The current job market is saturated with highly qualified individuals, and the most qualified job seekers are looking for much more than just a paycheck in their search for employment. In order to attract the best candidates, you should have certain measures in place in your recruiting and hiring processes. What do the top talents in your industry look for? How can you attract them? Here’s a look.
The Employer of Choice
You can start by approaching talent acquisition and recruitment from the perspective of branding. If you position your company as the “employer of choice” to potential employees, you will be able to choose from the best of the best. To do so, you’ll want to describe what differentiates your company from others. For example, sell yourself by accurately reflecting your reputation in the marketplace, your practices and the benefits of being with your company. Sell the most attractive aspects of your company and/or operation.
Some of the best ways to differentiate your company in the eyes of job seekers include perks and features of your corporate culture. Whether you offer sign-on bonuses or have a high level of community engagement, these things can be attractive to job applicants. Any community programs, such as volunteering or philanthropic practices, are beneficial and should be clearly identified.
Other benefits that don’t take too high of a financial toll include those of employee engagement. Offering perks such as flex time, the opportunity to telecommute, and convenience services in the workplace are all things that will be attractive to job seekers. Additionally, succession planning and career development advising will go a long way in retaining the top talent that you have. Also consider coaching or mentoring, giving challenging assignments, providing opportunities for lateral career moves, and offering access to trade and professional associations.
Hiring as a Key Business Practice
Now that you’ve clearly outlined why you’re one of the best companies to work for, you should get a lot of applicants. To make sure that you’re bringing in the top talent, as opposed to just any talent, treat hiring as one of your key business practices. At its core, hiring should be valid and reliable, utilizing effective job development and analysis.
Start by outlining your current process. Do you have an effective planning process in place? Do you develop a strategy? Do you conduct discovery and research? Do you have a written recruitment plan? Connecting your opportunities with the job seekers who are most suited is key, and this will get you going in the right direction. Next, audit your recruiting process. There are talent profiles to identify and different ways to reach potential employees in recruiting (email, phone, professional networking).
Lastly, your interview and selection process should get an exhaustive look. In interviewing, your highly qualified candidates will value transparency and may ask you questions about your financial stability and business plans. This is also another opportunity for you to put your “employer of choice” branding strategy in play.
Other ways to attract top talent include a well-designed and regularly maintained careers website and social media strategies (think LinkedIn) — the utilization of all forms of media through these channels add to your brand. With a clear reputation as the top company to work for and a reliable hiring practice, you should be able to effectively find and hire your winning team!
Author Bio:
Erica L. Fener, Ph.D., is Vice President, Business Development Strategy and Analysis at Progressus Therapy, a leading provider of school-based therapy jobs and early intervention careers.
I like your idea of employer of choice. You have to make your organization a dream place to work by considering all factors including benefits(monetary & non monetary), culture, work environment and much more.
Thanks for this article, I found it really insightful and helpful. I’ve found that the most successful companies have a very exhaustive hiring process, from promoting their company to actually bringing someone on to work for them.
Making your company a paradise for the employees is a very difficult task. You have to put some magnetic opportunities for the potential employees. Additional benefits and ease of work as well as bonuses nail the best talent in the market.Do not be a lousy employer , always show some consideration and respect that all you have to do . Because your employees are the ones who can boost your business.
Employer of choice is a good strategy indeed.
Good article and I think training is also one of the most important aspects of attracting the best employees. Most people today are trying to increase their skills so that they can continue to get a decent working package.
Whilst employees who are ambitious can sometimes scare some companies, I think it’s just part of the overall employment landscape that companies just have to accept, people do move on.
In my experience if the recruitment processes and the employment procedures are clear cohesive and streamlined at can be fairly straight forward to attract new employees, if you lose some of the original staff.
Training at a time like this can be really key since you are going to want to up-skill the new recruit quite quickly and therefore having a good comprehensive training plan can assist the company as well as being an excellent unique selling point of the company.
John.
Organizations that fail to use employees to assess potential employees are underutilizing one of their most important assets. People who participate in the selection process are committed to helping the new employee succeed. It can’t get any better than that for you and the new employee.