Today, the race for top talent is more competitive than ever. With an increasing number of small startups challenging the established market leaders in almost every industry, and an increase in the viability of working for yourself, the most qualified and desirable candidates have no shortage of options.
So if you have the ideal candidate sitting for an interview in your office, how can you sway them to join your team instead of joining another company or striking out on their own? If your company can confidently check all three boxes below, I think you will stand a great chance of landing that candidate and holding onto them for a long time.
Innovation. Priority number one for attracting the best talent in your industry: do work that is truly great. What process do you have that is revelatory? What product have you created that blows away the competition? In order to get the best people on your team, you need to make it clear that they are getting involved with something special. Be aware that to a certain extent, the interview process goes both ways. Be prepared to show why and how your company innovates.
Specialization. Beyond innovating, you need to show that the company is focused, that it knows where it’s best and knows where it needs work. The best machines run when each part is only expected to do a single job exceedingly well. While you won’t want your employees to be one-trick ponies, you will want to show that having specialists on your team is crucial and that you recognize next level skills when you see them.
Personalization. It’s also vitally important that you give employees the ability to be themselves at work. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Google’s Project Aristotle research into what makes great teams was the fact that teams of all stripes performed better the more psychologically safe they perceived their environment. Employees need to feel like they are the architect of their own time, not that they are being forced to fit their schedules around someone else’s whims.
I believe that if your company is truly innovative, if it has found its corner of the market, and if it has progressive HR policies, the best young talent will be naturally attracted to its opportunities. Need more insight on how to make your company a more attractive place for the best young talent in your industry? Reach out to me at scott@doubledareyou.us and we’ll set up a time to talk.
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photo credit: Behind The Scenes via photopin (license)
