Talent War- Engage Your Own Troops
Oct 14th, 2021
If you build it, they will come. Right?
There is a talent war raging on around us. To find skilled and seasoned talent, they are coming at a higher price and skewing well-crafted compensation models for companies. The lesser investment in junior talent is equally as daunting from the time needed to ensure proper training, not to mention the long runway to true productivity. That aside you must find them first…
You have an award-winning company. You’ve built a dazzling website. The jobs are posted. You have a relevant social message displayed. People should want to come work for you. You built it; they should come, right?
They will. But they will come faster if everyone is cheering for them. Your team is your greatest asset in many ways, but especially now in recruiting. Enlist them in the battle to bring in the best!
Social Media: Make it easy for them. If they aren’t avid LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook users, now is the time to train them. EVERYONE on your team should be following your company page. They need to know how to “like” and “share” to push that content out far and wide. This is an easy Lunch and Learn topic for a Friday afternoon. Make it a contest to generate more followers. Manage your LinkedIn followers by checking in if they are relevant to your open positions.
Referrals: This is not new, but maybe it’s been forgotten. Keep it top of mind and SWEETEN the pot! Make it a greater sum or multi-level for referring multiple new hires. Encourage them to review their LinkedIn connections. Sometimes we have so many, we forget who’s in there!
Testimonials: Videos work. We are a culture of consumers, and we love engaging content. Show your team and work culture off! Find your happiest people and ask them to share the “what’s and why’s” that keep them engaged in your workplace.
Visibility: This takes time and planning. Consistently ensure your brand and jobs are showcased on your website, social media channels, alumni sites and any other group or network that can be a promoter for your company.
Engage: Employee engagement is critical in the entire lifecycle of an employee. When attracting talent, the most engaged are your greatest asset. Get them excited about onboarding new team members. Target your high performers, talk about mentoring opportunities that will be forthcoming with the new hires. If employees are feeling the stress of the understaffed environment, talk about prioritizing workload to avoid burnout. Ensure your team is highly satisfied now and when new hires start.
Transparency: Share openly how the process is going and what the timeline looks like. The more information the team has, the more they will support you in this endeavor. Remember, you are in this together.