Recruiting talented employees is an essential part of growing any company, and there are many ways of deciding how to measure recruitment effectiveness.
But it isn’t just about finding the right employees for the job; it’s also about keeping those employees, so that they continue to be challenged and are provided with opportunities and incentives for growth within the company.
The most effective recruitment strategies revolve around making your company one that is irresistible to work for.
So, how do you make your company desirable for the most gifted workers of your industry?
In this article, we take a look at how to recruit talented employees in four ways by highlighting what makes a company attractive to new talent.
Demonstrate Credibility
Trust is the foundation to establishing any type of meaningful and lasting relationship.
Therefore, companies looking to recruit talented employees must demonstrate their credibility.
This means showing prospective employees that your company not only has a solid business model, but that it also has an internal company culture that keeps its employees satisfied while pushing them to excel for years to come.
But how can a company demonstrate credibility?
Consider the following headline: “Company surprises its 198 employees with $10 million holiday bonus.”
This one headline alone demonstrates that the company is credible.
Why?
Because it shows that the company is not only successful monetarily, but it also takes care of its employees. This goes to show how one headline can go a long way in demonstrating your company’s credibility.
Considering that earned media coverage requires time and strategizing, however, many companies haven’t allocated their resources to include internal PR.
As such, a well-conceived PR campaign handled by professionals can take care of your company’s credibility needs by putting your message in front of those who need to hear it most.
While news of a company’s good deeds can help attract top talent, another area where companies can find the best people for the job is through thought leadership.
Foster Thought Leadership
Innovation drives competition. Every industry is highly competitive, so standing out from the crowd as a tempting employment opportunity can be tricky.
When prospective employees are faced with tough decisions over which companies are the best fit for them, thought leadership can be a very persuasive recruiting tool.
For companies, fostering thought leadership is about proving that their industry knowledge is second to none.
It shows that they know exactly where they are now, and more importantly, where they want to be in the future.
Just take a look at what Elon Musk wrote about his vision for Tesla Motors in a blog post that he wrote back in 2006.
Almost 15 years ago Musk laid out what he saw as challenges in the industry, and he presented a plan to move forward, and any prospective talent reading it at the time could appreciate his forward-thinking vision.
Because of Musk’s thought leadership, that one blog post alone is still being talked about over a decade later.
In fact, Inc wrote a blog piece about Musk’s blog piece, calling it “This Elon Musk Blog Post From 2006 Shows Exactly Why He’s So Successful.”
Talk about return on investment.
Just like with establishing credibility through earned media, thought leadership should be part of any comprehensive PR strategy.
Establishing credibility and fostering thought leadership both play into a larger theme that is also conducive for recruiting talented employees, and that is they both help build social proof.
Build Social Proof
The simplest way of testing your level of social proof is to Google yourself. Try it now.
Whatever comes up on the first page of results is an indication of your social proof.
For some, the top results will be their various social media profiles. For others, the websites of their companies.
But for those with strong social proof, they will additionally show links to media coverage.
Let’s go back to Elon Musk again as an example of what social proof looks like on search.
Google him and you will find his Wikipedia page, social media accounts, company websites, but also his coverage on Forbes, as well as an entire news section dedicated to stories about him.
Whatever you see when you Google your name, that is exactly what prospective talent will see when considering your company.
Social proof, in a public relations sense, is all about credibility. It includes your professional background, education, and achievements.
It’s the image you choose to project to the world, and also includes everything you’ve written, spoken about and presented.
If you Google yourself and don’t think the results show an accurate description of who you are and what you are all about, then considering a PR company that can bring your social proof up will greatly improve your ability to attract and retain top talent.
Networking
While demonstrating credibility, fostering thought leadership, and building social proof are all invaluable tools for recruiting talented employees, reaching out to them personally is another great way to proactively connect with future prospects.
In many ways, the process for recruiting talent is a lot like a sales process. You have to sell yourself and your company with the intention that potential employees will buy-in to what you are offering.
There are countless industry conferences, events, congresses, summits, and fairs for which you can physically network with those you wish to hire, but effective networking goes even beyond the potential employer/employee interaction.
Looking back on credibility, thought leadership, and social proof, and how they contribute to recruiting talent, there is one common denominator — they all have something to do with interacting with the media.
Networking with journalists, editors, podcasters, and other broadcasters is required to achieve media results, and that’s why PR companies are best positioned to facilitate that type of networking.
Any PR company worth its salt will leverage its relationships with the media contacts it has established and maintained over the years and will make those connections for you.
The Bottom Line
And here we come full circle. Companies need to demonstrate credibility, foster thought leadership, build social proof, and network in order to attract talent.
If you’re going after your industry’s best of the best of the best — a Men In Black reference for all the kids — the four-pronged approach outlined above can be the ultimate blueprint for employee acquisition.
As stated before, though, it’s not just about employee acquisition. Retaining talent for the long-term future is how you build your business into an industry empire. With this in mind, an all-encompassing digital PR strategy is the key to demonstrating your business has the right attributes to take prospective employees’ professional growth to the next level.
