How to attract the very best talent

In the modern knowledge economy, organisations’ success is determined by the quality of its people. We assess the key aspects of talent management you might be overlooking

Engaging with and recruiting the best talent for your business is an ongoing challenge.

With 65% of recruiters claiming that talent shortage is the biggest challenge in hiring, a well-planned recruitment strategy, supported by the right people and tools, is rewarded with the ability to stand out among employers and attract the very best talent to your brand.

Do you have the right tools in place?

To prepare, monitor, test and learn from your recruiting efforts, you need to have the right business systems in place.
Automation, data capture and user experience are all important elements worth investing in.

eRecruitment systems, such as Ciphr iRecruit, are designed to remove the burden of repetitive processes and tasks. This allows recruitment and HR professionals to concentrate on brand image and optimising the applicant experience.

75% of hiring and talent managers use either applicant tracking or recruitment automation software to improve their hiring process

– Capterra

Your onboarding process will have a big impact on employees’ perceptions of your brand, so every stage of your onboarding process – from pairing new starters with mentors to ensuring that essential equipment is available on day one – should be considered.

Onboarding solutions enable organisations to grant access to certain employee information for new starters, even before their official start date. Granting a new member of staff access to update their own record removes this burden from HR, as well as improving data accuracy.

You should also make sure that your online recruitment portal is mobile friendly. Two-fifths (40%) of candidates who try to apply using a mobile device abandon the process if the applicant-tracking system (ATS) is not mobile friendly.

Can you afford to potentially lose nearly half of your online applications?

Talent attraction is an ongoing strategy

Talent attraction is an ongoing process, not a strategy that can be forgotten about between job openings. Continual effort is required to maintain contact with your talent pool, whether they’re previous applicants or passive candidates.

Your employer brand is often the contributing factor that any top talent will consider when deciding whether to engage with your company.

“92% of candidates say they would consider leaving their current jobs if a company with an excellent corporate reputation offered them another role.”

– CR

Employers can no longer ignore the results that social recruitment and a strong brand image produce, as well as the effort required to maintain a good reputation as an employer.  Not maintaining consistency in your social efforts will result in a drop in online engagement and ultimately a reduction in your talent pool.

Between 2011 and 2016 the percentage of businesses using social media as a recruiting tool rose from 56% to 84%. If you’re not using these platforms to source and engage with talent then you’re in the minority, and could be losing great candidates and employees to your competitors.

Are you promoting what you already do?

Promoting your existing brand culture, working environment and ethos is an effective way to attract talent. If your workforce enjoys working for you then they’ll be happy to advocate and share stories about daily life at your company.

Employee referral initiatives are an effective recruitment strategy and encourage your workforce to share an open position with their friends. Referred applicants already have the recommendation of an existing employee and will be familiar with the culture and the way in which the business operates.

Other aspects of the organisation you can promote include benefits, company incentives, social events and sports clubs.

Maintaining a strong employer brand, optimising recruitment processes and ensuring that talent is retained should be top priorities for HR.

If you would like to learn more about how Ciphr can help you with talent management then call us on 01628 814242 or click here.