/us/en/careers/campus/why-pwc/career-growth.html

9. Making the connection
8 / 12Talent Attraction: Touting Benefits that Resonate with the Candidates You Seek
The cover reads, “PwC’s development programs,” while Page 1 leads with the message, “How will
you grow your own way?”
The company shares a different print brochure with experienced job seekers. But it too speaks to
millennials’ desire for career development and advancement. The brochure’s cover reads, “Grow
your own way at PwC.”
While the firm has been highly successful in offering benefits that its candidate audience seeks,
and articulating these benefits, it recognizes the importance of staying current and continuing to
evolve its offerings.
“We’re always looking to the next benefit to provide,” says Merschel.
This past July, that next benefit became student loan paydown (SLP). All U.S. associates are
eligible for up to $1,200 per year for up to six years, or until they become managers. The benefit
is being offered in response to research that shows relief from student debt matters to
millennials.
PwC is communicating this benefit via various channels. At the careers site, it is listed on the
homepage in a red box on the right. A job seeker can find out more by following a link that leads
to a CNN article titled, “This employer gives you $1,200 per year to pay off student loans.”
In order to promote SLP, the firm has also collaborated with rapper Dee-1, whose song “Sallie
Mae Back” is about his own student loan repayment experience. Merschel and Dee-1 were
recently featured on Cheddar, a video news network covering innovative products, technologies,
and services that broadcasts live from the New York Stock Exchange, where they talked about
student loans.
PwC seeks unique ways to reinforce an already well-known brand, Merschel explains. “On our
radar is how to better articulate our culture, benefits, and our opportunities,” she says.
Kasey Sixt, vice president for CKR Interactive, a recruitment marketing and employer branding
agency, finds that most companies understand the importance of articulating benefits in order to
differentiate themselves from the competition. Indeed, Sixt views articulating benefits as one of
the pillars of employer branding messaging.

10. Where to focus
9 / 12Talent Attraction: Touting Benefits that Resonate with the Candidates You Seek
What’s more, she finds that through social media and better job descriptions, even smaller
employers can effectively share information about the employee benefits they offer. “Social
media is really an equalizer because everyone has the same vehicles to tell their stories,” Sixt
says.
Visuals matter
Nevertheless, she recommends that employers do more than merely point to a benefit, no
matter how attractive it may be to a particular audience. Sixt strongly suggests including a visual
component, like an infographic, on social media, or bringing the benefit to life in video. “Tell the
story of your benefits,” she says.
She gives the example of a CKR client that offers flu shots for employees and their families as
part of a holistic approach to health and wellness, and tells how the client shares the experience
visually on social media. Showing benefits in action is powerful, Sixt says, noting “social media can
do that better than anything.”
Sixt also advocates for what she refers to as segmented user experiences to convey what’s
important to candidate audiences. Regardless of the message, though, she recommends less text
and more images. “Visual information is easy to digest,” she says.
Job seekers research prospective employers
Meanwhile, it’s important for employers to realize that, even as they intentionally communicate
with candidate personas through targeted messaging, job seekers are attempting to uncover all
they can on their own. “I think employees are very smart today, and they can research like we
couldn’t years ago,” Sixt says. She cites Glassdoor as a vehicle for learning about company
benefits.
The challenge, she says, “is how do you best utilize what’s important to that person you’re trying
to recruit.”
In an effort to attract candidates, some companies are dangling benefits like concierge services,
snacks, games, and other nice-to-have offerings.10
If these benefits sound familiar, it’s because in
the late 1990s, during the dot-com boom, similar benefits were used to try and lure talent.
However, such perks aren’t likely to matter all that much. “There’s more and more research out
there that all the cool perks might make the company sound cool, but they don’t always have real
impact,” says Sixt.

