Executive Search & Recruitment


Feature


How to win the battle for talent


By Jamie Wills (pictured), managing director at Culture Recruitment


terms of how they need to operate in order to meet customer or client expectations, but also how they attract desired talent and, perhaps more importantly, retain them by meeting employee expectations.


F


Here are my top tips to attract and retain top talent.


1. What message does your business communicate? Nothing hurts a business’ credibility more than inconsistency and mixed messages. This is no less true when considering it from the context of attracting a future employee. Is the message your company


gives out on its website in line with what’s present on your other platforms? Does the content and tone of an advert for a new role tie in with what a potential candidate will see when researching your company? Will their conversation with your people resonate with what they have previously read, seen and heard? A consistent message across all


touch points, from text and images online to what a candidate hears and sees during the interview process, will give your business a clear, defined and coherent voice when attracting new people.


2. The role of a company’s culture in retaining top talent We’re all aware of terms such as ‘engaged employees’, ‘inclusive culture’ and ‘flexible working hours’, but they are important when you consider what type of culture you want to create within your company. Your recruitment process, and the type of individual you employ, will


directly influence this. And it seems virtually obvious to say that if your company can create a culture whereby its employees feel valued, they will be actively engaged. More than 80 per cent of millennials have said they are actively engaged at work due to an inclusive culture. The takeaway is, the more your


company can create a culture where your employees feel valued, can work in an inclusive environment, and have a voice that wants to be listened to, the more they will positively promote your company, work harder and want to remain with you far longer.


3. It’s all about perception As Bob Hoskins once said: “its good to talk”. Well, be under no illusions that perspective candidates will be using a myriad of platforms to research your company, and weigh a company’s own self portrayed image – the one they see on your website, or on your social media etc. – against what actual employees, past and present, say about you. While you cannot please


everyone all the time, these platforms can be a source of valuable feedback and insight into a specific area(s) which needs focus to put right. If left unchecked,


or quite some time now, the goal posts for business have had to change. Not just in


it could prevent that right-fit candidate from applying.


4. Will your existing employees be credible advocates? We are more likely to listen to our peers than an organisation’s marketing department, irrespective of how slick it may be. It is therefore paramount that the message you project about your inclusive, valued employee culture your company is not only credible, but is reflected in your employees and workspace. Just like you can tell if someone


is genuinely smiling by looking in their eyes, a prospective employee will be able to decipher whether the blurb coming from the interviewer regaling them with how good the workplace, environment and culture are, is genuine or not. Be mindful of how you can capitalise on this good culture and boost employee engagement by providing by providing a defined space your employees can ‘own’ on professional networks and intranets. The location of the interview is


important, as you’ll want to show off your genuine, healthy working environment to best of your ability. A prospective employee should walk through a vibrant workspace and be inspired by the hive of activity.


5. Everyone’s a customer Remember when I touched upon perception? Well, a candidate who didn’t end up becoming an employee is able to review your company on what their experience was up to the point of going your separate ways and placing this in


the public domain for others to read. It is therefore important to


deliver a positive, consistent and well-managed journey, no matter the candidate. Be transparent with not only what you expect and are looking for in a potential employee, but what they can expect from the interview process, timelines, stages and when the final decision is due to be made.


6. Are you visible? Make sure you’re in the space where the top talent is. Seems an obvious one, but as that sticker on the back of an articulate says, ‘if you can’t see my wing mirrors, I can’t see you’. You may have to be creative in


order to improve you visibility, be it through sponsoring professional events, facilitating social or industry ‘best practice’ networking, or good old-fashioned advertising in an industry-relevant website or trade magazine. Specialist recruiters are


invaluable in this area and will be a brand of their own in a given space. Businesses like to use the word ‘partner’ more and more when describing their ideal client/ customer relationship, but never has this word been important than to a company viewing their recruitment relationship. Invest time in the relationship, because you don’t just want applicants with the desired skill but, as I’ve mentioned already, but you want them to put forward a candidate that is the right cultural fit for your existing workforce. It’s no coincidence that Culture


Recruitment’s strap line states: ‘it’s all about the fit’.


‘A prospective employee should walk through a vibrant workspace and be inspired’


December 2019/January 2020 CHAMBERLINK 61


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