Unemployment is at an all time low. Gone are the days you could just put a job advertisement up, and you were flooded with tonnes of applications and quality candidates. In today’s employment market, most of the best candidates are “passive job seekers”, meaning they aren’t actively looking for new opportunities, as they already have jobs. These candidates could be open to exploring new opportunities, given the right conditions.
You can attract top talent by focusing on these 5 areas.
1. Competitive salary
This goes without saying, but salary is usually a top consideration for candidates who are deciding whether to leave their current role for something new. Offering market value at least, and showing them you are willing to negotiate for the right skills and experience, proves to them that you value what they could bring to the team.
2. Culture
Another important consideration for passive job seekers is the company culture you are able to offer them. Your company culture is important for many reasons, but in particular, what can you offer the candidates that complements the actual role itself. Ping pong tables and Friday drinks are great for the work environment, but consider attracting top talent with a culture that values reward and recognition of employees, offer an environment where candidates are encouraged to grow and develop their skills, where every idea is a good idea and teams are encouraged to work together rather than in a silo.
3. Flexible working arrangements
It’s 2022, so you should be open to offering flexible working arrangements. Many employees now enjoy working from home (at least part time) with flexible hours that allows them to spend time with their families or live a more balanced life. It’s not all 9am-5 pm anymore, many employees prefer to start earlier and/or finish later, so they can fit their busy lives in around their jobs.
4. Personal and professional development
Do you offer ongoing development to your staff on both a professional and personal level? Can staff choose to upskill or undertake further learning to enhance their skillset? Do you give staff the opportunity to develop their communication style, collaboration skills and emotional intelligence (EQ)? Employees don’t want to feel stagnant, and enhancing their soft skills is win win for both you and your employees. This can happen informally, with ongoing mentorships, or in a formal development program for high performing staff.
5. Management Style
Poor managers can cause you to lose good staff members. On the other hand, effective leadership can be a real drawcard in attracting top talent. If you can promote to candidates that they will be provided with a leader who inspires, encourages, builds on strengths to get the best out of their team, it could be the difference in your recruitment. Many candidates out there are not 100% happy with their bosses, and if they could instead choose a strong leader who focuses on the bigger picture, not the minute details, they would jump ship to your company much easier.
So, as you can see, it’s important to think outside of the box when trying to attract top talent in this competitive candidate market. Many of the things above aren’t quick fixes within your business, but with focused attention, your current employees will be happier, and you will attract top talent much easier!
If you need help with finding, sourcing, and locating top candidates, be sure to reach out to us at Capital Talent Consultants. We are a Boutique recruitment agency, connecting organisations with high quality candidates. Get in touch today.
