The quality of your organization’s culture depends on the people you hire.
Poor cultural fits can lead to high turnover rates, low productivity and dissonance among your staff. But finding people who will fit in and help drive growth isn’t always as simple as posting the job on LinkedIn and hoping for the best.
Here are some strategies you can use to attract top talent:
Think like a marketer
When you’re hiring, you are essentially selling jobs to people. And to sell to the right buyer, you need to think like a marketing professional.
Tim Glowa, leader of human capital analytics firm Clever Trout Consulting, says HR managers should “leverage the same tool kit items your marketing colleagues use to attract customers.”
That value proposition can include things like benefits, flexibility and clearly outlined career growth plans.
“To attract and retain the best talent, companies should ensure they have a clear plan for an employee's career growth within a company," said Branka Vuleta, founder of LegalJobSite.net. “Millennials, a generation that is now making up for more than 50% of the workforce, thrive in the workplace that offers a clear growth path. They want to evolve constantly, and they would sacrifice a good salary for an opportunity to grow and learn new skills.”
Like marketing materials, your job postings should be interesting, engaging and tailored to fit your company’s style.
Traci Wilk, senior vice president of people at The Learning Experience, believes every part of the job application process is a form of marketing.
“From your applicant tracking system to your online reputation and reviews, to the high-touch communication that top candidates will expect, they should feel knowledgeable about your company and feel engaged throughout the process,” she said.
Make sure your culture is inviting
If you want people to join your company, you need to be sure that your culture is one they would embrace.
“Our work becomes our second home, as we spend most of our time within a company,” Vuleta said. “Considering that, it's not surprising that employees want to grow and work in a friendly environment with a clear mission and vision. To hire and retain employees, companies should work on branding, promoting, and nurturing positive company culture.”
David Moise, founder of the Decide Consulting recruiting firm, summarized his advice for having a culture that attracts talent with these points:
- Make employees feel they are part of something
- Communicate your bigger purpose
- Make new employees feel welcome before Day 1
- Provide interesting work
- Let employees be part of the decision making
If you think your organization needs a culture makeover, you may want to hold off on new hires for a while.
Ask for feedback from your current employees
If you want to continue to add great people to your team, who better to get advice on hiring from than the awesome employees you already have?
Michael Roloson, co-founder of HR consulting firm PEO Focus, suggests doing test interviews with existing employees.
“The top strategy we suggest our clients take when trying to bring in top talent to their organization is to go through a discovery process with the top talent they already have in place,” he said. “Utilize them to identify what they love about the company and also what they might change. Have a few people go through the interview process and note their answers to questions to see how potential candidates’ answers line up with your top performers.”
Attracting top talent requires that you be intentional in your job postings and interviews. The right people will respond if you communicate your values, culture and benefits clearly and touch on the needs of today’s workforce.
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