Factors that Attract Current Job Seekers
The new year is officially in full swing. By this point, the lull around the holidays is firmly past and we are fully engaging with the year ahead. As we take action on our hiring and growth plans for the year, it would be prudent to take a moment to consider what we can do to best appeal to top talent in a continuingly tight and competitive job market.
A recent article by Steve Isenberg, a professor and leader in the staffing industry, highlighted seven specific factors that are top of mind for those seeking to make a job change.
- Solid Branding & Employee Relations
Top-tier job seekers are likely to research each potential employer and prioritize those that maintain strong brand identities and employee relations. Being able to stand out within your industry or community can be a tremendous asset for any organization seeking to grow their team.
- Alignment with Company Values & Goals
This goes hand in hand with maintaining a strong identity and relations above. Employees are drawn to jobs that give them a clear sense of purpose and align with their personal values and goals. Taking the time to understand and develop this aspect of your corporate identity can pay dividends when it comes to recruiting.
- Healthy, Attractive Company Culture
How would current and past employees describe your workplace culture? How would they generally characterize daily life within your company? Online tools, reviews and surveys make it more likely than ever that a candidate will research or solicit feedback from those already within your organization. Prioritize solicitation of employee feedback and demonstrate that you are willing to act on suggestions to improve day to day life within your company.
- Prioritize Career Development
The most in-demand employees are focused on continuing to develop their skills and advancing their careers. Examine what steps you can implement to encourage this with continuing education, mentor programs and an emphasis on internal promotion. Give your highest performers every possible opportunity to continue to grow with you rather than seek their fortunes elsewhere.
- Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
Reputable and ethical organizations have firm positions against any sort of discrimination and have clear equal opportunity practices in place at every level. Take the additional time to ensure that you are going beyond those minimum requirements to really stand out among your peer group to engage with a full spectrum of highly skilled job seekers.
- Simplified Application Process
CareerBuilder indicates that nearly two-thirds of job seekers quit the application process due to excessive length. How many employers are only seeing a fraction of potential candidates because they made the application process too burdensome? Take the time to review your application process and determine if it can be made more efficient for a better candidate experience. Ensure that the application is mobile device friendly. This is likely the first experience a job seeker will have with your company- make it as positive as possible!
This was bound to make an appearance eventually. In-demand candidates know their value, and concerns about inflation and rising cost of living continue. Further, a higher salary is often the deciding factor in weighing competitive job offers. All of the work on the points above may be moot if your organization can not offer competitive compensation.
While these criteria individually are not surprising, taken together they do indicate that the preferred candidates in the current job market are taking the time to weigh a variety of factors prior to accepting a job offer. Networking, online surveys, employer reviews and social media provide job seekers with access to a full profile of a potential employer well before they choose to begin employment. By understanding and addressing these key factors, you can enhance your organization’s standing over all and greatly improve your recruiting success.
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