To gain a competitive advantage in today’s candidate-led job market, leading companies are investing in a cutting-edge recruiting strategy: Recruitment Marketing.

In a new research report by SmashFly Technologies, it was found that 34 percent of the Fortune 500 companies are using recruitment marketing practices and technology to attract and hire top talent, ahead of their competition to ensure business growth.

The second annual SmashFly Recruitment Marketing Report Card analyses the career websites, social channels, lead generation and talent nurture efforts of the 2016 Fortune 500 to understand their adoption of recruitment marketing practices and technology.

Recruitment Marketing leverages the latest digital marketing tactics such as search engine optimization, pay per click advertising, social media and mobile friendly web experiences to find, attract, engage and nurture candidates to become new hires.

Technology such as a recruitment marketing platform enables talent acquisition teams to automate, manage and measure the success of all recruiting tactics, strategies and programs from one centralized system.

According to the report, 172 companies (34 percent) of the Fortune 500 scored an A or B, qualifying them as “Modern Recruitment Marketers” for using these practices in their recruiting strategy. With 27 percent more companies scoring As and Bs and 32 percent fewer companies scoring Ds and Fs, the 2016 Fortune 500 have improved significantly in adopting recruitment marketing in just one year.

In addition, the use of recruitment marketing technology is enabling companies to become better recruitment marketers. The research found that 76 percent companies with A and B grades are using Recruitment Marketing Platforms and other technology in addition to their Applicant Tracking System (ATS), compared to 42 percent last year.

See: Midsize Companies Struggle to Find the Sweet Spot in Recruitment Marketing

This represents an 80 percent growth in the adoption of recruitment marketing technology in just one year. Also companies leveraging recruitment marketing are not only winning top talent amid heavy competition, they are attracting the right employees who fit with the organization’s mission, culture and values. Among the 2016 Fortune 500, 22 companies scored an A, with Intel Corporation earning the top spot. See the table below:

Mike Hennessy, Founder and CEO of SmashFly, said, “The nation’s largest organizations are getting more sophisticated ─ and becoming more successful by integrating digital marketing, content marketing, mobile and social into their recruiting strategies. Recruitment Marketing is a rapidly emerging discipline that gives companies an edge in proactively attracting candidates with their employer brand, not just their jobs. The companies that leverage modern Recruitment Marketing best will gain a competitive advantage in hiring, and thus fuel their long-term strategies for growth.”

Also read: Top 11 Modern Recruitment Marketing Practices to Attract and Hire Talent