Last year, we wrote about some key ways for employers to attract top talent which included recommendations such
as enhancing corporate culture, focusing on referrals and improving company benefits. As 2015 progresses, we’re finding these ways and more are making an impact when it comes to attracting top talent. An annual recruiting survey conducted in July 2015 gave interesting insights on some methods recruiters are using to attract talent. We’ve highlighted their findings and added a few of our own to help companies get the most out of their recruiting efforts. Take a look at these trending and classic methods to attract the right candidate:
• Brand Awareness: As we know, most people searching for a job look the Internet to do research on a company. From that point on, the job seeker begins to build an impression of a company and how their brand looks like online. Here’s the breakdown of the study on how marketing matters in the area of recruiting: “More than a quarter of recruiters say that lack of brand awareness is one of the biggest challenges they face in attracting top talent. Recruiters know how important it is to make their company brand visible. They’re using multiple channels, and have found these to be more effective in growing their employer brand.” The channels include:
• Social Networks: 74%
• Company Career Website: 63%
• Marketing and Advertising: 37%
• Outbound Campaigns (Web, email newsletter, etc…): 20%
• Mobile Career Website: 15%
• Company Blog: 13%
• SEO: 9%
• Referrals: Referrals are also on the top of the list for recruiters and according to the survey, “78% of recruiters find their best quality candidates through referrals.” Recruiters or hiring managers that rely heavily on referrals will look to improve their referral programs. Having an effective referral program, hinges on the hiring manager’s ability to market and network efficiently. Through the coming year’s employers will need to increase their efforts and become more creative.
• Company Benefits: Company Benefits like Healthcare are another key component when attracting top talent. Here’s a list of some of the perks that are most likely to attract new candidates.
- Medical/dental: 63%
- 401K: 44%
- Casual dress code: 36%
- Work from home: 33% (58% for Tech/Software)
- Gym & wellness perks: 26%
- Free transportation/parking: 17%
- Free snacks/meals: 18% (36% for Tech/Software)
• Compensation: Money always seem to be a top attributor to attracting top talent and depending on the industry it can be a main driver. To attract the right talent, employers must be in range with industry standards. If not, your positions will undoubtedly be dismissed by top and or relevant job seekers.
• Effective Communication: Communication and brand awareness are starting to go hand in hand in today’s job market. From the start, the communication to job seekers must be consistent and effective. It starts with the job description being clear and concise and continues with the employer being clear as to the expectation of the position. Once the interview is over, there must be adequate follow-up to ensure the job seekers understand where they stand with the potential opportunity. With so much of a company’s brand reputation on the line, employers and hiring managers must go through the added steps to ensure all parties have been effectively communicated. If not, there may be negative information posted online which can damage a company’s brand reputation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, Ingrid Moore
Ingrid Moore is the Founder and CEO of Corporate Resources of Illinois, an employment & staffing agency withover 20+years’ experience located in Schaumburg, IL. Ingrid and her team assist employers with finding the right hire for their business. For more info, follow us on our LinkedIn Company Page, or follow us Corporate Resources of Illinois‘s Google+ page.
