Looking for top talent? Join the club. Hiring has become an ultra-competitive sport, with a talent shortage emerging as a number one risk for organizations, according to Gartner’s latest Emerging Risks Survey.
With so many companies searching for highly qualified candidates, it can be difficult to remain seen in what has become a flooded marketplace. However, there are a few ways you can increase your presence and remain relevant and visible to skilled job seekers.
Develop a strong company culture
Company culture has become an increasingly popular phrase among everyone from HR specialists to job-seeking professionals, and with good reason.
“Culture,” at least in the business sense, refers to your company’s identify, or the values it stands for and the goals it strives to meet. It also refers to the overall perception of an employee’s place in the big picture. Businesses that have a strong company culture generally have happier and more productive employees who feel valued. They also have notably lower turnover rates.
Your workplace should exemplify the standards and mission of your brand, as a positive and brand conscious culture will help tell a story that candidates not only want to hear but be part of. In addition, it’s also important to focus on the benefits and perks you can offer employees.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have a big spot in the budget for cultural improvement. Flexible schedules, employee events, and other in-office perks, like dress-down days, can help keep morale high without biting into your bottom line.
What does that have to do with potential candidates? The better your brand and culture appear, the more likely it is to attract the right professionals.
Be clear and concise
During the job hunt, candidates usually want two things: a clear explanation of the job and primary duties and easy to access employer information. If your job post fails to offer these, the right candidate may simply move on.
As you develop job descriptions, think about the things that may attract an employee and how working for your brand can help them grow as professionals and individuals. For example, if you encourage work-life balance through flexible working arrangements or offer employee development opportunities, list them.
At the end of the day, there are likely similar jobs on the market, your goal should be to spread the word about what makes your business different.
Encourage employees to refer potential candidates
Who better to spread the word than your current employees? Not only do they know exactly what it takes to work for your business, but they also likely have a network of friends, colleagues, and old college classmates that have diverse skill sets and similar work ethic.
In addition, these brand ambassadors can also spread the work within relevant online networks, like LinkedIn or other professional platforms. This can spread the word that not only are you hiring, but your employees are happy to spread the news.
Leverage social media
Speaking of sharing job postings on social media, you should likely add that to your arsenal of hiring tools but in more ways than you may think. Since culture is so important to today’s professionals, many go straight for a company’s social sites in order to do some research.
Make sure your pages are up to date, and it doesn’t hurt to highlight employee activities or accomplishments, and well as general brand initiatives (e.g., charitable giving, positive community involvement, etc.).
Learn from reviews
Thanks to sites like Glassdoor, job seekers can gain insight into the inner workings of a company before they even accept a job offer. The problem? Not all of the insights are positive. While you can’t keep everyone happy, and there may always be instances where an employee and an employer simply didn’t see eye to eye, employee feedback should still be viewed and leveraged as a powerful tool.
If you notice negative patterns in employee-based reviews, then it’s time to step back, determine the issue, and create a resolution. Failure to do so can lead to more negative reviews, the likes of which can send prospective candidates running in the other direction.
Be honest
It’s important that you put your best foot forward, but it’s equally important that you are honest about expectations, benefits, etc. If you offer flexible working schedules, a great insurance plan, or development opportunities, by all means, shine your light on those benefits. However, don’t skirt around the truth or present your company in a light that simply isn’t reflective of reality.
This article was originally written on April 19, 2019 and updated on January 28, 2021.
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