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3 Tactics My “Best-In-Class” Clients Use to Attract the Best Talent
One of the most rewarding things about being in Executive Search is having the opportunity to work with a broad array of clients across diverse industries. Each company has a unique product or service they bring to market and have their own processes, people, and cultures which define who they are. By partnering with a variety of companies through their interview processes, I have exposure to the good, the bad, and the ugly. Simply put, I get access to the “behind the scenes” of how companies operate and over the years, it has become clear that our “best-in-class” clients attract the best talent consistently. Which begs the question, what can we learn from these top clients in order to get the best talent?
What Makes A Client “Best-In-Class”?
#1 – Knowing What They Want and Being Able to Define It – The first thing that separates my best clients is that they clearly define their needs, what they are looking for, and also make sure that the role is aligned with the market. If your expectations are not in line with the market you, will struggle to find the right candidate and even if you do, you will struggle to attract them, or be able to keep them. Before beginning the hiring process, my best clients know what the goals of the position are, what the role will be responsible for, what they have are truly willing to pay, and what the timeline is to get the role filled. Beyond that, they know what experience they are looking for.
#2 – A Focus on Talent Attraction More Than Talent Acquisition – In other words, what can you offer the candidates that you want to attract and how do you showcase that? Our best clients have a clearly defined mission and vision to share with potential candidates. They have defined concepts, like an employee value proposition that offers reasons why someone would want to work for them. They have updated websites with an engaging “About Us” page and share insight on their culture and environment. They also advertise their benefits offering and put together a PDF or video highlighting their awards and accolades – for example, Best Places to Work, Glassdoor Ratings, community involvement, etc.
When our best clients interview candidates they spend as much time telling them why they would benefit from being a part of the company as they do questioning their qualifications. The true mark of a great client is that the candidates that you turn down are so impressed with your company and process that they walk away as advocates, instead of feeling frustrated and bitter.
#3 – They Make a Great First Impression During the Interview Process – The interview process is the first impression candidates have of your company. If your interview process is disorganized, the prospective hire will wonder what it would be like to work in that kind of environment? How structured is your communication and feedback loop throughout the interview process? Are you building momentum throughout the process and providing timely feedback to the candidate and/or your search partner? My best clients have a well-defined interview process, transparent and timely feedback, and they move quickly when they find the right candidate. As you would expect, once you complete the process you will either get an enthusiastic offer or be told graciously and promptly that you will not be the right fit at this time, so the candidate can refocus their efforts elsewhere.
Bottomline: You’ve Got to Be the Best to Attract the Best. Consistently, my “great” clients clearly define their job and make sure it aligns with the market, outline and execute the interview process, and they spend more time attracting candidates than critiquing them. They constantly over-communicate and make the interview process a priority. These companies understand that if you want to attract the best talent, you must operate in the same excellence that you want to attract. For more tips on what you can do to make your talent attraction process one of the best in the market, please don’t hesitate to reach out – [email protected]
More About Ken: Ken Heinrich joined StevenDouglas in the Human Resources Search Division in 2017. Ken focuses solely on Human Resources recruitment from staff-level to executives across all industries and company sizes. Among his accomplishments, Ken has earned his SHRM-CP certification and currently serves as the Foundation Chair on the SHRM Jacksonville Board of Directors. His sales and recruiting experience make him an important part of the continued success and growth of this practice.
Ken Heinrich IV, SHRM-CP
Director – HR Search
Office 904.414.5213 | Cell 305.773.7632
