With more people receiving college degrees each year, it’s getting harder for companies to identify top talent during the hiring process. Add increasing competition between companies and it can seem impossible to find the perfect candidate for a job. However, there are many different ways for a company to catch the attention of job seekers and stand out from the competition. Here are 7 tips for attracting top talent to your company:
1. Build your employer brand
Your employer brand is the perception of what it is like to work at your company. Creating a strong employer brand involves addressing the demands of both top talent and top management—your company has to be appealing to outsiders without straying from its mission, values and goals. This requires research into what top talent is looking for in an employer, avoiding generic language in job listings and constantly adapting to changing demands from candidates and management.
2. Maintain a strong company culture
In addition to making your company appealing from the outside, you have to make it appealing on the inside as well. While many will look to companies like Google for examples of great cultures, companies don’t have to offer free, gourmet lunches or build game rooms to attract top talent. Simply making your company a place where people enjoy coming to work every day—and communicating this well to job seekers—will fill your candidate pool with worthy applicants.
3. Write compelling job descriptions
Communicating your company’s brand and culture successfully on your website and social channels is important, but it’s equally important to do so in your job descriptions. Oftentimes a job description is a job seeker’s first impression of a company, and if it’s boring they are likely to move on to the next posting. Use compelling language that is consistent with the company’s brand and include a description of the type of person you’re looking for in addition to the job requirements.
4. Implement employee referrals
Employee referrals are a quick and easy way to discover top talent. While there will likely be some degree of favoritism involved, your happy employees are invested in the company and want to see it succeed, so they’ll be sure to recommend quality candidates that would be a great fit. Employee referrals will also make your company more desirable in the candidate’s eyes, as they’re hearing about it from someone they know and trust.
5. Offer unique and attractive benefits
One way to stand out from the dozens of other companies a job seeker may be researching is to offer unique and attractive benefits. This is particularly important when recruiting Millennials, as 78 percent of them “are influenced by how innovative a company is when deciding if they want to work there,” according to Deloitte. Whether you offer flexible working hours, a fitness membership or free classes and training, alternative benefits have a great chance to catch the attention of top talent.
6. Create a mentorship program
Mentorship programs are another feature that Millennials look for in an employer. The best young candidates realize that they don’t have much experience and have a lot to learn. They desire a person within the company that they can learn from and go to with questions, without feeling intimidated. Offering a mentorship program can not only attract talent, but also help retain it for years to come, as new employees will feel a stronger connection to the company and its people.
7. Feature your employees on the company website
Top job seekers want to work for a company where they are truly valued, not just another brick in the wall. One way to show that your company puts its employees first is to feature them on the company website. Posting pictures with a fun bio, videos featuring employees at work or an “employee of the month” feature will stand out to top talent and show them that your company will value them.
While bringing talented individuals into your company can seem near-impossible at times, these tips can help you stand out to job seekers and make your company a place where people want to work.
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