Talent Acquisition: How To Attract New Talent in 2023

Talent acquisition can be a struggle even in a slow job market. In our red-hot job market, it can seem nearly impossible for employers to attract new talent without the support of talent acquisition services.

As we’ve seen, the Great Resignation has employees keeping their eyes open for bigger, better opportunities: better pay, better benefits, better culture, etc. With talent acquisition firms everywhere clamoring for their attention, how does your organization make its voice heard?

Definition: Talent acquisition vs. recruiting

Before we explore how talent acquisition specialists attract new talent, let’s explore the differences between recruiting and talent acquisition.

There is a bit of overlap between talent acquisition and recruiting, but there is also a difference. Recruiting is finding and hiring qualified individuals to fill job vacancies and keep workflows moving. Talent acquisition is finding and hiring top talent (whether you have a vacancy or not) to build an expert workforce.

In this article, we share 11 ways to up your game, attract quality talent and elevate your organization.

1. Build your employer brand

An employer brand is an organizational identity that a hiring manager, recruiter or talent acquisition specialist presents to prospective and existing employees. It communicates the organization’s mission, vision, values and culture to prospects and the public. The employer brand is the overall perception of the organization in the market.

Crucial to a successful employer brand is getting your message right. This is where talent acquisition consulting services come into play, helping businesses perfect this message so human resources (HR) teams and talent acquisition managers clearly communicate why the organization does what it does and how it serves the greater good, above and beyond making a profit. 

According to LinkedIn, a business with a strong employer brand attracts 50% more highly qualified candidates and reduces its hiring costs by 43%. They are also able to fill jobs more quickly and enjoy higher employee retention.

2. Be transparent

Detail, clarity and honesty in job requirements, expectations and benefits are vital to attracting top talent. If your job description is vague, job seekers will believe your organization is hiding something. If your job description sounds too good to be true it creates suspicion, and prospects will run in the opposite direction. If your job description is deceptive, exaggerating salary, benefits, company culture, etc., job applicants and employees will speak out, damaging your credibility, reputation and employer brand.

3. Publish your environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives

Millennials — born between 1981 and 1994 — are the largest population group in the U.S. As such, they have a profound influence on workplace culture and the adoption of ESG strategies. One of the best ways to attract top talent in this age group is to make your ESG initiatives a priority, publish them on your website, and provide them to your talent acquisition manager.

• Environmental: Publish your sustainability initiatives, your plans for the future, and how your company is currently working to reduce your carbon footprint.
• Social: Publish your diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, your commitment to your community and how you empower employees to support their favorite causes.
• Governance: Publish how your decision-making processes guard against mismanagement and the risk of scandal.

4. Protect (or clean up) your online reputation

Not only do you need to develop an employer brand, but you also need to actively manage your employer brand and your company’s brand reputation. To avoid repelling quality applicants, mitigate bad press, bad reviews and complaints with diplomatic replies. Rather than invalidating public applicant and employee grievances, an HR, PR or social media professional should tactfully explain how you are rectifying the issue. Build social proof by encouraging positive reviews on job sites from current and former employees.

5. Build social proof

Build social proof by encouraging positive reviews on social platforms and review sites from clients. Publish employee success stories on your social channels and blog that feature how your organization encourages, supports and facilitates employee growth. But don’t stop there. Write features about your community contributions and sustainability initiatives. Don’t like to toot your own horn? Hire a PR firm to do it for you.

6. Engage with candidates

During a slower job market, hiring managers everywhere ghosted applicants at various stages of the application process. The tables have turned, and so have candidates’ expectations. Build your reputation as an empathetic and gracious employer. Make connections, and respond to inquiries, social media conversations, cover letters and applications quickly—even to applicants who don’t qualify.

7. Post HR contact information and accept resumes (even if you’re not hiring)

The key to building a superior team is recognizing—and considering—exceptional individuals even when you’re not hiring. This means keeping your HR contact information front and center on your careers page and accepting resumes for positions that aren’t open. At the very least, keep resumes on hand for six to 12 months. Keep in mind that high-potential candidates move quickly through the job market. You may need to create a position to snag a remarkable individual before another company does.

8. Be flexible

According to Deloitte, flexibility is the most important attribute offered by potential employers. Employer flexibility shows empathy and understanding. And yet, we still have an all-or-nothing workforce, with some employers offering flexible remote work and unlimited PTO and others being completely inflexible.

If your workplace isn’t conducive to a flexible work environment, even a little bit of leeway may provide a big advantage. Can’t offer flexible hours? Allow employees the ability to flex for appointments, family events, school schedules or sick kids.

9. Offer professional development opportunities

According to LinkedIn, professional development and advancement opportunities are huge factors in acquiring and retaining talent. It’s 59% of the reason employees join a company and 45% of the reason they leave. More importantly, in one Mercer study, 78% of employees said they would stay with their employer longer if they had a clear career path.

To attract and retain top talent, your human resources department must provide opportunities for employees to learn and achieve their career goals. Here are some ways to promote a learning culture within your organization:

• Subscribe to an online learning channel
• Facilitate upward mobility with management coaching
• Accommodate in-person learning opportunities and webinars with a clear budget and time allowance
• Host regular lunch-and-learn sessions
• Discuss professional development and individual career goals during regular evaluations
• Recognize and reward learning champions

10. Advertise in the right places

Talent acquisition is a marketing endeavor. That means reaching out to top talent where they spend the most time. This may mean expanding to Snapchat, TikTok, Reddit, YouTube or other social platforms to reach Millennials and Gen Z. Job casting is a trending talent acquisition method in which company executives share their company story in a video narrative.

11. Promote from within

Some of the most talented individuals you can hire are already working for you. Promoting from within means hiring someone for the position who is already knowledgeable about your company. Doing so offers professional development and advancement opportunities that build employee longevity. And it reduces acquisition costs. By seeking internal candidates before looking outside the agency, you prove your loyalty to your employees.

Bottom Line

In today’s job market, you must be a first-rate employer to attract first-rate talent. Shape your reputation as the place to work by delivering the right message on the right channels. This means building a transparent and empathetic employer brand that clearly states your purpose for the greater good and publishing your ESG initiatives.

Respond to all inquiries, quickly and graciously. Encourage social proof in the form of employee reviews and feature articles. Lastly, attract and retain top talent by offering employees opportunities to advance their careers and promoting internally.

If you need assistance attracting and retaining top talent through career development opportunities, consider offering CoachHub as a crucial part of your talent development programs.