Employees sitting around a desk having a conversation

10 Ways to Attract Your Next Great Employee

great employees

“Now imagine how great life would be if top people were flocking to you for work?

You don’t have to be a company like Google to make this happen.” ?  Roberta Matuson

Big Business is not the only business that can be successful. In 2015, the U.S. economy is on the uptick, and small to mid-sized businesses must take advantage. Businesses are in strong competition to attract the best and the brightest candidates. The most well rounded businesses are those with a keen sense of brand identity and stand out talent.

In this article, we aim to point out ten tips to make sure your business is doing all it can to make your next great hire.

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THERE IS A DIFFERENCE between recruitment and attraction.

Through development of a workplace culture that current and former employees value, you begin to draw the top talent your business needs. But you must set up your business to attract, in order to be able to recruit. Here are some ideas to attract and recruit top talent:

1.        Define a compelling employment brand. In her piece, How to Attract Top Talent
That Will Stick Around
, Matson speaks to creating a workplace in which people enjoy working, and to have a magnetic employment brand. The mark of a successful employment brand is a favorable perception of your company as a workplace among current and former employees. Ask yourself, ?Do people want to work for my company?’

attracting talent         2.  Attractive company culture environment. How will employees have a favorable view of your company? As the business owner, it is your responsibility to create an environment where they are content. It’s a horrible feeling having to wake up every morning and commute to a job where you are unhappy. Creating an environment of comfort, peace and productivity will keep morale high and raise your level of success. Restaurant chain TGI Friday’s did an excellent job of connecting with recruits through creating an online community network (Fridoids) where they were able to engage and project the culture of the company.

3.       Give employees a reason to stay. This goes hand in hand with a good company culture. If you are looking for top talent, then chances are, they’ve looked your business up too. Perception is everything. They’re looking at elements like turnover rates and growth within the company. If your business can’t show positive results, then it may be time to revamp your company culture.

4.        Pay well. Matson makes an excellent point; instead of trying to hire as many employees as possible, maximize your business’ productivity by cultivating top talent. That is to say, pay more and give more flexibility to the standouts you’ve attracted. Quality trumps quantity.

5.       Flexibility and job diversity. The position you are offering to top talent must be more than a job. Give them a chance to showcase their skills. That’s why you want them to work for your company, right? Keep it interesting and challenging. Let them operate “outside of the box,” and your business will benefit because of it.

Recruiting       6.  Maximize the best talent. In conjunction with the previous tip, Entrepreneur’s How to Recruit Top Talent emphasizes placing your best employees in positions of influence. In doing this, you are creating a compelling employment brand, as top talent recruits will see the merits of working for your company because you’ve put your “best face forward.”

7.        Strong leadership. Matson advises to take time in investing in those you’re placing in leadership roles. Time and time again we see companies who simply toss people in the throes of leadership positions with little to no training. A recipe for disaster. But with strong leadership, you attract top talent as those seeking employment will view your company as stable and secure. Most importantly, your business will look well run and successful. Remember, perception is everything.

8.       Recognize and value you employees. This goes further than simply offering a living wage. And even further than paying well as we referenced earlier. But employees want to feel respected, they want to feel as though they are valuable contributors to the success of your business, because they are just that. Recognize your employees when they’ve done a job well done. As Matson says, most people want to stay with their employers. So give them a reason to!

9.        Stay involved and use emotional intelligence. Coupled with recognizing and valuing your employees, is being sensitive to their needs as well as creating an atmosphere in which they are comfortable working. A healthy work life balance is necessary for today’s employees. In our Is Work Life Balance a Reality in Today’s Workforce?, we see that 30 million Americans now work from home; one way to enhance an employee’s quality and focus in their work. Though this is a sign of the times, there are many other factors that should be taken into account when truly connecting with your employees.

hiring top talent          10. An extension of family. In the Wall Street Journal’s How to Attract Talent to a Small Company, they stress the importance of the relationship between employer and employee. Attracting top talent into these environments, small and mid-sized businesses can demonstrate the benefits of having a close relationship with their employees. Here, employees are more than numbers. They are people. They are family.

One can note that traditional recruiting of 10 years ago, whether job fairs, job boards and company websites have greatly diminished in their power to attract top talent. As a business in 2015, you must be creative. You must explore unconventional avenues to find the best fit employee. AT&T has been extremely successful in the unconventional, maximizing social media to attract top talent. If you are truly attracting top talent, then chances are that those top talent employees are unconventional in their work.

Hopefully, you’ve gained some insight from the tips listed above. They‘re definitely not an end all, be all, but we hope they provide your business with the jumpstart you may need in attracting top talent. After all, your business’ success will lend to a better economy.

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We want to hear from you!

What are some methods you use to attract top talent? 

What hasn’t worked? What have you found to be successful?

Let us know!

References:

Matron, R. (2014, January 14).  How to Attract Top Talent that will Stick Around 

How to Recruit Top Talent

Recruitment Lessons from AT&T and TGI Fridays

(2008, September 12). How to Attract Talent to a Small Company

(2015, June 11). Is Work Life Balance a Reality in Today’s Workforce?