Solving the Talent Attraction Shortage

The tables have turned! Organizations must now convince employees to choose them. Recent research reveals the average lifecycle of a job is now between 12 months to 3 years, and with talent being much more accessible for your competition, employees have increased bargaining power as the job market has become increasingly more competitive.

Developing innovative ways to attract the right talent is more important than ever. For example, using printed ads in the newspaper would not really attract the best designers compared to postings on Instagram or within graphic designers’ online communities.

New generations know what’s important to them and aren’t going to settle for second best. Your future employees are willing to look and keep looking for a company whose vision & culture reflect their own values. They have many resources to help them conduct their job searches — beyond classified advertisements and their immediate professional networks.

To start, follow these 5 talent attraction tips:

• Forecast your business needs and have a proactive recruitment strategy in place: focus on your medium-and long-term strategy/goals so that you are attracting the right talent that can help to future proof your business
• Create intensive internal referral & alumni rehire programs: the best employees and candidates are surrounded by great peers; referrals are the most efficient and cost-effective way of hiring great employees 
• Develop your employer brand online:  have your company vision and mission statements clearly defined on your company website and social platforms and align initiatives around them. There is nothing more disappointing to apply to a company without a 5-year plan. Candidates want to know how your company can enhance their career but only if they know where you are going.
• Leverage internationally trained professionals and drive knowledge diversity in your workplace: our research tells us that every 4th person in Canada or the US is internationally trained or educated 
• Provide a spotless candidate experience: always think from the candidate perspective from creating the job application through to the interview experience and on to the job offer process