Talent Acquisition: Attracting and Retaining Young, High Potential Employees

Once upon a time, talent acquisition was easy. Recruiters had no trouble finding a pool of qualified candidates for any job posting they had open. Those days are long gone.

Now, young employees with the specialized skills you want know that all of your competitors are also interested in hiring them. If another company has more to offer them, they won’t hesitate to take the better proposition.

In other words, it is now up to businesses to make themselves attractive to the top-tier candidates they want to employ.

How can you make your organization into the kind of dream employer that every young candidate hopes to apply to?

Inbound recruiting is the answer you’re looking for.

Talent Acquisition vs. Recruitment: Why Finding the Right Talent Matters

Before we begin, it is important to understand what makes proactive talent acquisition important.

As we mentioned above, highly skilled workers have their pick of employers in today’s job market. A run-of-the-mill company cannot expect to attract the best selection of workers in their profession. Many companies have difficulty filling key roles at all.

Established recruitment methods are simply not producing the results companies need. To get professionals with high potential interested in working for you, you will have to show them why your organization merits their consideration.

Cultivating your employer brand to attract quality job applicants is called inbound recruiting. It’s one of the best ways to secure the skilled professionals your company needs. According to LinkedIn, companies with a strong employer brand attract 50% more highly qualified candidates and reduce their hiring costs by 43%. They are also able to fill jobs more quickly and enjoy higher employee retention.

Who can argue with results like that? It’s time to start working on your employer branding strategy today.

How to Attract Top Talent

Inbound recruiting strategies can take many forms. Some of the things you can do to interest top candidates and build a strong employer brand include:

Maintain Transparency in Your Talent Acquisition Job Description

Big organizations are not always the most forthcoming in terms of job requirements, but this needs to change. Being too vague in a job description signals to young job-seekers that there is something you don’t want them to know. Maintain as much transparency as possible in your job descriptions and throughout the application process to gain their trust.

Commit to Social Causes

Today’s young graduates are searching for work that lends meaning and purpose to their lives. Committing to a social cause is a good way to show you can offer that. Be sure to demonstrate your allegiance with actions as well as words to avoid coming off as insincere. Depending on what resources your company has available, you might organize community events, conduct outreach programs, partner with other organizations to make a difference, or just donate money to the cause.

Create Talent Acquisition Jobs for Your Staff

Nothing is more convincing to a young job seeker than testimonials from people who are already working for a given employer. Creating micro-jobs for talent acquisition within your team can help you harness the power of their influence. Offer small incentives for staff who speak positively of your company, such as gift cards or small commissions.

Manage Your Online Reputation

If there is a bunch of bad press about your company circulating online, your would-be employees will know about it. To avoid turning them off, talent acquisition specialists recommend that you take an active role in managing your brand on the web. A few well-placed responses can mitigate the damage of a bad review or other complaint. Encouraging positive reviews will also help you build the social proof you need to secure the best talent on the market.

Maintain a Consistent Message with a Talent Acquisition Manager

Many companies adopt a very formal tone when writing job postings and communicating with prospective candidates. This is the exact opposite of what talented young job seekers want to see. Make sure that your HR staff understands the importance of both warmth and consistency during the hiring process. Consider appointing one person in charge of your talent acquisition activities to make this as easy as possible.

Make Your Mark Online

Today’s top young job candidates spend a large portion of their lives online. Keeping your company active online is the best way to reach them. Use a mixture of social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, etc.) and major job boards like Indeed, Monster, and Glassdoor to post content that shows what your organization is all about.

Respond Quickly to Job Inquiries

High potential employees move quickly through the job market. Your recruitment processes should be just as fast. Make sure that your team understands how important it is to respond to messages and resume submissions quickly. You can use automated software tools like Kronos to speed up your response times during all phases of the hiring process.

Put Your Talent Acquisition Contact Number Out There

Sometimes the best employees become available when you least expect it. Make sure they know who to get in touch with if they are interested in working with you. Even if you don’t have any open positions available right away, you’ll know they are interested and can keep them in mind for your future needs.

Invest in Professional Development and Corporate Training

Young talented workers are rarely at the peak of their careers. Professional development courses (including professional coaching) are one of the best perks you can offer to ambitious individuals who want to hone their craft even further. According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends 2020 report, 81% of HR professionals feel that internal recruiting and professional growth opportunities have a big impact on employee retention.

Professional coaching can even help new employees make a smooth transition into their new role during the onboarding process. Digital learning and blended learning make it easy for employees to complete their training even if they don’t have much time to spare. With assessments like DISC and MBTI to help them discover their professional strengths, any employee can have the chance to grow into a manager and leader.

What Not To Do

Building a positive employer brand is an ongoing process that can just as easily go backwards as forwards. In the interest of consistent progress, certain actions must be forbidden. If you want to attract and retain talent, you should never:

• Lie about the company or the position being advertised. Top candidates will see right through this ploy.
• Post generic job offers. The best candidates are not interested in becoming a cog in the machine.
• Neglect to respond to applications from candidates you do not plan to hire. Sending a quick email to each candidate lets them know you value their time and interest.
• Fail to create connections online, especially on social media. This makes your brand look distant and disengaged.
• Ignore the opportunities that professional development presents. Offering training that helps your employees’ career mobility makes your workplace very appealing for ambitious workers.
• Drag the hiring process out for too long. Long delays make your company look indecisive and make it clear that you are having difficulty finding the right people.

Bring Inbound Recruitment into Your Talent Acquisition Company Strategy

Understanding the differences between past and present recruitment strategy approaches is extremely important for growing companies. Working on your inbound recruiting strategy can make sourcing new talent much easier. You’ll spend less time and money to attract and retain more skilled, motivated, and happy employees. In other words, everyone wins !

CoachHub can help you establish the employee training programs you need to get the best talent through your front doors. Talk to us today and let us help you get your corporate training programs started!