The job market is a different place today than it was ten years ago. Gone are the days where someone would find a company, and work at that company until they retired.
As the next generation matures into the marketplace, they are more aware of their options and more willing to explore them than ever. While you can build better employee loyalty through a strong company culture (something a business of any size can do) it all starts with your hiring process. Which, just as maintaining loyalty isn't the same, neither is finding and hiring talented workers.
Understanding why they are looking for work in the first place
According to a report created by iCIMS 52% of individuals in the job market at not actively looking for a new or different job, but instead would be willing to discuss or entertain other options.
That's a pretty significant number, especially when you are looking at talented workers who are skilled at what they do.
According to the same report, many of these individuals are looking for better compensation, stability, and benefits when considering different employment opportunities. When you understand this, it changes your hiring process from only finding the right people, to instead positioning your company with what it's benefits, compensation, and another employee perks special to your company are.
Make sure your branding leaves an impression
Your public appearance as a company does much more than help you attract the right clients; it can help you attract good workers as well.
The purpose of branding is to communicate clearly to others what your company stands for, who you are as a collective, as well as the values and characteristics that make your business great. It goes much further than beautiful colors and fonts.
While great branding can do all the above, which will lead to increased sales and happier customers, it also helps you find the right people to hire.
Any company that cares about delivering a product and providing a solution should already know that hiring people that share your vision and goals make all the difference. You can be more attractive to the right people, with the right motives that go beyond just doing the work, if you make sure to communicate this in your branding.
If you apply your branding principles and foundation to your hiring experience, this will help you find the right people.
Keeping potential hires in your pipeline
Sometimes the position available and the people who are looking for a new company aren't a perfect fit. But that doesn't mean that the conversation or relationship needs to end there.
Just as you might have a marketing campaign to keep clients who aren't quite ready to buy informed and aware that you exist, you should do the same for perspective hires. This doesn't just allow you to keep talented individuals interested until it's a good fit; it makes it easier to fill future positions.
From the same report mentioned earlier, 63% of companies spend an average of 30-60 days to fill a position. That's a long time to go without a needed skilled worker.
If you apply basic marketing principles used to maintain a lead in a sales pipeline to instead your hiring process, you enable yourself to lower the amount of time it takes to fill a position and build a strong relationship with that new hire even before they go to work on their first day.
Even though the current job market and employee loyalty has changed, one major thing hasn't, we all want to work at something we are good at while feeling appreciated.
The evolution of the workforce is only a reflection of how society has changed. While you can stick to older forms of hiring and maintaining employees, they are likely to become eventually obsolete.
By leaning on new tools, exploring what top companies are doing to find and keep talented workers, and approaching expanding your workforce as instead a marketing campaign to find the right people you will improve your company's recognition and make it easier for you to grow the right team.