Your hiring manager interviewed multiple candidates this month, but none of them are the right fit for your openings or culture. It’s a more common problem than you might think. Often, HR teams overlook minor tweaks that could make a huge difference not just for their hiring rate but for long-term retention.
It doesn’t have to be crazy complicated or innovative. Instead, focus on the human component of HR and think about what makes your organization unique. Leverage employee voices and show authenticity to stand out.
No matter how busy or quiet the hiring market becomes, these are the top 12 ways to recruit and retain talented employees. These tactics are data-backed, so you can focus on attracting and onboarding top talent — not scheduling more lackluster interviews.
What does talent recruitment mean?
Sometimes, the terms talent acquisition and talent recruitment are used interchangeably. The two concepts are similar but different. Talent acquisition is the ongoing process of building a large talent pool, while talent recruitment is the temporary process of filling a singular role.
When considering the two topics, it is helpful to think of recruitment as one piece of the larger acquisition process. When companies recruit talented employees for a role, they strengthen their ability to acquire and retain top talent.
If you’re having a hard time doing either, read this: 9 Signs Your Employer Branding is Costing You Talent (And How to Fix It).
12 ways to attract top talent
Attracting top talent is always tough but especially difficult in today’s job market. The following suggestions will help you level up your recruitment game to stand out from the competition.
- Create a talent pipeline
- Create robust job descriptions
- Advertise what sets you apart
- Leverage employee voices
- Create brand awareness through social media
- Education and community outreach
- Tap into employee networks
- Create a great experience for candidates
- Extend job offers quickly
- Reach out to former employees
- Stay in touch with good candidates
- Earn employer recognition awards
1. Create a talent pipeline
If your organization is rethinking how to attract top talent, it’s essential to reach active and passive candidates. Just because a talented individual isn’t knocking at your door doesn’t mean they shouldn’t know more about your organization and why it’s a great place to work.
Find ways to build relationships with passive candidates before they consider looking for a new position. To do this, listen to their career goals, know what motivates them, and then provide a clear picture of how their career could thrive at your organization. Regular communication will ensure you keep them engaged with your company and alert you to any new developments in their career path.
To boost your recruitment efforts, create an engaging careers page. Utilize job boards such as LinkedIn and Indeed, and consider implementing employee referral programs to extend your talent reach. It is also helpful to set up reminders for job seekers who have visited a job post but have not applied yet.
2. Create robust job descriptions
Attracting top talent starts with unique and specific job descriptions. When you think of a job description as a first impression, it is easier to choose what to include. Imagine you know nothing about the company — what are the most important pieces of information?
Robust job descriptions attract talent by highlighting unique company benefits, including training and development opportunities and well-being programs. Including this information helps companies become more appealing than their competitors, plus it is to get job seekers enticed enough to read the whole job description, including all prerequisites. The more you show someone how much they can thrive at your company, the more interested they become.
3. Advertise what sets you apart
You may already know your organization is a great place to work. But that doesn’t necessarily equate to successful recruitment. To differentiate your organization from the competition, increase your employer brand by highlighting what makes your culture special and unique. One of the most authentic ways is to feature the words of the people who know your organization best: your employees.
Showcasing your employer brand with tools that draw upon strengths from your employee engagement surveys — such as a Culture Cloud or examples of anonymous employee feedback — can capture job candidates’ attention and provide a glimpse of what it’s like to work for your organization.
An intentional, people-first culture is an important quality of a great workplace. But there are other considerations for recruiting talent, too. Pay and benefits are critical for some. For others, it might be learning opportunities, a work/life balance, or feeling challenged by the work. Knowing and promoting your organization’s key strengths will make it easier to attract top talent. It also enables you to fine-tune your marketing efforts, job descriptions, and external communications. In the current job market, employees want:
- Company investment in their value
- Flexible workplace and paid time off
- Training and development (specifically leadership development)
- Supportive colleagues, managers, and senior leaders
- Purposeful, people-driven mission
- Well-being initiatives
4. Leverage employee voices
Job seekers want to see what working at your company is like. What is the vibe of the team? Is the work environment engaging and motivating? Use employee voices and testimonials as an employer branding strategy, and you will attract more candidates, including top performers and people who fit your culture for years to come. In fact, promoting employee feedback is three times more credible than standard marketing and hiring pitches.
