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3 Secrets to Recruiting Top Talent
If you run a small business without a recognizable brand name, recruiting top talent can present a substantial challenge. With more than a decade of experience in the role as Vice President of Human Resources, I’ve learned that attracting the best candidates begins with telling your company’s story more effectively. Here are the guidelines I use when speaking to job seekers.
Be Clear on Your Culture
Consider what you and your company represent. This starts with answering a few simple questions. What’s your company’s philosophy on serving the business community through customer service? Your brand isn’t just a logo and a font – it’s an identity. And it’s that identity that employees will be a part of when they come onboard.
At NexusTek, we enable the latest technology solutions for small to medium-sized businesses to power their success. That is our mission statement and our identity as a managed service provider. Understanding how you’re different and nurturing that difference can only lead to being better.
Highlight Your Existing Employees
If a picture is worth a thousand words, how valuable is a recorded employee testimonial? What better way to show your company’s impact on your people than through videos, photos, and quotes.
When embarking on this project, feature people with the education and experiences that you’re actively seeking in new candidates. Don’t be afraid to be very specific in your video content to identify with the candidates you’re seeking. Candidates want to know “hey, there’s someone just like me who works there.” They want to know what your organization values in their employees. At the end of the day, everyone wants to feel a sense of belonging.
When collecting employee testimonials that will draw the desired candidates, what questions should you ask? Here are some examples of the questions I’ve asked of employees:
- What attracted you to this company?
- Tell me about a typical day at work for you?
- What are you currently learning, and what are you still excited to learn about?
- What makes you proud to work here?
Ask your employees these questions to get some great quotes that will help you communicate your company culture.
When It Comes to Benefits, Go In-Depth
You don’t want to just recruit top talent – you want them to STAY! This is one of the main reasons you have a competitive benefits package that offers them financial and physical security.
Retaining valuable employees needs to be your mindset from the start of the recruiting process. Besides, can you really afford the time and effort it takes to recruit, train, and retain someone every 2-3 years? You want to focus on growing your core business, not hiring staff.
An excellent benefits program can create a compelling reason for a potential hire to submit their application. Offer a program with several benefit options instead of a “one-size fits all” platform. Make sure your company’s full scope of benefits and descriptions are easily accessible to the candidates through your website or recruiting module.
The story you tell during your recruiting process can attract great candidates to apply. In the battle for a competitive edge in your industry, you need top talent. It starts with understanding who you are as a brand, conveying that brand identity through your existing employees, and being transparent when it comes to differentiators like benefits.
Good luck recruiting!