The future of your company depends on who is going to be your future C-suite employees. So attracting new talent to your business is imperative to later success. Additionally, retaining those new employees holds great importance.
The Harvard Business review found that nearly “33% of new hires look for a new job within their first six months on the job.” Also, those who have sought after skills will end up interviewing your company, as well as being interviewed for a position, which means that you need to make the business look appealing in order for the right person to accept an offer of employment from you.
Successful businesses are creating their employee retention strategies. The National Centre for the Middle Market puts hiring the right employee as a high priority but specifies that businesses offering workplace training programs along with benefits are more likely to retain valuable professionals and attract talent.
In addition, providing flexible work schedules, offering promotions, and putting importance on health can help businesses earn employee loyalty and gain respect in professional networking circles.
If your company is finding it difficult to attract new talent and retain them, below we have a list of tips that may make your brand more appealing to potential employees...
Brand image
Your company may have a strong brand image that attracts new clients, however when it comes to attracting new employees, not only does your brand image have to appeal to consumers, but also to applicants. This should highlight the good things about your business and show potential candidates what benefits there are to working for you.
Smaller companies in particular, need to focus on their brand image when appealing to prospective employees. For example, incorporate stories into the hiring process, let applicants know about what your employees have done for clients and showcase the people behind the solutions.
Not only does this represent what kind of brand you are but also shows candidates how employees are expected to work, and what workplace training may be included.
With strong competition for the top talent, it’s important for businesses to stand out to the people they’re trying to attract. This can be achieved by designing a hiring strategy for specific needs to create targeted and effective recruitment campaigns.
For instance, employer’s branding has gone digital and you must look beyond using LinkedIn and job portals for recruiting top talent. Identify the online spaces visited by people with the required skills in order to populate job advertisements in the most effective places.
Workplace community
Along with showcasing your company on paper, it’s important to make your workplace a community. Millennials, in particular, put great importance on the office environment and this group will be the future of your company.
Many offices are very similar, so it’s more important than ever to make yours stand out from the rest. Creating a sense of community can transform an office and ensures that your company provides things that can help with workplace training as well as personal development.
For example, it’s good to consider a fresh layout which encourages a more sociable environment, plus creating a relaxed area where employees can clear their heads and work in silence, or establishes an area in which people can interact on their lunch breaks.
Additionally, many believe that to improve employee experience is to give people the sort of technology they want to use. Today’s employees require intuitive, interactive and engaging systems that save time and provide information.
People also expect to be able to collaborate with colleagues, in real time, anywhere in the world, all from their mobile devices.
Making the office a learning environment
Along with making the office environment more relaxed, it’s also good to encourage an office learning culture. Urban Bound found that “In the U.S. and U.K, an estimated $37 billion is spent annually to keep unproductive employees who don’t understand their job.”
With the way the world is developing, it’s important to keep up to date with the latest techniques and allow learning experiences which are designed with the employee at the centre such as Millennial training, in order to equip them with the knowledge and skills today’s consumers / latest technologies. This learning can be provided on-demand so people can fit it in around their job, or in office face-to-face which allows for questions and conversation.
Adopting a marketing mindset that attracts the most sought-after skills and talent, and fostering a culture of continuous learning to retain and engage employees will attract, and retain, talented employees.
For example, amagazine.com found that “69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experienced great onboarding.”
Rewards and recognition
A big part of a company's culture is how it recognises and rewards hard work. This doesn't just mean bonuses or promotions, as sometimes simply telling someone they did a good job shows the value they add to the business.
Additionally, creating personal targets for employees give them something to improve on and achieve, this then can be rewarded. However, amagazine.com found that “60% of companies fail to set milestones or goals for new hires which could lead to complacency.”
Showing candidates that the company appreciates their work and the jobs they do can help to attract the right talent while also improving current employees attitude.
Offer flexibility
With the skills gap pushing salaries higher, companies also have to consider other ways to attract the top talent. More people are looking for some kind of flexibility within their roles, and this can become more appealing to those candidates looking for extra benefits.
Showing potential employees what work perks your company offers could be a great way to both attract and retain talent.
Consider bringing in perks such as flexible working and working from home as this may appeal more to candidates than a position that doesn't provide these options.