Filling open jobs can be stressful, and it hasn’t been made easier for employers in today’s candidate-driven job market. Job seekers in today’s market are presented with numerous opportunities. In order to attract the most qualified candidates, employers need to go above and beyond. Recruiters should consider developing a comprehensive strategy. Wondering where to start? Here’s what four beauty companies are doing throughout the recruiting process to attract employees.

SEPHORA Sephora is a cosmetic retailer housed under the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) umbrella, the world’s leading luxury goods group. A quick glance at their Glassdoor profile reveals that employees are pretty satisfied working there. The company has a 3.7 star rating, considerably higher than the average 3.3 star Glassdoor rating. In addition, the CEO, Calvin McDonald, has a 94 percent approval rating and was named a Highest Rated CEO in both 2015 and 2016. With numbers like this, it is clear that Sephora is doing something right.

Upon examining Sephora’s recruiting process, it becomes clear that one place they excel is managing their employer brand. Research shows that a company’s employer brand can be a very powerful recruiting tool; a Glassdoor survey revealed that 69 percent of respondents would apply for a job at a company that actively manages their brand. So how does Sephora manage their brand?

• Sephora keeps their company career site current. It is simple to find information about their purpose and values, perks and benefits, and talent community.
• The company uses websites like Glassdoor and LinkedIn to engage with their employer brand online. For instance, on Glassdoor, Sephora provides regular company updates, an overview of why people should work for them, their awards and accolades, and the benefits they offer.
• Sephora also utilizes social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to share content relevant to their candidates and engage in conversations that support their brand, recently tweeting a photo of their new store opening in San Francisco. On Facebook, they shared information about their acceleration program for female entrepreneurs.

LUSH Lush is a cosmetics company rooted in taking an ethical approach to producing their products. Lush employees seem to be pretty happy at work based on their Glassdoor reviews. Lush has a 3.7 star rating and an 83 percent approval rating of CEO Mark Constantine, both significantly above the average ratings. In addition, it was named a Best Place to Work in 2017.

Lush takes a very comprehensive approach—starting at the very beginning of the recruiting process—with job postings. This is oftentimes a company’s first interaction with a candidate; it is important to make a good first impression. Lush does this in a few ways:

• Lush’s job postings are SEO friendly, meaning that they have straightforward titles (hello Social Media Editor, DevOps Engineer, Spa Therapist), are aligned with standard industry terms, and avoid abbreviations that could get lost between industries. Glassdoor has found that job titles with lengths between 12 to 20 characters have the highest click-through rates. Check out the three jobs listed above; they all fall within that range of characters.
• Lush doesn’t forget any of the basics. Sure, it might be more fun to post about all the cool perks associated with your company. But in the end, candidates are looking for the key details. Lush job postings include these: job title, locations, responsibilities, expectations, minimum qualifications, and steps to apply. Looking for an example? Check out Lush’s recent opening for a Social Media Editor to remind you what to include.

ESTÉE LAUDER Estée Lauder is a prestige beauty company with products sold in over 150 countries under countless brand names. Estée Lauder’s Glassdoor profile shows a 3.6 star rating and a 94 percent approval rating of the CEO, Fabrizio Freda. Both of these ratings run quite a bit above the average. We can glean one main lesson from Estée Lauder’s recruiting process—the importance of leveraging an employee referral program. Why do employee referrals matter? They can be one of the best ways to find qualified applicants. In fact, Jobvite research shows that employee referrals only comprise seven percent of applications, but make up 40 percent of all new hires. Furthermore, the same study reveals that referral hires stay at their company longer than other hires. So, what do we know about Estée Lauder utilizing employee referrals?

• Of the four companies covered in this article, Estée Lauder has the highest rate on Glassdoor, at 19 percent, of candidates getting an interview through a referral. This is almost triple the average from the aforementioned Jobvite research.
• They offer a formal employee referral program. While no details are revealed, the best programs offer an easy way for employees to submit referrals and track them, as well as incentivize referrals with monetary rewards.

CLINIQUE Clinique is one of many segments of Estée Lauder. The company appears to have satisfied employees based on their 3.9 star rating on Glassdoor and 81 percent approval rating of the CEO. Clinique prides itself on its investment into the growth and development of their employees, and invests in their applicants from the very beginning by engaging throughout the entire interview process. This is important because a popular complaint among job seekers is that employers don’t communicate openly and regularly throughout the process. This isn’t the case with Clinique, according to their Glassdoor reviews about the interview process.

• Clinique has the highest percentage of applicants citing a positive interview experience on Glassdoor of the four companies covered in this article. Of reviewers, 67 percent had a positive experience, 24 percent said it was neutral, and only 9 percent indicated that they had a negative experience.
• Who better to assess the process than candidates who experienced it firsthand? In general, candidates said that they heard back promptly throughout each stage of the interview process, from submitting their application, to completing the Talent Plus phone interview, to landing an in-person interview. Many interviewees express that the process was “quickly, timely, and fair” and that “overall the whole process was amazing and very welcoming!”

Revamping your recruiting process can be quite time-intensive and require a significant investment of resources. However, remember that it doesn’t need to happen overnight! Consider implementing some of the lessons discussed above over time—and before you know it, you will have a much more positive recruiting strategy in place.