In order to attract and recruit the best talent available, companies need to align their business value proposition with their employee value proposition. What does that mean in practice? To succeed in attracting today’s best employees, you need to develop a distinctive talent brand strategy that motivates candidates to find out more about your opportunities.
In every industry or company there are career paths that can be articulated to a candidate. Ideally, they should be explained in detail at the outset so they can assess it against other options they may have. Think of it as an elevator pitch aimed at your valuable future employees. Most companies competing for candidates don’t do a good enough job of explaining their employee value proposition to potential employees. Helping a candidate envision what their career might look like at your company is key to getting them to take the next step.
Compensation is important too, but it’s only one consideration, and often not the most important. If salary is not what you want to compete on, it’s better to define your organization’s key selling points as an employer. Here are a few that candidates look for:
Culture
Culture is overlooked as an employee attraction and retention tool but it’s central to most employees today. Culture is a reflection of the broader company values, and a supportive, people-centred culture is a winning formula, and one that needs to be referenced in all your communications. Make people want to work for you by telling them why they want to work for you.
Benefits
In a highly competitive labour market, benefits can set you apart. It’s not enough to offer standard packages like health, dental and RRSPs. Today’s candidates are looking for benefits like flex time, work-from-home days, and other non-monetary benefits. Consider what you can offer that other employers can’t and make that part of your messaging. It’s your competitive advantage and one that you can leverage over less savvy employers.
Career growth
Millennials and their younger counterparts, Gen Y, do not sit around and wait for their careers to happen. If they don’t sense movement for themselves in the role and the company they are currently in, they will move on quickly. To retain them, develop a personal career progression plan, expose them to senior management, and consider developing a mentorship program. Demonstrate the company’s faith in them, and they will stick around. When attracting talent, be sure to outline your career progression program to potential recruits, so they know that a role with you means an evolving role with a bright future ahead.
Communication
People are savvier than ever about branding and marketing, and how you reach out to potential candidates will be watched and weighed by them carefully. It’s important to go where the candidates are, learn about their online habits and have a presence there to have any chance of them seeing your opportunity.
