How to Make Your Company the Sexy Place for Hot Talent (even if you’re not in a sexy city or industry)
Let’s be honest — not every city in the world is known as a hotbed of excitement or the object of dreams. Cities like Los Angeles, London, or Singapore don’t have a hard time attracting the best and the brightest to their shores.
Same thing goes with companies. Yeah, there might be plenty of people who fantasize about working for Apple but who really fantasizes about working at (text has been obscured). See I can’t even reveal the name for fear of the angry blowback from Company X.
On the flip side, one person’s dream destination is another person’s nightmare. But what if your company is in a place (relatively) no one has ever heard of and you’re pretty sure no one’s ever dreamed of relocating there. How do you compete to get the best talent to your company?
What if I said every company can attract the best talent…if they follow a few simple rules…
Find what makes your company special and let everyone know
So your company doesn’t make a sexy product and you can’t think of anything interesting about it. (Maybe you should find a new job?) On the other hand, if you’re a recruiter for this company you need to find something to recruit the best talent. Find what makes your company special. Think about a process or benefit or even a great philosophy or charity event your company supports. Every company has something that makes it unique.
If you don’t have a blog, start one. Blog about what makes your company special. Employee guest posts talking about their job and what they like to do are a powerful way to show the company’s culture. Give your company some personality and find a way to make it shine.
Keep an open mind about how others view your town and tell the world why you live there
So maybe you don’t live in a central hub of the world. That’s ok. Not everyone wants to live in a city teeming with strivers. Some people love the laid-back life. Different strokes for different folks. Don’t forget this when you try to sell your town to a potential out of town talent. You live there, don’t you?
What are the best things about life in your town? Maybe it’s the low cost of living, good schools, parks, or the best Stilton Cheese even! Think about all the things you’re taking for granted living there. You might be surprised once you take stock of your town and community. I have yet to find one place in this world without some redeeming quality.
Recruiters would do well to describe the town and community’s assets in the job listing — especially if you’re looking for talent from outside the community due to a limited talent base in town.
Take care of your employees well and make it public
You should always take good care of your employees first and foremost. Employees, after all, run your company. This is something I think a lot of employers forget, unfortunately. (Read my other story on how hiring is broken).
If you’re competing for talent — and everyone is competing for talent now — you need to offer perks that make your company stand out and give people a reason to move to your town if they relocate. What does this mean? Be loud and proud.
Make sure all the great perks are listed on your website, in the job listing, and on your blog. Ask your employees what makes them happy to work at your company. Listen carefully and see if you can sweeten the offerings. It’s amazing what some work from home days will do for morale. Think of easy ways to give employees what they need to be happy and then shout it out to the world. Don’t be shy.
💙 to spread the word!
