How to secure the best talent

In today’s job market, identifying talent is not difficult however to secure the best possible talent is an entirely different story. With technology and social media, one can access thousands if not millions of profiles via LinkedIn in just a few clicks. But does that guarantee the best possible talent will walk through your door?

Businesses with high recruitment IQ generally do an exceptional job in the three key areas I have listed below allowing them to secure the best possible talent time after time.

Brand image – How is your brand being perceived in the market? Are customers or business partners saying good things about your organization? The power of word-of-mouth cannot be underestimated. I have encountered countless situations where candidates who were initially keen on a role eventually got turned off because they heard negative comments from friends, family or even third-hand information from an unknown source. Good talent will only want to work for organizations with a positive imagine and outlook. A business that carries a positive brand image will naturally attract top talent in the market.
First impressions count – this does not happen at the first interview by the way! First impressions are formed when the candidate is first made aware of the position you are looking to hire. This is usually through a job advertisement, social media, a recruiter or maybe your existing staff. The question to ask here is – how is the role being represented? A poorly written job description can turn away an excellent candidate. A recruiter who did not receive a proper job brief will misrepresent the role and worst yet your brand! A role that has been advertised for months may send a negative signal to potential candidates.
Managing expectations – This is a common challenge I see amongst many businesses today. A well-managed recruitment process is one that is engaging, transparent and every step of the process is within expectations for both the employer and job seeker. One important question to consider here - does the candidate have a clear and realistic picture of the role and the overall organization? When you meet a strong candidate who you want to hire, it is often tempting to focus on the positives and neglect to highlight the challenges of the role, thus not setting expectations properly. In speaking to candidates, one of the top dissatisfactions and reasons for leaving a job is expectation misalignment. These candidates would often tell me the reality of their roles is far from what was described to them during the interview process. This usually leads to poor performance, disruption to team dynamics and culture, as well as staff turnover – all of which are huge costs to any business.

There are of course other factors that will impact an organization’s ability to secure the best talent - timing, market conditions, remuneration etc. However, the above three points are well within any organization’s control and if they are managed properly, it will greatly increase the chance of recruiting the best possible talent in what is an increasingly competitive candidate market.