5. Create brand awareness through social media
Many innovative ways to attract talent to your organization include leveraging social media platforms to grow brand awareness, promote your unique culture, and build credibility. Popular sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are visible places to showcase company events, highlight employee testimonials, and connect with top talent.
Influencers are another powerful way to attract more candidates and build brand awareness, and plenty of companies use them. No matter your industry, there is a way to promote your company and improve your reach through social media, which also helps recruitment.
6. Education and community outreach
When considering attracting top talent to your company, partnering with local community projects or schools is a great way to demonstrate your company’s core values and reach a specific target market. Consider creating a company internship or mentoring program. Specialized opportunities will attract candidates willing to learn about your organization, its values, and goals.
7. Tap into employee networks
Another great way to attract top talent is to tap into your current employees’ personal and professional networks. Chances are, their references will have similar values and cultural contributions. Plus, they’re personally vetted. Offer an employee referral program to really incentivize employees to become ambassadors and hire the next generation of great talent.
8. Create a great experience for candidates
The process of attracting talent extends beyond the interview itself. It’s essential to give candidates a positive view of your company throughout the process, including hiring and onboarding. A positive experience ensures your organization delivers on expectations and can lead to positive reviews.
Incorporating virtual events and location flexibility in the interview process helps companies reach more candidates. Plus, it shows a higher level of support and understanding from leadership, attracting even more job seekers.
9. Extend job offers quickly
When someone is actively looking for a job, that usually means they are also applying to other opportunities. Extending a job offer quickly shows applicants that the company sees value in them. Timeliness creates more room for discussion with the candidate, allowing your company to make more competitive offers. It also shows that your team values time management and efficiency, setting the tone for the new hire process and company culture.
It’s crucial to mention credentials in this conversation. Before any offers are extended, verify that the candidate meets all credentials. The only thing worse than losing top talent is retracting an offer when the individual does not meet company expectations.
10. Reach out to former employees
People are entitled to explore other opportunities. If someone decides to leave your company to pursue something else, congratulate them on the achievement and stay in touch. Those new opportunities will give them new skills and introduce them to a wider group of people, making them even more valuable for your company.
Former employees are often overlooked when it comes to employee recruitment and acquisition. Staying in touch with top talent helps companies keep a larger talent pool, improving their ability to match individuals with more meaningful roles. Whether those individuals reapply to the company or introduce your team to other talent, it is always beneficial to be able to reach out.
11. Stay in touch with good candidates
Sometimes, there are too many qualified candidates and not enough open positions. During those times, explain that there will be more openings down the road. Staying in touch with good candidates increases your talent pool, improving your company’s ability to match people with meaningful roles. Plus, when people know that the company wants to find a way to hire them, they’re more inclined to keep up with new job postings, creating mutual interest.
12. Earn employer recognition awards
People want to work for — and do business with — companies with the best workplace cultures. Earning third-party, employee-backed employer recognition, such as Top Workplaces awards, validates your brand and business strategy. There are many types of awards, but those based on employee feedback are the most credible to job seekers. They show that your people believe in your company, so others should too.
Become a Top Workplace, recruit better talent
Attaining employer-of-choice status enhances the ability to recruit top talent and drive growth for your business. It serves as a credible endorsement of your people-first culture and workplace experience. The awards are a powerful magnet for prospective employees seeking a desirable and rewarding work environment.
Earn credible employer recognition as an employer of choice. To participate in Top Workplaces, start here by nominating your company. There is no cost to participate, survey your employees, or win awards. The program is confidential and risk-free. Plus, our specialists will ensure a smooth and easy process, start to finish.
