Employers: 3 Tips to attract the best talent

The most wonderful time has come for some… graduation! Every spring, hundreds of thousands of hopeful students walk across the stage with the dream of entering the industry they worked hard studying for the last couple of years. They are full of hope and aspirations and are ready to work! Long story short, are you ready to fight for the best talent to join your workforce?

These days, graduates look for more than just a job that pays. There are specific elements within a company that attract the best talent and if you don’t meet those requirements, your company may not be considered and another company may be more than happy to welcome them through their door.

Here are three tips on how to attract the best talent, produce the best work and make them stay within the company!

Technology

From mobile phones to computers, both children and adults use technology for just about everything. 76% of millennials believe that digital advancements positively affect their quality of work. Companies stuck with outdated software and processes won’t hold the attention of new graduates. Without the latest technology it may also lead to the question of how sophisticated the company may be. New technology helps speed up productivity and is no longer just a tool, it is a necessary part of everyday life and can be a deal breaker in the workplace. Not to say that new graduates are not capable of producing great work without technology, but the proper tools are required in order for employees to produce innovative work and contribute to the growth of any company. For example, if your restaurant still uses pen and paper for order taking, your ability to retain staff might be harder than that restaurant across the street who has a brand-new tablet-based POS system for easy order taking.

Work-life balance

Allowing for work flexibility and variety in the tasks and projects assigned and providing the necessary training is essential in helping your employees grow and want to stay within the company. If employees can work from home, allow them to do so. According to Harvard Business Review, the best work is produced in a comfortable self-controlled environment. Employees may not always be able to make it into the office but that doesn’t mean they can’t work. Take a restaurant district manager for example. They can’t possibly check into every restaurant every day to oversee sales and operations. Give them proper tools such as a manager’s app or an online reporting portal they can access remotely so they can oversee multiple locations easily regardless of where they are. By allowing your staff more ways to complete work in and outside of the workplace, your efficiency will increase immediately.

Positive and Engaging Atmosphere

To motivate employees to produce great work, we can refer to the Herzberg theory which explains that there are certain factors that cause job satisfaction and dissatisfaction within a workplace. To be satisfied with a job, employees must be recognized, be given responsibility, do meaningful work, be involved in the decision-making process and lastly, feel important. To account for these factors, your organization must have a welcoming environment that’s engaging and inviting. To engage with your staff, try having an open communication between teams. Some organizations do not encourage employees to share open thoughts and opinions however, no staff should feel worried about speaking or giving feedback especially on how to enhance the company’s culture. 74% of recent grads would rather choose to work at an organization with an engaging, positive social atmosphere even if it means getting a slightly lower salary over a company that does not have such values.

New graduates are soon to be flooding the workforce and as a successful and growing company, you definitely want to attract and harness their raw talent. Put yourself out there and let graduates know how you operate. Allow job seekers to see what your company is all about. Your culture, work environment and attitude say way more than any pay check. After all, it’s not a job, it’s a career that new graduates are looking to kick-start!