FCO Services, a trading fund of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, received responses into the “hundreds” from its recent 2D barcode recruitment campaign for security and technology experts.

Potential candidates for the worldwide specialist technical and communications service scanned a 2D barcode in a print ad using their mobile phone, which took them to a simple WAP site where they could find out more and progress their application.

An FCO Services spokesperson told Recruiter that the response had been “very encouraging” from people who look to have the right skills and experience. Additionally, it has helped to enhance FCO’s profile as an employer of choice. “We are actively building our employer brand to promote ourselves as a professional, forward-looking and innovative organisation,” said the spokesperson. “We want to attract the very best and so using innovative ways to reach a diverse audience is important to us.”

While it marks the first use of a 2D barcode in recruitment in the UK, Marco Bertozzi, director of digital media at TMP Worldwide, who worked with FCO Services on the campaign, told Recruiter this wasn’t about a technological first but about using a technology that reflected the needs of the account team at the time. The technology behind the project was the Mobile Marketing Platform from TMP Worldwide’s mobile partner, Velti.

“FCO Services briefed us on wanting to attract a set of candidates who were technically minded and also wanted to use a self-screening advertising method,” he said. “The technology needed to scan the barcode is available on newer mobile phones or you can download the software. The sort of people FCO Services was looking for would recognise the need to do this.”

Bertozzi explained that 2D barcodes are variations of the barcodes we are all familiar with but are able to hold more information — in this case, a link to www.fcossecurity.mobi.

With many people still finding their feet when it comes to mobile websites, one of the benefits to recruiters is that they offer a shortcut to send people to mobile URLs where they can find out more about a position and say whether they would like to be contacted.

FCO Services says it is also looking at the use of mobile phones and social networking sites as part of its attraction strategy.
www.tmpw.co.uk
www.velti.com