How to Become An Employer of Choice & Attract the Best Talent

Top talent is hard to find. Fact.  Despite the increasing number of people out there who are looking for work, attracting the best people is increasingly more difficult.  Those who are in employment are reluctant to make a move in the current climate, so being able to find, attract and engage passive candidates (those who are working and not actively looking) is more and more important.  There are some key factors to consider when you are searching for top talent, especially if you want to become an 'Employer of Choice'.



Have a Clear Message About What you Offer

You only have a short window to impress a potential candidate, so think about "What's in it for Them" when you are approaching potential candidates.  Most of the time a candidate will consider the opportunity with you based on a few criteria such as Salary, Location, Title and Company.  It's up to you to get beyond these basic facts and convey "Why You?".  This is vital with passive candidates, standing out from the crowd makes all the difference.  

Use Your Existing Networks for Referrals
Your existing employees will all have fantastic networks, so having a strong candidate referral scheme will help to engage your staff in actively work on your behalf to find new employees.  They will all be very active on Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media so this should always be the first place to look.  Uncovering great talent can be made easier by working with your internal employees.

Protect Your Reputation 

If you are recruiting, then ensure that you go back to every candidate who applies to work with you, leaving a good impression on them about your company, regardless of whether or not they secured the position.  Companies who leave it days and days to get get back to people, even candidates they want to hire, are always going to lose out on the best talent.   We see it on a daily basis, and always encourage our clients to get back to us quickly on great candidates so that they don't miss out.

Becoming An 'Employer of Choice'

Being an 'Employer of Choice' is about much more than having a funky workplace, free meals and a gym, it is about having an organisational culture and a set of core values which engages employees in ways that few companies manage to achieve.  One such example would be Zappos, others which immediately spring to mind are Amazon, Google and Apple to name a few.  It is important that employees buy-in to the companies vision, and that the culture is one that every person in the company lives and breathes.  

Here is a list of questions you can ask of your own company that will help you to review how you currently rate as an Employer of Choice.  The more 'Yes' answers the better:

Checklist
- Do you have a clear company vision and mission statement?
- Is your company’s vision & mission statement clearly understood by your employees?
- Does your Leadership Team visit employees, at different sites, or in the field?
- Do your Senior Management listen to employees input and follow up with action?
- Do you conduct regular employee surveys to assess employee satisfaction?
- Can your staff easily access information about products/services, HR policies, and operational procedures?
- Do you have a formal training and development program?
- On average, how many hours of training per year does each employee receive?
- Does your new-hire training program equip new hires with the necessary skills and resources to do their jobs well?
- Do you solicit employee and management feedback on what works well and what needs to improve in employee training?
- Do managers and supervisors know how to give effective coaching to employees?
- Are your managers and supervisors rewarded for growing talent?
- Do you offer internal promotions and make it easy for employees to apply?
- Do you have a formal performance management program?
- Are managers held accountable for reviewing employee performance regularly?
- Do you offer flexible work arrangements & benefits that meet your employees needs?

There are many factors that come into play when someone decides to join or not join your organisation.  On first glance candidates will only be attracted by a few details about the job, however their final decision will be made based on their view of the organisation, its culture and the opportunities that it will present for them if they decide to make the move.  Having a clear strategy for attracting the best, and enticing them to your brand through effective employee engagement is one of the best ways to become an Employer of Choice in this competitive candidate market.