What's the best way to attract top talent to your organization?

Start by being honest - What the challenges are - Where more needs to be done In a world full of " we are the top / the best / bla bla bla" , be real and reasonable Top talent will respect that and more importantly, if they know the challenges ahead, they won't be shocked when then join and end up leaving soon after

Today, companies need to lead with transparency. Pay, business challenges, wins, major leadership changes, etc. I completely understand companies are not allowed to release all of the information but to treat adults as if they are children, and keep information from them that greatly impacts their lives, is no longer acceptable.

In my experience there is no ideal candidate, the requirement is based on the situation or phase that the organisation is going thru for example in a startup stage we may need a HR Generalist to take up the role as he would be able to contribute to all facets whereas in a plateau stage we may need more specialist and so on and so forth but the crux is to have proper defined Role and expectation settings and role clarity

When defining your ideal candidate it's also important to define which of the skills you're after are must-haves and nice-to-haves. Talent Specialists also need to set the hiring managers' expectations by providing relevant information on what's available on the market to be able to build an effective and efficient hiring strategy with collaboration from all parties involved.

The clarity of the role should be given Fair expectation setting is important during interview Career path to be discussed

Integrity matters. In other words, the company must walk the talk. Values should be embodied and mainstreamed in all modus operandi. Every employee wants to be valued and engaged. Purpose is a good way to attract and retain talent but should go hand in hand with performance🎯

A good way to showcase the culture and the values is through a Brand Ambassador Program. Employees are ambassadors of your company and they are your biggest advocates. Identify the right talent in your company; ideally employees who are already active on platforms such as LinkedIn. Guide them on what topics would be worth sharing on LinkedIn, or to make it even easier for the employees, prepare posts that they can tweak and share. Events, project work or case studies are best presented by the individuals of the company (additional to what the Marketing or People & Culture Team is showcasing)

I love to hire athletes as they’re familiar with teamwork, missions, and working with others towards a common goal. This is the backbone of any culture. Athletes include anyone who has ever participated in team sports, even if a long time ago, or compete on individual level and do races or competitions on their own.

In today's time, talent looks beyond the JD & and compensation. The additional input is to highlight the meaningful work an organisation does and its positive impact on society or the industry. This helps in attracting candidates who are motivated by a sense of purpose and may have a high retention rate

Get your colleagues to explain why they love working at the business. Don't script it, keep it authentic, people will see through the pre-rehearsed videos!

One thing about Top Talent is that, they never hit a plateau of growth. They always manage to assess their current level of competencies accurately and also set a standard to improve themselves and hence they manage to retain their "Top Talent" tag throughout their career. To leverage their thirst to learn, organizations should focus on offering growth and development opportunities which will help them to keep on improving their competency set thereby increasing their chances of retaining the "Top Talent" tag. The growth and development opportunities should consider vertical/horizontal movement with up-skilling/cross-skilling possibilities resulting in considerable job enlargement to keep them challenged and motivated.

It's not just top talent. Don't just focus on 'top talent,' every colleague is talent, and all will have their own learning and growth goals. Focus on getting all talent access to learning and growth and you will embed a growth culture across the organisation which will drive success.

Listening to your potential employees is a great tool at this stage. Understand what they value and if you can help them meet their career aspirations. Help them find purpose in their work, beyond the salary offered.

Growth and development isn't just offering promotions and opportunities to work on new projects. Develop an internal mentorship program. Pair employees with senior leaders outside of their departments, have them meet monthly to discuss their career goals and aspirations. An internal mentorship program creates a better culture and offers individuals a chance to learn first hand, how some individuals have grown and progressed within your organization.

One thing I've found helpful to understand about top talent is the need to stay relevant. The opportunity is welcomed to take skills, competence and experience to the next level including secondment opportunities, stretch assignments, increased responsibility and transparency around succession planning conversations. Help leaders coach their teams. Build the capability to have meaningful, honest career engagement and talent developmemt conversations with those they lead. If left unsupported and unchallenged, top talent can become restless and look elsewhere. Organisations can also learn from top talent by spending time with them to understand their observations of blockers and enablers to talent retention.

Having a full Diversity & Inclusion framework that includes a full strategy is key. Diversity & Inclusion does not start and end with a 'diverse' team. It is more than that. It starts with the hiring process, training the Management on the importance of D&I, offering training to the teams, having leadership programs for underrepresented groups in place, celebrating national days, set up policies to protect each individual etc. The list is long, but important.

To show top talent that you embrace flexibility and diversity, you need to do more than have a diversity statement. Provide examples of your programs for diversity and inclusion and programs to encourage work/life balance.

Diversity and inclusion has gone a step ahead by being defined as a diversity, equity and inclusion. This is a really important aspect of any current organisation that is looking at growing exponentially. Having said that there is a big chasm that needs to be filled in terms of helping women who need help from her colleagues. The challenges that a woman faces are often beyond what meets the eye. Ditto for members of the LGBTQ&I, however in an effort to be current and help the latter, one should not lose focus on the issues that have been around since Evigkeit.

A healthy workplace requires trust. Start by trusting the employees. Encourage employees to share opinions and ideas that are different. Trust employees to work differently i.e. from home, flexible hours, or even flexible days if possible for the business. If you trust your employees they will trust you.

1. Create a flexible work environment that accommodates different needs. 2. Offer remote work options or flexible schedules. 3. Foster an inclusive culture that values diversity and promotes collaboration. 4. Implement diversity initiatives to attract a wide range of candidates. 5. Highlight your commitment to diversity and inclusion in your employer branding. 6. Provide equal opportunities for growth and advancement. 7. Offer competitive compensation and benefits packages.

