What Top Talent Looks for in a Company

It’s a candidate-driven job market… Top talent is tougher to find these days, as candidates have more options than ever, including: receiving multiple job offers, counter-offers, sign-on bonuses, stock options, and more... To attract and retain this coveted talent pool, we recruiters must educate our clients on what will make A-level candidates turn their heads.

The old-school mentality that some hiring managers (and even some recruiters!) carry, is assuming that companies will attract prospective employees solely because they are the employer and therefore hold all the power in the process. Not true in today’s market… So how should we attract top talent?

I have found the following “characteristics” to have been a constant with almost every top candidate I have spoken with and placed over the past two years:

1. Culture fit: High-quality professionals want to represent a company that aligns with their values and treats them well. In terms of importance, this is second to ‘Can I (the candidate) do the job’, and ‘Does my skill-set meet the qualifications and responsibilities of the role?’
2. Making a difference: The best employees want to make a “visible, measurable impact”. They are always looking to be challenged and continue to grow professionally.
3. Active listening – It’s been said that “people don’t work for companies; they work for leaders”. By actively engaging in the interview, you will establish a good rapport, learn more about the candidate and determine if there is good chemistry. All this will give you an edge when he or she is deciding on which leader to work for.
4. Workplace rankings: Top talent candidates gravitate towards innovative leaders in their industries. They take the time to research each prospective employer they are interviewing with. Research by Gallup backs this up, showing there is a correlation to top talent landing at companies that have top workplace rankings (i.e.: Glassdoor, Business Insider, Fortune, and Forbes)
5. Top talent candidates wants to be sold: Great recruiters prep their candidates to never stop selling themselves throughout the interviewing process. Yet, in our current job market this also holds true for hiring managers! Why should they pick your company above all the others?

So my advice to you--drop the old, stiff interviewing techniques from the past. The most successful companies have adapted their processes/conversations to fit today’s workforce, and as a result, are attracting and ultimately hiring the best talent out there!

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