An organisation is only as strong as the skills and talent of its people.  The pandemic caused a seismic shift in how people view work and now, in the aftermath of the biggest change in workforce habits in living memory, we are faced with recruiting and retaining this all-important talent in a candidate short market.

We are dealing with the biggest talent crisis in recent history

Since people no longer attach the same meaning to work and career as they did before, job security and a good wage are no longer the only things people consider when choosing a new place of work.  They want to feel valued, know that they are contributing to something bigger than themselves, and have a transparent career progression in place.  Somehow they need to learn all of this about your business in the space of a job advert and interview…so how do you attract top talent in these trying times?

Let’s start with the most common reason that people leave their current organisation

LinkedIn surveyed more than 10,500 recent job changers globally and 45% said they left their old jobs over concerns about a “lack of advancement opportunity” (Why & How People Change Jobs).  To attract top talent, you need to demonstrate that your organisation is a place where people can stay and progress in their careers.  Somewhere they can learn new skills, tackle new challenges, make a lasting impact, and reach their goals – and the first place that they need to see this is in the job description.

A good job description can get candidates excited about the company and the role..

and it is hugely important that you get this part of the process right, so spend time on it, and don’t delegate it!  However, a job description cannot do everything.  That is why you should make the most of your social media channels; sharing stories of career growth and employee successes to help candidates to picture themselves in long-term roles within your company.  They say the best marketing is word-of-mouth – maximise this in your talent attraction plans by having employees share their experiences of your organisation’s culture and leadership on your social media networks.

Not everyone will look at social networks, so you also need to make sure that your website is a source of insight into your organisation

Update your careers pages with details of your learning and development programmes and all the ways you invest in your people to help them thrive.  Become the place where the next generation of leaders want to be to grow their skills and develop themselves.  According to the same LinkedIn survey, “63% of millennials believe their leadership skills are not being fully developed and that the opportunity to become a leader is an important driver when evaluating job opportunities”.

Finally, education and development are not the only strategies to attract top talent

More and more candidates cite a company’s culture and CSR strategies as top motivators in wanting to work for them.  That means that you need to be sure what your organisation’s purpose is, and be able to communicate it to candidates.  All the top companies will be offering a good salary and a benefits package to match, so you need to show the candidates what sets you apart and makes you different.

Becoming an organisation that attracts top talent is not an overnight event, but takes investment and hard work.  It does have the added bonus of helping you retain your existing talent and, in turn, helping your business to grow and thrive.

If you’re interested in talking to our team about how we could help you develop an effective candidate attraction strategy, or how we could help you meet your staffing needs this year, we’d love to hear from you.  Contact us here.