Tactics To Attract New Talent to Your Business
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Businesses of all sizes continue to find it harder to recruit the right candidates for the job. Across Canada, including the Township of Langley, workforce shortages continue to be experienced across all industries. Workforce and talent attraction in an increasingly competitive market requires diverse hiring tactics. To help you attract future employees, here are nine tactics your business can take today.
- Build a strong employer brand
A solid employer brand will help you attract better candidates. Your employer brand should focus on what you can do for your employees – not on how cool your business is as a company. Candidates today, regardless of the job itself, want meaningful opportunities to make a difference. Promote your business culture to engage better candidates. Be a good employer and it will show. - Create an effective job ad / description
Clearly describing the job is your first step to attracting the right candidates to your business. The better you describe the job requirements, tasks, work environment, and advantages of working for your business, the less time you will waste reviewing and rejecting unsuitable applications. Ensure to include commonly understood job titles, information about your business, the most important tasks the successful applicant will be required to perform, what makes the job unique and exciting, the most important attributes and qualifications of ideal candidate, what to include in application process, and how to apply (including deadline!). - Offer competitive wages combined with a desirable benefits package
By offering above-average wages, you can make it easier to find the right people for the right positions in your business. Attractive wages can equally pay-off long term with high-quality candidates, lower employee turnover rates, increased commitment from employees, and motivation for growth in your business. Your benefits package is an opportunity to provide candidates and employees with securities that improve their qualify of life. Benefits can be wide-ranging such as medical and dental insurance, retirement savings plans, vacation time, and paid time off for family medical leave, and so on. Offering self-select/flexible benefit options will allow your business to cost-effectively deliver employee-valued benefits. - Provide unique perks Policies, like a casual dress code, are inexpensive, unique perks that can make your business standout to candidates. Perks don’t necessarily need to be expensive, yet they can provide that extra touch. Here’s some examples:
- Coffee / snack station
- Fitness and wellness activities/program
- Discounts at neighbouring small businesses
- Flexible schedule
- VIP carpool parking spots and secure-area bicycle stands
- Pet-friendly office days
- Lunch-break game area
- Use the right recruitment tools Quality candidates use the internet to find jobs. Going digital will improve your recruitment efforts. Track results, and over time, this will help you determine the tools that work best for your business.
- Job Boards: Indeed, Monster, jobbank.gc.ca, Workopolis, are well-known and are most cost-effective way to reach large databases of potential candidates.
- Social Media: Sites like LinkedIn and Twitter have become powerful recruiting tools. You can post job ads through your account and equally recruit candidates that possess specific skills and qualifications.
- Website: Create an easily accessible job/career section on your business website as an ongoing recruitment tool.
- Ads: Traditional media can be effective. Choose a publication that targets the type of candidate you are looking for, like industry publications or professional group newsletters.
- Agencies: Employment agencies can save you a lot of time and handle advertising, screening, interviewing, and reference checking.
- Word of Mouth: Simply telling your employees, friends, and colleagues about your job vacancies is a time-tested and often effective recruitment tactic. Some businesses now offer employees a finder's fee/bonus if they recruit suitable candidates.
- Expand your demographic reach
Businesses that understand the value of diversity will widen their potential talent pool. Skilled youth, newcomers/immigrants, persons with disabilities or are marginalized, semi-retired persons, and more, are all potential skilled candidate groups yet are often times overlooked. Agencies such as Langley Local Immigrant Partnership, WorkBC, Langley School District #35, Langley Seniors Resource Society, are avenues your business can explore – at no cost – to expand your reach and attract skilled candidates to your business. - Make hiring easier
Vacant positions cost money and delay operations. A long recruiting period can be a by-product of a shortage of qualified applicants. And sometimes it’s a business’s hiring process that is the hurdle. Look at your hiring process and ask yourself: Are all our hiring stages really required? Are we looking in the right places to find candidates? Do we communicate quickly with candidates / interviewees? Candidates largely expect the hiring process to take 2 weeks at most - so improving time-to-hire is a recruitment tactic that is increasingly important. If it takes too long, the right candidate will get snapped up by your competitor. - Employ people and technology
Some tasks are better left to technology/automation. Technology can improve efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity and opens the door for employees to focus on value-added tasks that will truly make the difference for your business. For some industries, technology can equally create opportunities to address remote/hybrid work challenges, increase employee engagement and retention, and reduce overall costs. Regardless of the size of your business, technology has become critical for growth. - Look within to give employees opportunities to grow
Sometimes your ‘future’ talent needs are already within your business. Capitalize on your existing employees’ skills, strengths, education, advancement interests, and development opportunities to improve employee engagement and retention, and to reduce employee turn-over. Existing employees require less new-hire training, understand your business interests, may require limited new role training, can grow their skills, and are potentially better equipped to serve your business.
Agencies available to support your business
Langley Local Immigrant Partnership (LIIP)
Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs) are funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to develop and implement plans to improve immigrant and refugee settlement and integration. LIPs are community planning tables that include community agencies and institutions representing local government, settlement and community agencies, education, business, parks, recreation and culture, policing, libraries, volunteerism, and others.
Service Canada
The Service Canada website provides information for employers on payroll, wages and other resources for recruiting, training and managing employees.
Small Business BC
Small Business BC provides practical business seminars and online education to develop your business skills and strategy to run a successful business.
SmartMove
SmartMove, a partnership between Immigrant Services Society of BC and Small Business BC, is helping small businesses connect with qualified newcomers to Canada. SmartMove is a free pilot program accessible to:
- Small business owners or managers – Businesses in the Lower Mainland recruiting within the next four- to six-months
Immigrants to BC – Newcomers seeking employment aligned with their skills and training
WorkBC
A service of the BC Provincial Government, WorkBC provides multiple resources for employers, including:
- Employers' advisers’ office
- Online and resource room job postings
- Pre-screened applicants for your postings
- Hiring events / fairs tailored to your needs
- Unpaid work experience opportunities
- Wage subsidies
- Training grants
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