How to attract top talent

Although every candidate will differ in what they look for in an organisation, there are a few things every business can do to appeal to the type of candidate they are seeking.

Considering the following four points for attracting top talent to your organisation:

How do you reward your employees? Getting the right balance of benefits is crucial (take a look at what your competitors offer) and is increasingly seen as a part of your employer branding strategy. What pension and health programs do you offer? Top candidates will consider all benefits and remuneration as part of the whole job package.

As well as attracting candidates, this should help you retain staff too.

If a high calibre candidate can’t see opportunities for development and progression, they are less likely to consider your organisation as somewhere to advance their career. Ensure that you’re promoting any training you offer to prospective employees.

People who know their skills are in demand can afford to be fussy when it comes to choosing their job. If they are offered two very similar roles, the organisations’ cultures come into play. Consider the questions you ask at interview, how many of these are based around values rather than competencies?

Are you seen as a major player in your respective business area? What sets you apart from your competitors? You don’t have to be the biggest business to be taken seriously; you just have to prove what value you can add to the industry.

Candidates who are already in a job may need an added incentive to leave their current organisation and join yours; they’re probably more likely to leave their job for an organisation they’ve heard of and respect. Publicise your success stories through social media, PR and your company website.

For many candidates, their first port of call when job searching is the internet, so it’s essential to keep your website updated. You should also consider whether it’s portraying a positive (and accurate) image of your company. You can also boost your online presence by engaging on social media networks; take a look at our article on employer branding through social media.

Online advertising is an effective and common way of finding suitable candidates for your roles. Partnering with a recruitment agency like Michael Page means your jobs will reach a wider audience online and through existing candidate databases.

We’ve discussed some of the ways to attract top talent here but for more insight, check out our article on corporate culture.