AFCS
Hiring Made Easier with an Integrated Marketing Strategy
Pilot Simulator Instructors Recruitment Initiative
With more than 40 flight simulator trainer vacancies, Air Force Civilian Service (AFCS) was desperate for a new recruitment solution to attract experienced pilots to train the next generation of Air Force pilots. An already competitive job market and a nationwide pilot shortage was making it nearly impossible to find qualified candidates.
Collaborating with AFCS recruiters and current flight trainers, MarCom Group crafted an ambitious new messaging approach contrasting schedule demands on commercial airline pilots and the attractive AFCS alternative, specifically evenings and weekends off and holidays at home.
Further, our unique strategy with paid media and organic marketing capitalized on the December holiday season. The paid media plan used reliable data sources to identify pilots for precision delivery of display banner ads and social media ads to pilots coming off red-eye shifts during the evening hours when they would be most likely to be online and possibly job hunting. We also used the existing AFCS talent pool to deliver nearly 8,500 emails to those with an interest in pilot positions.
All advertising was linked to the AFCS website featuring a video with current pilot trainers describing the rewards and responsibilities of the job. The site also listed the available positions, explained qualification requirements such as previous flight training time, gave tips for developing a federal resume, and detailed the benefits enjoyed by federal civilian employees. Finally, UTM pixels embedded in the landing page created the opportunity to retarget a Pilot Trainer Landing Page on the potential candidates with follow-on ads reinforcing the attractive AFCS-as-an-alternative-employer message.
Rounding out the strategy was a special episode of the AFCS webinar series, Aim Hire, in which a panel of pilot trainers and AFCS recruiters discussed opportunities for experienced pilots, their role in training Air Force pilots, the mission they support, what it takes to be an instructor, and the inclusive and supportive culture at AFCS.
In the end, MarCom Group’s unique campaign strategy resulted in the receipt of 41 applications from nearly 11,500 landing page views with a conversion rate well above industry standards. AFCS has since made 12 candidate selections–11 attributed directly to our campaigns–and has several more candidates in their recruitment pipeline.
