How to Attract Top-Tier Candidates During the Great Resignation
Employers
By Jeff Herzog, President of FPC National
Ah, how the tables have turned! The Great Resignation, also known as the Big Quit, is upon us. High performers are resigning in droves and employers are scrambling to fill critical roles in this rapidly evolving job market. Gone (for now, anyway) are the days when companies placed an ad, and within hours, dozens or hundreds of highly qualified candidates responded. In today’s job market, employers are duking it out with their competitors to attract and retain top talent.
So, what is an employer to do? When a superstar performer has the choice to work for you or a half-dozen of your competitors, what can you do or say to convince them that your organization is the best choice?
Culture Matters
Multiple studies are showing that the primary reasons for widespread resignations go beyond salary and benefits. While it’s essential that you offer competitive compensation, the key to winning over a potential candidate is to sell them on your company’s culture.
A toxic work environment is often cited as the primary reason for leaving a company. Employees are fed up with working in a company that doesn’t appreciate their work, enables micromanagement, tolerates incompetence, stifles creativity, and discourages individuality.
If you are serious about attracting quality candidates, then you must begin by looking within. Ask yourself: Does your company feature a culture that promotes job satisfaction, growth, fulfillment, diversity and inclusivity, transparency, and open communication? Or is your environment toxic where your workforce is anxious, unmotivated, disengaged, and frustrated?
According to a Gallup poll, 86% of employees are “actively disengaged” at their jobs. If your workforce falls into this group, then it’s time to start rebuilding with a focus on a positive organizational culture and healthy workplace relationships.
If your company already features a thriving culture with engaged employees, then use it as your top selling point. Provide tours to candidates to allow them to see first-hand how employees interact with one another. Deputize your top employees to function as company ambassadors and invite them to participate in the interviewing and courting process. Once you demonstrate that you offer an environment that values its workforce and encourages personal and professional growth, you are practically at the finish line.
Flexibility Matters
Has your company emerged from the shutdown with a more flexible working model? Many employees who have had a taste of working from home do not desire coming back to the office full-time. Yet, some companies are insisting on returning to the pre-pandemic model without remote options.
While it may be impossible to operate your business without at least a partial in-person requirement, it would serve you well to find ways to incorporate flexibility into the role you are seeking to fill. Providing candidates with the option for fully remote or hybrid employment will help to make your company an attractive choice.
Mission Matters
Increasingly, people have expressed a desire to work for a company whose ideals and principles match their own. This is especially true for Millennial and Gen Z workers. Does your company champion corporate social responsibility initiatives? Do you give back to the community, partner with charitable organizations, or promote environmentally friendly practices? Be sure to include your values and initiatives in your company’s mission statement, feature them prominently on your website, and highlight them during candidate interviews.
Partners Matter
This is one of the most employee-favored, competitive job markets that we have seen in recent history. To attract high-quality candidates, you must go the extra mile to offer a positive company culture, provide flexibility, and broadcast your company values.
But recruiting top talent is too important to tackle alone. For more than 60 years, FPC has been partnering with organizations to help build powerful workforces – in both thriving and challenging environments. With more than 60 offices nationwide, we have the networks, knowledge, and industry-specific expertise to attract the right candidates for your company. Reach out to your local FPC office to see how we can solve your workforce challenges.