Recruiting top academic talent is always a challenge, but when the University of Strathclyde set out to hire 16 high-impact academics in late 2024, the stakes were even higher. The brief was clear: target globally, prioritise diversity and inclusion, and deliver results fast, all within a six-week window.
At Webrecruit, we specialise in bringing strategic campaigns like this to life. By combining data-driven advertising with authentic messaging, we helped Strathclyde reach the widest possible talent pool and deliver on their goals.
The Challenge and Our Mission
Strathclyde’s Chancellor’s Fellow roles required exceptional candidates, particularly in STEM disciplines, and the recruitment team needed a solution that went beyond traditional academic job boards. Their objectives were threefold:
- Fill all roles quickly through global reach and high-quality hires
- Increase representation, with a focus on women in STEM, BAME, and disabled candidates
- Stay within strict budget controls
Our mission was to design a campaign that met these objectives, engaging both active and passive candidates across the academic landscape while embedding diversity and inclusion at the heart of the process.
Reaching the Right People in the Right Places
For this campaign to succeed, we knew it needed more than simply posting the roles online. It required a clear, joined-up plan that reached the right people at the right time. We built a strategy that covered the full candidate journey, from raising awareness to encouraging applications:
- LinkedIn to engage passive, top-tier academics worldwide
- Google Ads to capture active searchers exploring global opportunities
- Facebook for awareness and retargeting, ensuring visibility across audiences
- THE (Times Higher Education) and HigherEdJobs to reach specialist academic job seekers
By combining broad-reach digital platforms with specialist channels, we ensured that no opportunity was missed to connect with diverse candidates globally.
Embedding Diversity and Inclusion
DE&I wasn’t an afterthought, it was the foundation of the campaign. All advertising materials celebrated diversity in STEM, highlighted the university’s equity commitments, and promoted real opportunities for underrepresented academics.
This authentic messaging resonated with candidates, building trust and positioning Strathclyde as a forward-thinking, inclusive employer of choice.
Data-Driven Optimisation
A six-week campaign leaves no room for complacency. Real-time monitoring was essential to maximise results. We tracked engagement, spend, and applications by region and channel, optimising as we went.
Key metrics included:
- Impressions and reach
- Click-through and conversion rates
- Cost-per-hire
This approach treated the campaign like a performance-led digital media buy, not just a static job posting, ensuring every pound spent worked harder.
A Campaign That Delivered
The results speak for themselves:
- 14 out of 16 roles filled (87.5% success rate)
- £1,813 average cost-per-hire
- 683 candidates shortlisted across 14 roles
- Diversity outcomes that exceeded previous years:
- 8 BAME hires, 5 women (3 in STEM roles), and 2 disabled academics
- 32% female applications vs. 17.7% in 2023
- 7.45% applications from candidates with disabilities vs. 3.4% in 2023
- Global reach spanning 13 countries
The campaign not only met Strathclyde’s goals but also demonstrated the power of a multi-channel, DE&I-focused recruitment strategy for academic hiring.
What This Means for You
Whether you’re recruiting a handful of roles or launching a large-scale academic campaign, the lessons are clear:
- Define SMART objectives from the outset
- Map the candidate journey and align channels accordingly
- Make DE&I messaging central, not optional
- Optimise with data in real time
- Capture results and turn them into case studies for future campaigns
At Webrecruit, we bring together job board expertise, digital marketing know-how, and a commitment to inclusion to deliver outstanding results. If you’re planning your next recruitment campaign, we’d love to support you.
Get in touch today to explore how a tailored multi-channel strategy can help you achieve your goals.
