Tips to hire the best talent in 2019

Your proposition

1. Rethink your employer brand

What makes your organisation stand out? Is it the endless love for new technology? The great products that you’re working on? The inclusive culture or the flexible way of working? Instead of trying to be everyone’s ideal employer, choose one or two areas and do them exceptionally well.

2. Give purpose

Ask Millennials about their career goals, and the most common answer is that they want to make an impact in their job.

Organisations with a clear purpose – which means that they know why they do what they do – find it much easier to engage their (future) employees.

3. Make it official

Employer awards or accreditations such as Great Place to Work create a sense of pride among your current employees. It also shows potential employees that you’re willing to put true effort into being a good employer.

Your offer

4. Think needs, not budget

We sometimes meet hiring managers who base the salary they want to offer on their budget. An offer that is above or below average market rate will usually not lead to the best match. A better start is to look at the current market rate for a professional with the skills you need. You can use the Walters People Salary Survey 2019 to benchmark salaries.

5. One size does not fit all

Secondary benefits make a real difference in a candidate short market, but they can become quite costly for an organisation. So why offer the same benefits to everyone? You can offer health conscious employees a gym membership and tech fanatics the latest iPhone.

Your ideal candidate

6. Don't look for a 100% match

Why would a candidate prefer a role for which they already tick all the boxes, if they can have a job in which they develop new skills? Be open for a 70% match on skills and offer a clear growth plan to get your new hire on par within a year.

7. Open the door to students

Many students prefer a side job in their field of study, instead of serving drinks at a local bar. An excellent opportunity for you as an organisation to offer them a part time job with flexible hours, and get them excited about joining you fulltime once they graduate. 

8. Don't stop at the border

Luckily, not everywhere in Europe candidate are as scarce as in Belgium. Especially for audit, controlling and customer service roles we can recommend to search internationally.

Your recruitment process

9. Think outside the box

Simply posting your job online will not result in a flood of applications, as it competes with many other vacancies. Create an original campaign, event or other unique way to sell yourself to job seekers.

10. Optimise your candidate journey

From job advert to introduction program, each stage in your recruitment process needs to convince candidates that they are making the right choice by joining you. Even if candidates are not selected for the job, they are likely to recommend you to others if they had a pleasant experience.

11. Start on time

Finding the right candidate can take longer than you think, so plan ahead. For interim roles this means scoping out the candidate market well before there is an official role. The best interim professionals are often booked for assignments months in advance.

12. Let innovation do the work

There are many tools that can help you to select the right person for the job, from intelligent CV screening software to tools that analyse video interviews. Artificial intelligence can save you time and eliminate biased decision making.

13. Creat a sense of belonging

Along with having a purpose, employees want to feel connected to the people they work with. Actively build your team spirit and offer tools that foster both formal and informal communication, such as Facebook Workplace and Yammer.

14. Enable lateral moves

Graduates often do not have a clear idea of what they want in their career. Offering the possibility to transfer to a different type of role or department will help you to retain talent.

15. Involve your employees

Engaging employees in your organisation’s decision making creates – surprise – engagement! This means not only sending a survey to ask for their opinion, but also sharing inside information from higher management. This will build a culture of trust.