Water Utilities Recruitment Campaign
In June 2023, the City of Hurst Water Utilities Division faced a hiring challenge. In an effort to help fill 11 vacancies, the pay rates for Technician I , II, III, and Crew Leader positions were increased. I partnered with the Human Resources Department to launch a recruitment campaign to help inform the public about the increased pay rate and hopefully gain interest for people to apply for these positions.
The goals for this campaign included:
Promote increased pay rates
Fill 11 positions: Crew Leaders and Technicians
Recruit people interested in a viable career path without requiring a college degree
Recruit people with experience
The channels used to promote these open positions included:
Paid Social Media Ads
Digital Billboard
Targeted Postcard Mailouts
Recruitment Video
After the first week of the campaign, we had a 160% increase in applications compared to the 12 days leading up to the campaign launch.
By the end of August 2023, seven out of 11 vacancies have been filled, and morale within the Water Utilities Division is at an all-time high.
Paid Social Media Ads
We launched social media ads on Facebook and Instagram and ran them for six weeks. During this time, we had 114 clicks on our link, leading to our Open Positions webpage that hosted the job description and application.
The ad copy read:
Join Team Hurst! We are currently hiring Water Utilities Crew Leaders starting at $25/hour and Technicians I, II, and III starting at $20 an hour! Hurst employees receive rich benefits for employees and their families to enjoy. These positions are responsible for all facets of the water distribution infrastructure, such as water mains, water meters, and water services.
There are many opportunities for advancement when joining our Water Utilities Division. It's an excellent career path with continuous training and support from our leadership team. There's no need for a college degree, just a desire to work alongside a great team to serve our community that we all get to enjoy!
To learn more about our current job openings and to apply online, visit hursttx.gov/openpositions.
Organic Social Media Posts
We also posted organic content to our social media accounts to help reach potential applicants.
Water Utilities Recruitment Video
In this recruitment video, two Hurst Water Utilities Technicians share about their experience working for the City of Hurst and serving the community. I worked with a contract videographer to create this recruitment tool to showcase what all goes into being a Hurst Water Utilities Technician.
Targeted Postcard Mailouts
To reach current Water Utilities professionals with some level of experience, we mailed out targeted postcards to those in the area who currently serve in a similar role. I designed the postcards and worked with our printer to print and mail the postcards. This tool has been key in helping us fill our remaining four vacancies. We currently have several experienced applicants lined up for interviews after receiving this postcard.
Digital Billboard
We partnered with Clear Channel Outdoor to feature our recruitment promo on the digital billboard located at Loop 820/Pipeline Rd. I chose this location because it allowed an estimated 2 million drivers to pass by the billboard during the four weeks it was live.
