In today’s world, we face recruitment challenges unlike anything we’ve ever known. From the generational cocktail swirling around the water cooler to open positions and a disinterested workforce, companies struggle not only with keeping their current employees happy, but also with recruiting the right talent and getting them started on the right foot.
Attracting this talent has become the subject of many conversations in our Aventure offices recently. We’ve broken out what we feel are five essential things that not only draw talent to open positions, but also keep the talent right where you want them—happy, engaged, and on your payroll.
Stay true to your message.
Ultimately, the lesson here (for everyone, really) is this: Be yourself, boldly. Be honest about what you can do, what you can offer, and how you can effectively combine the needs of the open position with the needs of the talent in front of you. Don’t stretch where you cannot grow, and don’t promise what you can’t—and won’t—deliver. Herein lies the difference between successful recruitment and successful employees; those who know what they are getting themselves into will stay longer, work harder, and perform better. Bait and switches work for no one in the long run.
How do you do this? Be yourself, boldly. Showcase your company values. Give some insight into its unique culture and what it feels like to be a part of your working community. Use testimonials from current employees, online galleries of working events, or (and) a blog roll of your current projects. Stay true to your message, lay firm groundwork, and make your current employees raving fans. A message like that will speak for itself when it comes to attracting future talent.
Know where to look.
To effectively attract the right talent for your open position, you have to allocate energy and funds in the right way. How and where you post your job opening can largely depend on the type of candidate you are looking for and the amount of time you can devote to finding the right match.
Paid job boards like Indeed, Monster, and CareerBuilder can connect you with a range of entry to executive-level candidates; LinkedIn, by contrast, is a paid job board that currently serves mid- to upper-echelon talent. Because of their audience and their higher search engine results, paid job boards are a great way for your company and your open positions to get some qualified attention.
The benefits of paid job boards go beyond posting your position, however. By using their services, you now have access to their candidate database (those who are actively looking and those who could be open to a change) and can use the information to actively engage talent instead of waiting for the talent to come to you or potentially go somewhere else.
The best things in life (and in recruiting) are free.
Well, for the most part. Like most of the best and free, however, free job boards like Craigslist and Facebook require time, energy, and commitment. You’ll need to invest a bit more legwork in a free posting site in terms of monitoring, responding, posting and re-posting. You may also have to educate yourself on certain free job board posting sites; for instance, certain college job boards and Facebook groups have particular rules about how businesses can advertise their positions.
While a far more “active” method of job posting, free job boards have several advantages. The candidates are most likely hungry and ready to work, and your ad will be exposed to a diverse pool of potential employees. Just remember your audience; college boards, unless they are linked with alumni, may only be best for entry-level positions. The same is also true of Craigslist, as most upper-level candidates will not be using its services for that purpose.
And let’s not forget the most important free job board you have: your website!
Make candidates feel important, valued, and connected.
And yes, you can make them feel all of these things even before they apply. If your job postings up until now have only included a job title and a list of responsibilities and requirements, you are doing your company a disservice. Your job posting is every bit an advertisement. Be strategic in your approach, but also persuasive, emotional, and logical. And you can be all of these things if you make it less about your company and the position, and more about how the candidate has a chance to make a difference in their life, career, and community every day they come to work.
Here’s how:
- Describe the type of work and how it impacts the company as a whole. This approach connects the candidate to a larger purpose, and shows how important they can be (and don’t we all like to feel important?)
- Show how your company values training, continuing education, and promoting from within.
- Highlight corporate social responsibility and how employees are actively encouraged to make a difference to the larger community.
Be concise, clear, and descriptive. Make it more than just a job, and you may find yourself with more than just a candidate. You may find yourself with your new, invested employee.
Stay on target.
Here is where we remind you that you aren’t just looking for any job candidate; you are looking for the right job candidate. As you are crafting your company message, showcasing your company culture, and refining your job postings, keep this in mind: not everyone will want to work for you. And more importantly, you won’t want to work with everyone who applies.
The law of attraction is “like attracts like”. When your company finds a fit that will work brilliantly, both you and the candidate can benefit each other. Your goal is to be clear about what that fit is, what the job seeker can expect, and what can happen when you both engage.
Today’s job seekers are looking for more than a paycheck, and in some cases, more than a career. They are seeking a partnership with a company that aligns with their passions, talent, and work-life balance. Your job as a company is to speak to them in a language they understand, find them where they are looking, and showcase—and create, if necessary– a working environment that allows everyone the chance to succeed.
Need help finding the right candidates? We are here to help.