The talent war has been taxing companies for several years. Many employers are having trouble locating and retaining the skilled professionals they need to excel. The hiring landscape is competitive, and it easily classifies as a job seekers’ market. As a result, businesses have to use different recruitment and retention approaches. Otherwise, they will continue to struggle.
Luckily, there are things employers can do to give themselves an edge. If you want to make sure you can find and keep the top talent your company needs to thrive, here are two ways to recruit and retain better in 2020.
1. Define Your Employer Brand
Cultivating a team made up of professionals who align with your company’s values, goals and culture is ideal when you want to boost productivity. However, this can only be accomplished if your employer brand is well-defined.
If you can’t articulate the candidates where your company stands, where its priorities lie, what it wants to achieve, and how each role contributes to its goals, you’ll have trouble finding right-fit applicants. Job seekers won’t be able to visualize what working for you is like, making it harder for them to determine if they mesh with your culture or share your values.
Along the same lines, an ill-defined employer brand can harm retention. It makes it harder for employees to determine if they fit in, or a disjointed message may leave them feeling conflicted or confused.
By defining your employer brand clearly, finding those who genuinely fit becomes more natural. Job seekers who believe in what you are offering will flock to your opportunities, and employees who feel at home will be more likely to stay.
2. Be a Bastion for Career Development
Professional development opportunities can bolster your recruitment and retention efforts. When you help your employees grow and advance, you increase your odds of being viewed as an employer of choice. As a result, you may have an easier time engaging skilled professionals when you need to fill a vacancy and keeping talented employees on staff for the long-term.
Additionally, when career development is part of your culture, you are creating a unique opportunity. You can hire candidates based on their potential, focusing on those with a robust core skill set, passion for their field, and willingness to learn. Then, through training, you can fill in any skill gaps and mold them into an ideal employee.
Similarly, you are equipped to keep your company moving forward even when you bring in new technologies or adjust your processes. Instead of having to look outside of your organization for these new needed skills, you can focus on your best and brightest and upskill them. This can be significantly more efficient than hiring an external candidate. Plus, it enhances engagement on your team, increasing their level of loyalty and productivity.
Ultimately, both of the approaches above can help you recruit and retain better in 2020. If you’d like to know more about locating and keeping top talent, the team at The Advance Group can help. Contact us to speak with a member of our knowledgeable staff today and see how our hiring and retention expertise can benefit you.