11. 10 / 12Talent Attraction: Touting Benefits that Resonate with the Candidates You Seek
Don’t forget ‘other’ employees
It’s likewise worth noting that when considering what benefits to offer, and subsequently which
to promote, the spotlight is usually on what will resonate with college interns and full-time,
salaried employees.
But, as Sixt points out, employers don’t want to overlook hourly candidates. “Think Starbucks
offering education benefits to all retail/hourly employees. Here, promoting those benefits to the
target audience can have tremendous impact at the attraction/apply phase,” she says.
Employers also don’t want to overlook seasonal workers when touting benefits. This year, 90
percent of retailers plan to hire seasonal employees, up 10 percent from last year.11
While many workers who take these jobs do so for the money, employee discounts are a big
draw during the holiday season. A seasonal associate interviewed by NBC Nightly News points to
the 40 percent discount cookie retailer Cheryl’s offers as the benefit that attracted her.12
Yet, in a Cheryl’s job posting for a seasonal full-time gift production associate, this generous
discount is not clearly communicated, and there are no specifics at the company’s website.
At the end of the job posting there is only this reference to the discount.
NBC reports that employers will struggle to fill seasonal positions this year.13
Better benefits
messaging may get more job seekers to bite — and allow companies to save time and reduce
recruitment advertising costs in the process.
We offer a casual work environment, competitive wages, and a tasty associate discount.
Pre-employment drug screen and background check required.
Additional Information:

12. 11 / 12
1
Steve Bates. “Making Benefits Measure Up.” HR Magazine, September 2016
2
“Employer Costs for Employee Compensation – June 2016.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
September 8, 2016, http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm
3
Chris Forman. “The Impact Of Mobile Recruiting On Click-to-apply Rates.” ERE, May 7, 2015,
https://www.eremedia.com/ere/the-impact-of-mobile-recruiting-on-click-to-apply-rates/
4
ManpowerGroup: 2016/2017 Talent Shortage Survey. ManpowerGroup, infographic,
http://www.manpowergroup.us/campaigns/talent-shortage/assets/pdf/2016-Talent-Shortage-Info
graphic.pdf
5
Rachel Emma Silverman. “Deloitte to Offer Paid Leave for Elder Caregiving.” The Wall Street
Journal, Sept. 8, 2016,
http://www.wsj.com/articles/deloitte-to-offer-paid-leave-for-elder-caregiving-1473336000
6
“Deloitte announces 16 weeks of fully paid family leave time for caregiving.” Deloitte, Sept. 8,
2016,
http://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/press-releases/deloitte-announces-
sixteen-weeks-of-fully-paid-family-leave-time-for-caregiving.html
7
“The Deloitte 2016 Millennial Study.” Deloitte,
https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/gx-millenial-s
urvey-2016-exec-summary.pdf
8
Stephen Miller. “Show Me the Flexibility.” HR Magazine, October 2016.
9
Brandon Rigoni, Ph.D. and Amy Adkins. “What Millennials Want from a New Job.” Harvard
Business Review, May 11, 2016, https://hbr.org/2016/05/what-millennials-want-from-a-new-job
10
Susan Milligan. “The Royal Treatment.” HR Magazine, September 2016.
11
“Major Retailers Expected to Go on Holiday Hiring Binge.” NBC Nightly News, Oct. 12, 2016,
http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/major-retailers-expected-to-go-on-holiday-hiring-bi
nge-784657987993
12
Ibid.
13
Ibid.
Talent Attraction: Touting Benefits that Resonate with the Candidates You Seek
Endnotes

13. About the Author
Paula Santonocito
Paula Santonocito is a business journalist and communications professional
specializing in employment issues. She is the author of more than 1,000
articles on a wide range of human resource and career topics, including
recruitment and hiring which she has covered since the early days of
Web-based employment advertising.
Her articles have been featured in many publications and information
outlets: HR Dive, Human Resource Executive, The Wall Street Journal, The
Florida Times-Union, Monster.com, and others. In addition, her work has
been posted at more than 100 websites, referenced in academic and legal
publications as well as books, and translated into several languages.
Paula has also served as managing editor of Recruiting Trends, U.S. features
editor of Online Recruitment Magazine, and AIRS News editor.
She brings a strong business background to her work as a journalist and
communications professional. She served as a vice president for a Fortune
500 corporation, and has management experience in a variety of work
environments.
Paula Santonocito holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Norwich
University, a Workforce Career Coach Facilitator (WCCF) certificate from
Thomas Edison State College, and has been awarded the Global Career
Development Facilitator (GCDF) designation from the Center for
Credentialing and Education (CCE).
Talent Attraction: Touting Benefits that Resonate with the Candidates You Seek 12 / 12