Dutch National Police

In today's digital landscape, organizations must deliver tailored experiences to meet the unique needs and preferences of their audience. At Penfield Assist Digital, we specialize in harnessing the power of CRM and AI to elevate recruitment marketing strategies. One such successful collaboration was with the Dutch National Police to personalize recruitment marketing automation, specifically targeting hard-to-find Cyber Security Specialists.

The Challenge

The challenge was to find and motivate a limited pool of candidates while competing with private-sector employers. The goal was to build a system that could recognise intent, adapt to individual preferences, and sustain meaningful conversations over time rather than relying on a single recruitment campaign.

Our Approach

To address this challenge, we implemented a comprehensive and integrated solution utilising Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, and an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to manage and store all relevant data. Our approach involved several key steps.

We began by integrating the CRM system with AI-powered tools to analyse extensive datasets. This integration allowed us to gain valuable insights into the existing talent pool previously engaged by the Dutch National Police. By leveraging AI, we could identify patterns and predict candidate behaviour, enabling a more targeted recruitment strategy.

Using the insights gained from data analysis, we crafted highly targeted and personalised marketing messages. These messages were tailored to resonate with potential candidates, highlighting the unique opportunities and benefits of joining the Dutch National Police as a Cyber Security Specialist.

Personalised content, tailored recommendations, and specific offers were delivered based on individual preferences and past interactions with the National Police. This approach ensured that candidates received relevant and compelling information, increasing their likelihood of engagement and application.

We implemented a connected stack based on Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Service Cloud, alongside an applicant tracking system (ATS). The goal was to create a single, unified view of each candidate and use it to design journeys that felt personal, relevant, and helpful.

We began with data integration and analysis. CRM and ATS records were combined and enriched with AI-driven insights to reveal patterns in past interactions. This helped identify which messages resonated most, when people were most likely to engage, and how interest evolved over time. From there, targeted campaigns were designed to reflect the realities of cyber work in policing—meaningful challenges, diverse teams, clear development paths, and impact at a national level.

Personalisation was at the heart of the approach. Content, recommendations, and offers adapted to each person’s history and preferences. Someone who engaged with incident response stories received different follow-ups than those drawn to digital forensics or policy. Each journey was built to inform as well as invite, offering practical guidance on the process and honest answers to common questions.

Marketing Cloud orchestrated multi-step journeys by email, while Service Cloud managed queries and case handling to ensure responses remained timely and consistent. The ATS served as the single source of truth for candidate stages and outcomes. AI-powered models analysed historical engagement data to score the likelihood of response and identify segments worth re-engaging. As candidates interacted, their profiles updated automatically, and the next step adjusted accordingly. Reporting connected these systems, allowing the team to see what moved people forward and where improvements could be made.

The programme made recruitment more productive and more human. Automation removed repetitive tasks, allowing HR to focus on high-value conversations. Engagement rates increased as messages became more relevant to each specialist’s interests and career stage. While the brief focused on cyber roles, the same data work uncovered adjacent interest groups, opening opportunities to recruit forensic specialists and detectives. Most importantly, the Police gained a practical way to listen to candidates and respond with clarity, strengthening relationships even when the timing was not yet right.

This is recruitment built for the long term: one system of record, journeys that learn, and content that respects the reader. It helps the Dutch National Police meet scarce talent where they are, explain the work with honesty, and invite people to contribute their skills to public service.