When it comes to winning top talent, however, it’s not a good idea to gamble. Top talent has a choice in where they work, and a strong recruitment strategy should always include a focus on three key areas – in this exact order:
Strong Employment Brand
A strong employment brand is what will initially attract talent to your organization. In the case of companies like Google or Facebook, a strong employment brand causes top talent to flock to their organization. When it’s time to hire, they have the pick of the litter.
In most companies, however, the employer brand acts as a way to get candidates to take action when they come across your opportunity. For instance, a candidate who hears about your opportunity through a direct hire agency may be introduced to your employer brand through the outreach message. Once you have their attention, they may seek out additional information on your career site and social media channels, as well as Glassdoor.
If they like what they see, they will respond to your recruiter’s message. If not, they will probably ignore your recruiter’s message – and it’s the best candidates you’ll lose. Don’t take that chance, and make sure employer branding is part of your recruitment strategy.
Great Candidate Experience
A great candidate experience will help you engage talent so they remain interested in your organization. Candidates are evaluating you as much as you are evaluating them, and you don’t want to create a reason for the best candidates to walk away. Instead, you should ensure that each touch point is creating a positive experience for the candidate so they become more invested in your opportunity as the recruitment process progresses.
As an example, you could make it easy for candidates to express interest in your opportunity by setting up a mobile friendly job application, or allowing passive candidates to apply without a resume. During the interview process, get to know your candidate’s motivations and show them how you’d be a great fit.
When every other employer is making candidates jump through hoops and treating candidates like they’re a dime a dozen, you will stand out and be able to keep top candidates engaged in your opportunity.
Competitive Offer
Finally, a competitive offer will help you close talent. A competitive offer is more than compensation and employee benefits, it’s about fulfilling their reason for seeking a new opportunity. This isn’t one-size-fits-all, so a winning recruitment strategy will involve some flexibility to account for each candidate’s unique needs. For instance, you may find an amazing candidate who can’t relocate because they need to care for an elderly parent.
Offering remote work and a flex schedule could be the difference in winning that candidate versus losing them to a competitor. Another candidate may be looking for opportunities for advancement, so you could assign them a mentor, and map out a career path and training opportunities. You don’t necessarily need to spend more money to make a more competitive offer, you just need to know what your candidate is looking for in a new opportunity and get creative to offer it to them.
If you want to win the talent game, don’t gamble with these three things. A strong employment brand, great candidate experience, and competitive offers are critical ingredients for a winning recruitment strategy.
