How to Improve Your Talent Acquisition Tactics

The success of any business begins with its people. Top candidates are in demand for a reason, so if you don't win them to your company, your competition will.

Do you want to know the secret to attracting top talent?

The secret is differentiating your company from others in the industry. You want to show prospective employees why they should work for you.

To build a winning team, you may need to step up your recruitment game. Here are some ideas to help improve your talent acquisition process.

Think About Your Brand

Strong candidates are attracted to strong brands that offer a working environment that is engaging and productive, offers excellent benefits, and provides advancement opportunities. 

To build a brand that attracts, you need to create an authentic message and be consistent in your brand messaging in all forms of communications. Let candidates know what they can expect if they work for you because you have an overall look, feel, and experience.

If you are looking to attract young candidates, remember that they live in a social world, so your brand should have a solid standing on social media platforms. Make sure you're communicating your company culture and reaching top talent through your social media accounts and your marketing efforts.

Define Your Ideal Candidate

It's important to develop and communicate a strong brand to top-tier talent. But it's just as important to know the type of candidates you hope to attract. Without that clarity, you will try to reach the masses and, in turn, not reach anyone.

Think about the ideal candidate for the job. What type of qualifications should they possess? What type of personality fits with your company's culture?

Take a look at your current top employees. What makes them great at their job? What is missing right now in your organization that you are looking for in a new prospect?

Once you have a good idea of the candidates you're looking for, it's easier to target the right talent for the job. When defining an ideal candidate, be willing to be very specific. Sure, you may not check all the boxes, but you will at least know where to go to attract what you are looking for!

Be Flexible

Your company's talent acquisition process should fluctuate depending on a variety of factors. These include current market conditions, graduation cycles, seasonality, and more.

Be prepared to be flexible and adjust your strategy to meet the demands of your business. Stay proactive, rather than reactive, with your talent acquisition strategies. If your strategies aren’t working well, don’t give up, and don’t hire just anyone because the “right” person didn’t apply for the job. Be flexible in your approach and the amount of time you spend. The “right” fit is out there and you will find the “who”  if you are flexible with the “how!”

Keep Retention in Mind

Before you hire new employees, make sure they have a realistic picture of what the position requires. You can accomplish this through job previews, judgement tests, or job trials. Dont’ be afraid to have an intensive interview process to weed out those who are not serious or who aren’t willing to put in the work. 

You may lose a few prospects with this approach. However, it's better to lose them now than after they complete the hiring and training process.

It's important to stay up to date with the expectations of today's job seekers. Their priority list is completely different from workers of the past.

Some priorities may include:

• Engagement with management
• An ethically based company
• A diverse management team
• A trusting culture
• Flexible work options
• A relaxed environment

Before, the income and salary were a big deciding factor for talent. Now, young professionals look for a company whose objectives include more than simply making a profit. They also want careers with room to grow and a culture that they love. This isn’t just a desire, it’s an expectation. 

Keep employee retention at the forefront of your hiring process. This will help you weed out potential short-term employees and focus more on the long-term needs of your business.

Gather Referrals From Your Employees

Rather than putting all your time into external talent acquisition, consider asking your employees for referrals. More than likely, they have contacts with the qualities you're looking for.

Consider offering an incentive if they refer someone you choose to hire. Companies with incentive programs have a lot of success with top talent. More times than not, team members don’t want to recommend potential talent that they know would not be a great fit for the company. 

As your business grows, your list of referrals will too. Your top employees are a valuable source for talent referrals, and it's a quick and effective way to find new and quality talent.

Build a Network of Candidates

You shouldn't begin the hiring process when a team member quits and leaves you in a bind. Instead, talent acquisition should be an ongoing process. You want to be able to reach out to talent you have on standby when you experience the loss of a team member rather than starting an entire process from scratch.

Hiring the best candidates is an investment in your business. Try to build a network of qualified applicants for future openings.

Reach out to candidates through LinkedIn and other social platforms. Make connections and ask if they might have an interest when positions become available.

Network with industry professionals at social and business gatherings. The goal is to have a pool of talent to draw from whenever you're ready to hire.

Offer Flexible and Remote Work Options

Now more than ever, you should consider offering your employees the flexibility of working remotely. More and more, job seekers are looking for positions that don't require sitting in an office eight hours a day -- and they are more productive as a result. If someone can get done in 4 hours what they used to sit in an office for 8 hours doing, they will be motivated to get the work done and then have the time freedom for the rest of their day. 

Flexibility helps you retain talent. Employees love being able to work from home or anywhere in the world.

Many companies offer employees flextime. This allows employees to arrange their start and end times while still working the required number of hours.

A healthy work/life balance is important to today's job seekers. Offering flexible, remote opportunities can be a powerful draw for talented candidates.

Put Your Employees First

When you care about your employees, they know it. This fosters community and positive work culture. Potential talent should know from the start that they matter and that team members are happy in the organization. 

Offering great benefits is a start. But your employees deserve more than that. They also expect more than that if they plan to stick around. 

Promote a workplace that respects all workers, no matter their role. When you do this, your employees will become your strongest brand ambassadors.

There's no better draw for talent than to see fulfilled team members.

Target With Recruitment Marketing

Today's top companies use recruitment marketing to find top candidates. They don't wait around for talent to come to them.

They actively target and engage the best candidates. Recruitment marketing focuses on promoting brand awareness and encouraging top talent prospects to apply.

Today's job seekers are learning about companies through social media and online searches. You want to find these candidates and engage with them wherever they are. 

Talent Acquisition Strategies

Finding the best employees takes effort in today's competitive market. Never underestimate the value of strong employees for the future of your business.

Smart talent acquisition strategies will help you find top talent and retain them for years to come. If you're looking for your next star employee, we can help.

We help businesses attract and retain top performers, and we want to help your organization do the same. We would love to set up a call to talk with you about how to improve your talent acquisition tactics. Fill out the form here and we will contact you to set up a call!