In my experience, it’s important to be clear on what sets your company apart from others. This helps both current and potential associates determine how your organization is (or isn’t) a great fit for them. Keep your employee value proposition simple and invest in enabling leaders to be consistent in how the culture is described.

I think employers should also leverage their existing people managers to not only attract top talent, but also to ensure retention of this talent. After all, top talent decides to stay with a company or leave it largely because of their direct manager.

Oftentimes, I hear employer's say that employer branding is an expensive exercise and this step is missed in their talent framework. The fact is employer branding is really about being authentic and building a real connect with the potential employees, without any agendas. This does not need expensive ad spends but a compelling message. Even your social media platforms or campus connects are good to take it to the candidates you care about. Think creatively and you can reach where your talent is.

Employer brand starts with the employees. Employees are the best ambassadors for a company and they are the best to share their stories with future colleagues or clients.

Employer branding is often mistaken to creating an image - An image that forcefully fits into one's definition of "this is how the organization wants to project itself and this is how we want others to see us" Real branding is being authentic - The image that gets created as a result of the authenticity is the true organizational brand that needs no advertisement or push. Authenticity is in "being" a certain way despite the external disruptions and internal disturbances. Imbibing authenticity in the people and infusing authenticity into the culture of the organization is one sure-shot way of building a strong employer brand. This just wont attract the Top talent but will also help retain them as authenticity never changes over time.

Engaging with your talent community is essential for maximizing your employer brand. Here are a few tips engage with your talent community: * Establish and nurture relationships with community. Send regular updates and relevant content. * Personalize your messaging. * Share informative content. * Utilize various engagement platforms, such as social media, email, etc.* Data Analytics -Track metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.* Be responsive to inquiries from community members. * Integrate your talent community data with your ATS to ensure seamless tracking of community members' journeys. By following these best practices, you can cultivate a strong and engaged talent community.

1. Build a strong employer brand. 2. Regularly communicate and showcase your company culture. 3. Provide opportunities for professional growth and development. 4. Foster a positive and inclusive work environment. 5. Offer competitive compensation and benefits. 6. Utilize employee referrals and recommendations. 7. Actively engage with potential candidates on social media. 8. Streamline your recruitment process for a seamless candidate experience.

A well-known talent pool to any business but often overlooked are past employees that come back to the organization (or more loosely known as ‘boomerangs’). Focus a targeted comms campaign with a unique candidate value proposition with a strong WHY as to their return. TA, digital marketing and the business need to closely partner for greater success. And don’t forget to track and measure results.

Relying on certifications only to identify top talent has a lot of limitations and risks. Top talent does not necessarily mean the person with the appropriate qualifications. In part because IT, etc., qualifications have official finite lifespans. Proven experience can therefore be a lot more relevant in identifying talent than a qualification. Partially because the experience shows the adaptability of the person. Rather than having a rigid (not aligned to the employee organisations ways of working) understanding of methodologies, etc. As a result, experience, preferably in a number of different (topic) areas within an organisation and/ or across multiple organisations may be a better indicator of talent.

One of the best ways to attract top talent is to demonstrate the ways through which they can contribute to something bigger than themselves by being part of the organization. Generation Z is hungry for making a difference and this need often even over-rides other factors. This is not to say that other factors are not important, but an organization which consciously embraces a bigger purpose and where every task and activity is linked to the same; shall definitely be at an advantage in terms of attracting top talent. This is backed by research wherein Bigger Purpose is one of top 3 motivators for knowledge worker (Daniel Pink) and employees of purpose driven leaders are 100% more likely to stay with organization (Robert E. Quinn).

A lengthy and convoluted recruitment process can deter top candidates. Ensure your hiring process is efficient, respectful of candidates' time, and provides regular communication. Share success stories and testimonials from current employees. This provides authentic insights into the work experience at your organization. Emphasize your commitment to diversity and inclusion. A diverse workforce can attract a broader range of top talent who appreciate an inclusive workplace.

Review your company benefits. Younger generations are more than ever sensitive to employers who let them achieve balance between an interesting career and a healthy personal life. Unlimited holidays ? Paid parental leave? Child care funding? Travel and culture bonuses? Days off for birthday and school start? All of these benefits make their lives more balanced, and therefore attract top talents while reducing the mental load employees carry. This gives them more space to keep performing and become ambassadors of your company culture.

Top Talent pool tends to be disruptive. They challenge status quo and perform way high above the bar which petrifies the current crowd and makes them defensive. Once the general crowd feels hostile, high performance people find it difficult to progress at the rapid pace they set-out because of artificial hurdles created by this petrified crowd. It is important for organization to keep this fact in mind and create a conducive environment for the Top Talent to sustain their growth.

Top talents are usually hungry for more- so ideally opportunities for them explore, innovate and play around within the business landscape will make a lot of difference and makes the workplace lot more interesting and exciting to be part of. That being said, a leader with a vision and ability to inspire and lead the team to the next level of success is always key to talent management.

Also worth considering is what kind of skills and competencies you need in the future. Too often I see hiring managers focusing only on what they need right now, when in fact it would benefit them more to focus on attracting the talent that has or can easily develop the skills they need 2-5 years from now. So my advice is: Instead of looking at profile to fill a seat today, look at profiles that represent where your company needs to be in a few years time.