Sounds crazy? Maybe. But hear me out.
For years, HR has been stuck in admin mode: payroll, compliance, policies, and recruitment.
Meanwhile, companies are crying out for effective employer branding, better candidate experiences, and a stronger internal culture.
Guess who already knows how to do that stuff?
Yes, it’s the Marketing Department.
They build corporate brands.
Sadly, too many in HR destroy their own corporate brands by unprofessional behavior.
Even worse, you have to wonder why many CEOs do not pay more attention to this issue.
Shooting yourself in the foot comes to mind.
The golden rule in behavior
Did your mom not tell you about the moral principle known as the Golden Rule?
You should treat others the way you want to be treated yourself
Try going to Glassdoor or other websites where candidates, applicants, current, and former employees anonymously review companies.
Think TripAdvisor for candidates and employees – and that is what Glassdoor is all about.
The Number 1 complaint
One of the most common complaints you can read about is feedback from candidates regarding the recruitment and hiring process.
Based on this feedback, it appears that many HR and/or TA (Talent Acquisition) departments have neglected the importance of treating and communicating properly with job seekers.
Personnel Dept was in Finance; where should HR be?
If you are old enough, you will remember that the Personnel Department typically reported to the Head of Finance.
In the past, we focused on headcounts, where employees were viewed as an expense, and the Personnel Department was occupied with calculating salaries and overtime.
In the past 20 to 30 years, I’m pleased to acknowledge that many companies have changed the department name from Personnel to Human Resources, People & Culture, or HR Business Partner.
The current focus has primarily shifted to hiring, training, retaining, and motivating the workforce.
Many business leaders have recognized the importance of separating HR from Finance and establishing a direct reporting line to the CEO.
It’s now all about people, yes. Hiring talent and retention have become a strategic challenge.
Why do CEOs ignore how HR manages hiring?
Why do so many CEOs allow this to happen?
The lack of empathy towards candidates, the lack of communication, and the lack of ISO-type recruitment procedures create negative reviews on the internet and “negative goodwill”.
Only one person will walk away happy, i.e., the candidate who landed the job.
Ask yourself, what if… what if the other 99% would also walk away praising the hiring process and your company, even if they were not successful getting the job?
If you treat the candidates who didn’t get the job with respect, they will become great ambassadors for your brand – if you get it right.
Why is candidate experience important?
If your product or service consistently receives negative reviews from customers, I’m sure it would be at the top of your agenda to address. Right?
You must consider candidate experience in the same way you think about your customers’ experience.
I don’t have to remind you about the power of social media.
A candidate who is in your hiring process but not impressed – or worst case very frustrated and angry – can instantly recount an experience and share their feelings on the internet to a large audience.
Reminder! Among the candidates in your hiring process, you will very likely have potential customers for your products or services.
This could cause significantly more damage to the brand than it did before the social media and internet era.
3 reasons why Talent Acquisition should be in Marketing
- Employer branding is just branding (and Marketing owns that).
Your job ads, career page, Glassdoor reviews, even your LinkedIn feed, that’s all brand.
And Marketing knows how to tell stories, run campaigns, and build emotional connections. HR usually doesn’t.
- Candidate experience = customer experience.
Think of candidates like leads in a funnel. The best ones bounce when your process is clunky or your brand feels cold.
Marketing lives and breathes funnel optimization. Let them fix it.
- Culture is an internal campaign
Culture isn’t ping-pong tables. It conveys values, rituals, stories, and a vibe.
Marketing can drive internal comms like a brand campaign — consistent, visual, and on message.
HR alone? Not their strength.
Take this action now
If you want HR to be strategic, creative, and people-focused, team them up with the storytellers.
Move HR under Marketing, and watch things shift from process to experience.
Perception is reality, and that is what Marketing is working on day in and day out.
Attracting an audience to products and services, or attracting talented candidates to your organization, is better managed by Marketing experts than by activity-driven Talent Acquisition recruiters.
