Organizations ranging from bands, museums, and public parks to Walt Disney World Resort have successfully used QR codes to attract and engage with their target audiences.
You can use the same techniques to innovate your onboarding practices. We’ll show you how below.
Lure Them in at Hiring Events
If you take a stroll along Nashville’s John Seigenthaller Pedestrian Bridge, you’ll likely spot dozens of QR codes stuck to benches, trashcans, railings, and even the ground. Each one is embedded in a colorful sticker representing a local musical artist or band.
What is the reason for this? Many aspiring artists flock to Music City to get their start, but it can be difficult to be heard in this competitive environment. So, the artists gamble that at least a few of the thousands of tourists crossing the walking bridge every day will use customized QR codes to discover their new favorite song.
You can use a similar technique at your next hiring event. With the venue’s permission, put up banners or flyers with QR codes inviting attendees to your booth.
You may even find success using this technique near your business’s brick-and-mortar location if it receives ample foot traffic. Think of it as a high-tech “help wanted” sign. Just make sure you don’t stick stickers on someone else’s property without their permission.
Keep in Touch
Sharing contact information was the third most trending use of QR codes in 2023. Compared to a “digital handshake,” this transfer of information can be done using printed QR codes or a code displayed on the screen of your phone.
Recruiters can offer their contact information to potential candidates in this way. A vCard saved on the candidate’s phone is much less likely to get lost than a traditional business card.
Help Them Learn About Your Company
While strolling through a community park, I once spotted a QR code on an interpretive sign. It introduced a tour of the park’s restored wetland. As I tread the boardwalk around the marsh, additional signs held QR codes, each linking to interesting facts about the natural world.
You can use this technique to recruit or to help candidates get to know your company when they come in for interviews. Consider creating a self-guided tour of your campus using QR code stations. Don’t neglect to include quirky facts that will help the candidate get a feel for the company culture.
Perhaps offer incentives, such as a free item for scanning the code at the cafeteria or a themed wallpaper download once a certain number of codes have been scanned.
Turn a Waiting Game into an Actual Game
If you’ve ever been to Disney World, you know that the lines can be long—hours long. While waiting for a ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I noticed stylized QR codes along the wall and tucked into thematic displays. Using the Disney Play app, I scanned them and accessed a fun, themed game that helped pass the time as the line inched forward.
Just like kids in a theme park line, nervous candidates can get antsy waiting for their interview. Consider including a QR code in the waiting area that allows them to access trivia about the company or a gamified skills test. This will help them pass the time while providing useful information or feedback.
Help Them Out After the Hire
Long ago, you could pick up a set of headphones at many museums’ front desks to listen to self-guided audio tours as you viewed the displays. Today, this is usually accomplished by scanning a QR code near the exhibit with your smartphone.
You can similarly provide new hires with additional information where and whenever they need it. Near elevators and stairwells, provide a QR code linking to the directory or floor map. Provide codes linking to usage instructions for shared equipment such as copy machines or coffee makers.
In the office, post a QR code linking to the company’s guest Wifi login. You might be surprised how many pain points you can remedy by keeping useful information so easily at hand to improve the employee experience.
Ask for Feedback
Many public institutions welcome user feedback by posting a survey QR code near the exit. You can do the same. Allow a QR code feedback survey to digitally replace the traditional suggestions box.
Key Takeaways
Being slow to adopt new technologies can cost you. It may seem like QR codes are old news—they were first released in 1994—but they boomed in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Companies such as Microsoft have predicted that QR codes are here to stay. With a little creativity, you can use QR codes to attract recruits to your company, maintain contact with them, help them get to know your business, and instruct them after hiring. When you employ the uses described above, QR codes can help you build relationships with and improve the retention of contented, well-adjusted hires.
