Growing a Diverse Company: Dos and Don’ts for Attracting Talent

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With today’s workforce growing at an unprecedented rate, attracting and retaining top talent is becoming increasingly competitive. Not only that, the popularity of social media platforms is changing the way businesses communicate with potential candidates. Here are some simple dos and don’ts for attracting top talent in your industry.

Identify what you want. The first step in recruiting top talent is identifying exactly what your company is looking for. Work with multiple departments to ensure that everyone is on the same page in terms of what qualities the candidate must have and which duties they are expected to perform.

Remember to be flexible. Showing potential candidates what your company can offer them is just as important as what they can offer you. While compensation is a primary concern for most candidates, other factors such as room for growth, personal development opportunities and advancement opportunities are equally important. Offering perks like flex-time, personal development workshops or job skill training can help your company attract better talent.

Make a strong impression. Your current employees and work environment make up the first impression that potential candidates have of what working with your company will be like. If your employees are unhappy, that sends a negative message to potential talent and may drive some highly qualified candidates away from your company. On the other hand, if your employees appear happy, they are more likely to envision themselves working for your company.

Do not underpay your employees. With high unemployment rates and fierce job competition in many industries, it may be tempting to underpay new employees. While this may work for a while, the employee will likely leave the company once the job market begins to recover, and they are offered a better position.

Do not be passive. Once you have posted a position to your company website, it is time to get out and pursue the talent that you are looking for. Do not sit and wait for them to come to you. Social media websites including Facebook, LinkedIn and even Twitter offer great opportunities to take the search beyond your geographic area and reach global talent.