As a hiring employer, it’s natural to become fixated on the qualities and skills that make for a great employee. However, building a successful team starts with what draws these potential employees to apply and consider your company in the first place. It’s important to recognize the best characteristics that make a company desirable in the eyes of potential applicants and, ultimately, a great company to work for.

1. Offer competitive pay and benefits that employees can live on

Committing to wages that reflect the cost of living of the local area and that are competitive to other employers tells potential employees that your company cares about their well-being. Although it may not seem cost-effective on the ledger, employees who are paid good wages tend to work harder and can be more productive. It also keeps the workplace morale high, negating the “our CEO makes” mentality, and cuts down on employee attrition, which alleviates training and staffing costs.

2. Enable career development and employee growth

A workplace that is centered around employee development tells potential applicants that even if they are not employed with your company for the long term, the experience they will gain while working there will be invaluable – which, in turn, could help them find larger opportunities later on during their career. Employers can encourage and offer employees an opportunity to better their own talents and skills through cross-training, ongoing training, classes and other seminars, paid for by the employer, and can then reap the benefits of a more developed staff. Additionally, identifying an internal career track for employees can motivate them to push the envelope and set higher goals within their work.

3. Recognize employees and provide open communication

Potential employees want to know that their work, thoughts and opinions matter to the company’s big picture. Allowing give-and-take communication between management and employees establishes trust and respect and can promote teamwork. When employees are given a voice that they know will be heard, they are more likely to suggest ideas for better efficiency and improvement of work processes.

4. Define success and be flexible with how to get it

It’s important to have clear goals for success because it keeps employees focused. But, it is also beneficial to be flexible with how those goals can be achieved. Doing so can alleviate stress in the workplace and can keep workers happy and motivated. Assuming goals are met, employees like to know that their bosses can be flexible when it comes to working autonomously, schedules, breaks, work location, etc.

5. Offer an appealing work environment

A positive and safe working environment allows employees to feel comfortable in their surroundings. Luxury perks like free food and snacks, casual dress codes and relaxing areas are always great selling points. But, providing a great working environment may be as simple as recognizing it as a place where employees can fulfill their needs to collaborate, hang out and have privacy.

When the pool of applicants for any given position doesn’t meet your standards, the next step is to attract high-quality candidates away from your competition. While many in the recruitment industry call this “poaching,” it is a natural move that can benefit the potential candidate as well as the company willing to pay the most for the employee.

Ask Recent Hires Who They Admire Most in Other Companies

To find out which potential candidates are bringing the greatest amount of success, talent and leadership to your competitors, Venture Beat suggests asking recent hires for advice on who in their business network might be a good match for the company[i]. If enough people repeat the same names time and time again, you have a great target for a potential hire that would cripple the competition and put your business at a major advantage.

Start Out Subtly

If possible, hire a search firm or head-hunting group to initiate the idea of job prospects without being pushy or intrusive. Prospects who are interested will naturally follow up, and then your recruitment team can take over through direct communication with the potential employee. Brenda Snyder, quoted in an article from Inc.com, suggests “Using your professional network to spread the word that you’re hiring and approaching the candidate you’re interested in on neutral ground.[ii]”

Find Out What Candidates Really Want

Blindly making an offer is rarely the right way to attract top talent to your company. Instead, be upfront about your desire to work with the candidate, and have them explain what they need to make the move to your organization. This article from the Harvard Business Review reminds hiring managers to think beyond simply financial remuneration, such as allowing board members to sit on commercial boards as well, or perhaps including stock options for employees in lieu of a higher salary.[iii]

Don’t Ignore Any Legal Concerns

In many competitive industries, and especially when it comes to talent that’s working in research or development, there are some legal concerns to consider before poaching employees from competitors. According to attorney Stacy Bekman Radzit, “it is prudent for employers to ask potential new hires whether they are under a contract that would prevent them from working for that employer. Employers can request such information in a job application or in an addendum to an employment agreement, if one is to be executed.[iv]”

These tips can be vital when it comes to hiring away top talent from your competitors. Keep in mind, however, that you should also focus on nurturing your top performers because competitors may be reading this very same article.

[ii] http://www.inc.com/guides/201101/how-to-poach-an-employee-from-a-competitor.html

[iii] http://hbr.org/special-collections/insight/scaling-social-impact/how-to-hire-top-talent-when-you-cant-pay-top-dollar

[iv] http://www.ober.com/publications/608-potential-risks-hiring-competitors-employee