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Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent

Ella Baker
Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent
Reading time 6 Mins
Published on May 16
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Because catching the big fish isn’t enough.

Recruiting and retaining top talent is one of the biggest challenges any company faces. Don’t let outdated strategies and attitudes keep you from finding the right people for your businesses – or from keeping them once they’re on your staff.

Strategies for Recruiting and Hiring Top Talent

  1. Get creative with job posting strategies.
    Gone are the days of the newspaper help wanted section. If you want to attract top talent, you have to think outside the box when it comes to where and how you post your positions. In addition to industry standards like LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter, engage the power of social media to draw in candidates.
    Facebook Jobs allows you to target your post to specific regions or dig deeper to target specific demographics. Twitter allows not only your followers to see your post, but you can tag others in your Tweet to make sure your job posting gets plenty of exposure.
    Get your employees involved by inviting them to offer refer qualified candidates for your position. If you’re hiring for a highly skilled or difficult to fill position, you may even consider offering a prize or perk if the employee’s referral is hired.
  2. Create well-defined job postings and descriptions.
    How many times have you sat down to read through resumes only to find that half of the applicants aren’t qualified? While some people with apply for any posting, even if it doesn’t fit their skills, the problem often lies with the job posting and description itself.
    While some job postings go for wow or being witty, the simplest and most effective strategy is to be clear in what you’re looking for in a candidate, what the required experience and education are for the position, and what the exact duties will be.
    If the person currently in the position is leaving on good terms, ask them to review the job posting and description. They know the position better than anyone else, and their input is invaluable in creating a job posting that will help you catch the attention of qualified candidates.
  3. Take company culture into account when selecting candidates.
    Just because a candidate looks good on paper doesn’t mean they’re the right fit for your company or the role. Make sure that you’re not setting yourself and your potential employees up for failure by taking company culture into account when making hiring decisions.
    Spend time talking about the mission and values of your company to make sure that your candidates will be a good fit for your business. If your company thrives on collaboration and team engagement, a lone wolf candidate might not be the best choice to fill a position in your company. Ask questions about work style, ideal work environments, and go beyond technical skills questions to get to the heart of the matter.
  4. Include non-managers in the interview process.
    There are few things worse than going through the entire interview and hiring process only to realize that your new hire doesn’t fit with your existing team. Including non-managers in the interview process can eliminate a lot of frustration, loss of productivity, and turnover.
    Unless you’re hiring for a high-level or managerial position, odds are your regular employees will be the people most often interacting with whomever is selected to fill your vacancies. Including non-management staff in the selection process not only gives them greater ownership in the company, it also empowers them to be the future leaders of your organization.

Strategies for Retaining Top Talent

  1. Employee Engagement
    With the average worker remaining in a single position for just 4.6 years before moving on and 76% of full-time workers actively seeking new jobs, creating a positive employment experience has never been more important. Enter employee engagement strategies – an oft-touted but rarely well-executed retention strategy.
    Employee engagement is loosely defined as the level of commitment, passion and loyalty an employee has for their work and your company. The more engaged the employee, the better effort they put into their daily work. Employee engagement starts from day one with ensuring that employees receive adequate onboarding and training that will allow them to feel confident in their ability to perform their jobs.
    Don’t let employees languish in the same positions. Keep an eye out for talent within your company. Offer professional development opportunities, coaching sessions, and educational assistance whenever possible. Empower employees to make decisions and don’t micromanage.
    Finally, create a sense of camaraderie in the workplace. Encourage employees to develop relationships built on respect and acknowledgment of work well done. Allow employees to have casual days or encourage them to decorate their workspace with personal items or photographs. Not only will this foster a greater sense of loyalty to the company, but you’ll also be telling your employees that they are your most important asset.
  2. Set clear expectations and goals.
    Be honest with your employees about what you expect of them and their work. Collaborate with your employees to develop their annual performance review and set expectations together. Try to give consistent feedback as often as possible.
    Too often, employees only hear from a manager or owner when they’ve done something wrong in the workplace. Remember that positive reinforcement of strong work ethic and correct action goes a lot further than writing an employee up for an infraction.
    When an employee is falling behind on meeting expectations and goals, have an honest conversation about how to address the matter. Ask the employee how they plan to improve before offering your own suggestions. Let the employee own the problem and the solution.
  3. Create an open and honest work environment.
    Your employees should feel comfortable coming to you with issues or concerns as they arise, just as you should feel comfortable going to an employee when there is an issue or work that should be celebrated. Open door policies, non-punishment for whistle blowers, and asking employees for suggestions to improve your business are all proven strategies for creating a more open and honest work environment.
    For employees who are less enthusiastic about sharing or making suggestions publicly, consider installing a physical suggestion box or creating an online version that employees can post to anonymously.

Recruiting and maintaining talent doesn’t have to be a challenge

With employee turnover costs spiking as a growing number of employees actively seek new jobs, the importance of recruiting and retaining top talent has never been higher. Sheakley’s HR Management division can help you develop strategies to ensure the success of your staff.

Learn more about Sheakley’s HR team and contact us for your free consultation today. Stay up-to-date on all things Sheakley by subscribing to our blog and following us on social media. Join in the discussion by commenting below.


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