A survey conducted by the Telegraph in partnership with EasyJet and YouGov asked more than 1000 business people about their experience and attitudes to recruitment. They found that a third of them saw recruitment as a major challenge and only one in four said they find it easy to hire suitably skilled staff.
The challenge doesn’t stop with recruiting top talent, because after you have attracted them you want to retain them. So, how do you do this?
1.Look in the right places
You can’t sit back and assume top talent will come to you. You need to be actively looking for it at all times. When you are marketing your company, ensure you are always considering potential recruits by showing what a great place it is to work. Find out where the talent is and target them there – think posters (check out Helloprint Poster Printing for a great deal), social media and so on.
Keep an eye on the competition, if you find someone you want then don’t be afraid to approach them – the worst they can say is no, and you could be just what they are looking for.
2. You need to pay for talent
A survey of HR executives conducted by Robert Half revealed that pay is still the number one reason why employees leave their jobs. 32% of respondents said pay was the primary motivator for their staff, suggesting employers who offer high salaries will always receive applications from the best candidates.
However, although high pay might attract the top talent, this alone won’t necessarily keep them long term. Which is why….
3. Benefits are key
Benefits are incredibly appealing to potential employees. If they pay is right and on top of that they know they will get subsided training, help with childcare, an attractive pension plan and so on - then you are on to a winner!
4. Offer opportunities for progression
Top talent are likely to be career-focused and determined to move up the career ladder. This is why a clear path of progression is guaranteed to be attractive to them. It is important to show how they can develop their careers with your company and how they can work towards promotion – and the rewards that will come with this. The survey by Robert Half also found that 42% of respondents said scope for progression is an important factor in job satisfaction and a quarter had turned down a job opportunity due to limited career development.
5. Create a desirable company culture
Employees spend more time at work than they do at home and therefore you want to make sure it is a place were they want to work. Ideally, you want to offer an environment that makes people say, “I wish I worked there!” when they hear about the perks of the job alone.
You can guarantee the companies that top the ‘100 best companies to work for’ list have an extremely desirable company culture. This includes any perks from free breakfasts, regular social events or an office dog, perhaps? Who could turn down a job where your colleague has four legs and a wagging tail?