Modern Methods of Candidate Attraction: Is There Room for Innovation in Mass Recruitment?

1 September 2025

The shortage of labor has long been a global problem. Employers in Belarus face staff shortages in manufacturing, logistics, retail, and services.

This problem cannot be solved simply by increasing the number of recruiters or making more calls. Ordinary job postings on websites no longer yield enough responses. Cold calls are losing effectiveness — candidates don’t answer or send recruiters to spam.

To attract personnel amid labor shortages, companies need to stand out among competitors, find hidden candidates, and establish a convenient and fast hiring process.

The solution is innovative recruitment.

What is innovative recruitment in mass hiring?

Many mistakenly believe that innovative recruitment means placing job ads at the top, highlighting postings with color, or targeted social media ads.

In reality, it is a personnel attraction strategy based on creative methods, hypothesis testing, and the implementation of digital solutions.

The tools of innovative recruitment constantly change: today video ads and stories work, tomorrow chatbots and flash mobs, and the day after tomorrow — gamification and artificial intelligence.

To successfully fill mass recruitment vacancies, it’s important to experiment and find new approaches.

Gamification in vacancies: how does it work?

Gamification in recruitment is a key HR trend in Belarus.

Game mechanics make job searching interesting and engaging. Companies using this tool stand out from competitors and attract candidates’ attention.

Gamification is especially relevant for large manufacturing companies, retail chains, and logistics operators that regularly hire employees for mass occupations.

Among Adviros’ clients in Belarus, no more than 20 companies use gamification in recruitment. Most often, game elements are used in retail and logistics — for hiring couriers, pickers, and operators.

However, there are also unique cases in manufacturing.

One of our clients implemented gamification to recruit highly skilled workers. Two approaches are used:

• Production process simulator — allows candidates to understand the specifics of the work before starting a shift.

• Game-based tests — assess logical thinking, decision-making speed, and teamwork skills.

This increases candidate motivation, reduces refusal rates, and improves the employer’s image.

Video ads and stories as a mass recruitment tool

Another effective employee search method is the video format.

During the pandemic, employers faced a new challenge: they urgently needed personnel, but candidates could not visit production sites to learn about working conditions. That’s when video ads began to be widely used. Now it is a standard for mass recruitment.

Manufacturing personnel are an ideal audience for video ads. Why? Job descriptions don’t always convey the nature of the work.

For example:

In one company, a "line operator" presses three buttons and calls a technician if there is a problem. In another, the same title involves moving heavy parts and working with hand tools. In both cases, the job title is the same, but the functions differ!

Video clearly shows working conditions, expected skills, and the workplace atmosphere. Moreover, the video format simplifies recruiters’ work. Even experienced specialists cannot always accurately explain technical nuances of a vacancy, while a short video resolves this in seconds.

How to make video ads more effective?

• Add animation, emotions, and dynamics.

• Showcase corporate culture.

• Use original formats, such as challenges, “Try to repeat” stories, or teasers like “We are looking for you!”

Hyper-targeted advertising: the new level of recruitment

Hyper-targeted advertising is one of the most precise and effective mass recruitment tools.

It differs from regular targeting by analyzing user behavior, interests, income level, internet activity, and even geolocation.

With artificial intelligence, ads can be fine-tuned so that only truly interested candidates see the vacancies.

Creative Adviros Belarus cases in hyper-targeted ads:

• Ads focused on female candidates (as the decision to change jobs is often made within families).

• Geolocation targeting not on the company’s district but on competitor enterprises.

• Personalized content depending on the device from which the candidate accesses the internet.

Mass recruitment is not just about posting vacancies.

The modern labor market demands new approaches:

• Gamification makes recruitment interesting and interactive.

• Video ads help candidates immediately understand the job.

• Hyper-targeted advertising attracts the precise audience.

The key is not to be afraid to experiment.

Adviros is already applying innovative tools in mass recruitment. Are you ready for change?

Lyubov Smirnova, Head of Mass Recruitment at Adviros Belarus.