Building on the revamp of the Oberstown advertising branding and the launch of the slogan – Shaping Lives, Building Futures – last year, we decided that as well as using our regular channels of advertising, we needed to focus more attention on digital advertising and social media content. To this end, we created a native package showcasing everyday life in Oberstown.  Our staff are proud of the work they do, and the young people they work with, and this was a chance for them to talk about the job in their own words. The idea behind this was to give prospective employees a glimpse of what Oberstown is really like – behind the headlines.

Additionally, we are increasingly using social media platforms – LinkedIn and Twitter, not only as a recruitment tool, but as a way to push out the many positive aspects of working in Oberstown. Results from this new way of approaching recruitment will tell over time, but a week into the campaign, we have already seen a significant increase in traffic on our website compared to our last campaign. Tellingly, of some 2,259 visitors to the website this past week, 85% are new to our website, and 68% came through mobile devices.

So while we know many of the challenges we face in terms of recruitment – such as the current marketplace and the strong competition in the sector – are outside of our control, it is nevertheless incumbent on us to do what we can to encourage the very best candidates to our campus. If that means allowing the outside world in, showcasing our services, and bringing ourselves to a new digital audience, then so be it.

If you are interested in applying for a role, go to our Working in Oberstown page.