Is your company losing the battle for top talent? 5 steps to engage candidates

The U.S. jobs market remains robust, with millions more open positions than unemployed workers. But the pendulum could swing dramatically in the other direction; economic events such as soaring inflation and a falling stock market may lead to layoffs and hiring freezes at more companies. 

That looming scenario means some workers may need to adjust to a changing job market. But with many companies still in a hiring mode and competition fierce to acquire high-level talent, candidates still have leverage, and recruiters also should do some things differently — in their cases, sharpen their approaches to better engage prospects.

Here are five essential steps to engaging top talent and and beating your competitors to them:

• Check your brand. Your employment brand, whether it’s positive, negative, or nonexistent, significantly impacts your ability to attract top talent. What makes your organization a great place to work? A strong employment brand clearly communicates your workplace culture, mission, and values, giving potential candidates a compelling reason to consider you. Develop an inviting careers page on your website that includes videos and employee testimonials along with information about culture, mission, and values.
• Understand trends and expectations. Many workplaces have fundamentally changed over the course of the pandemic, and workers have raised their expectations of employers. Trends are leaning toward remote and hybrid work, well-being, and personal accommodation. A lot of workers are choosing to leave for fully remote or hybrid jobs, higher pay, better working conditions, or more opportunities for growth. Watch the trends and update accordingly.
• Personalize the experience. Despite the trend toward automation in recruiting, the human touch is still powerful and is increasingly valued by candidates looking for human-centered workplaces. Create messaging specific to each job, leverage social media channels to connect directly with prospective candidates, research individuals to see what’s important to them, and develop a relationship with each candidate over 10-12 touchpoints. Use a variety of contact methods and express appreciation and respect.
• Lead with empathy. Empathy is about taking time to listen, putting yourself in someone else’s place and sharing feelings. Empathy requires leaders to take themselves off center stage, be vulnerable, and not judge — all things that leaders often find difficult to do. When leaders dare to care about their people, it creates the kind of human-centric culture candidates and employees everywhere are looking for.
• Streamline your hiring process. If your process stretches on for too long, you risk losing candidates to a competitor who acts more quickly. Get all stakeholders on board with a standard hiring process emphasizing timeliness and quality candidates; Take advantage of tools such as interview scheduling programs, automated email reminders, and online pre-screen questionnaires; Stay in touch with candidates and keeping them informed of their progress.  

If you want to win top talent, make sure you are offering candidates what they are looking for and treat them like the potential assets they are. People decide to work for you for the same reasons they buy your products or services — because they’ve come to trust you or like you based on what you say or do.