Five Quick Fixes to Attract the Top Employees

Recruitment—that somewhat elusive process of discovering and hiring the most qualified candidate for a job opening, in a timely and cost-effective manner. Sounds pretty simple, right? We all know that isn’t the case. The hiring process can be long and stressful, and finding the perfect new recruit is not an easy task.

It is estimated that the financial impact of hiring a top performer is 10 to 100 times the person’s compensation. But in order to attract those top performers, you must be strategic. If you're struggling to find employees who meet your requirements and fit your company's culture, there are ways to help you find them and make the hiring process go more smoothly. Here are the top five things that franchise brands are doing to attract the right candidates. And whether you’re hiring at the corporate or franchise level, elements of these strategic principles can be applied across the board.

Don’t Just Post and Pray, Be Proactive

Modern technology and the amount of data available online has made it easier than ever to reach potential job candidates. But instead of the traditional “post and pray” method, which can attract hundreds of underqualified or off-target résumés in social recruiting, aim to be strategic with where you source and interact. Search the blogosphere and other personal online sites that feature portfolios. Host an “open house” and identify candidates who are already interested in your company’s culture. Attend industry-related events to build your network and connect with potential future candidates. Get involved in the community and spark an interest in socially-conscious millennials. Ask friends, family and co-workers for referrals. Be assertive on social media.

According to LinkedIn’s 2015 Global Recruiting Trends Report, 75 percent of professionals consider themselves “passive” candidates—that’s an awful lot of potential candidates that job posts don’t cater to. But by incorporating some of the aforementioned best practices, you can take a more proactive approach to finding great talent for your company.

“In all cases, though, our preference is referrals first. We know people are judged by the company they keep, and if a credible friend, colleague, vendor-partner or business associate can provide a referral, chances are that the candidate is of high caliber and integrity, so we like to start there, and work in parallel with the other resources based on the level of the role,” said Mark de Gorter, COO of WORKOUT ANYTIME*.

Orchestrate Creative Interviews

Don’t be afraid to step outside of the box when it comes to interviewing potential candidates. Not only will this enable you to get a better feel for the cultural fit of the interviewee, but it gives you a chance to differentiate yourself from the pack. Freshii COO Adam Corrin knows all about this.

“We’ve been known to conduct interviews on runs with prospective candidates. Attending yoga or spin classes with post-workout juices and smoothies back at Freshii have been a common occurrence. This is not about seeing how good a candidate is at any of the above (we’re not looking for world record marathon holders!) but rather, their attitude. You can tell a lot about a person based on their work ethic during these activities,” Corrin said.

Create a Total Rewards Strategy

You don’t always have to pay aggressive salaries or wages in order to attract high performers. Nowadays, employees are looking for more than a paycheck, and there are cost-effective ways to address this. Strategize on ways to differentiate your business and engage employees, while staying aligned with your brand ethos. Here are some low-cost, high-impact options to keep in mind: increasing paid time off; enhancing health and wellness benefits; adding “creature comforts” such as snacks, recreational facilities, free meals, and convenience services; and furnishing community activity tickets and gift certificates. Equity in the company, in the form of stock options, can also go a long way in creating a culture of "ownership" within your organization.

Value Talent Over Experience

Balance is key, but you don’t want to turn away talented individuals by placing too much emphasis on experience—take that into account when you’re posting job requirements or sifting through resumes. Scot Johnson, vice president of human resources at Sport Clips*, agreed that both talent and experience need to be taken into account on some level, but talent overrides.

“Talent, or innate ability, is the key to long term success. Organizations change over time, and as a result, so do the tasks of their employees. For this reason, an employee’s ability to learn quickly, grow professionally, be adaptable and stay internally motivated is critical to the organization. It is important for a hiring manager to determine what elements of a job can be taught and learned, and which cannot,” Johnson said. “Given enough time, you can teach someone computer skills, sales processes, business procedures, but you are never going to be able to teach them to be motivated or adaptable. When you hire solely on experience, you are favoring their acquired knowledge. When you favor talent, you are hiring for fit and the future growth of the organization. Both are important, but once you establish that a person has the basic skills to do the job, determining which candidate is more talented from that group can get you a much better hire.”

Involve Multiple Stakeholders

Get multiple levels of management involved in the hiring process. Not only does this give you analysis from several different perspectives, but it gives the recruit a better idea if they’d be a good fit from their end. This simple strategy can dramatically reduce your chances of an unsuccessful hire.

“We make sure several members of the Freshii senior team from different departments have an opportunity to spend time with the applicant before making any offers. Once again our company culture is such an important factor for us that it’s important to get various perspectives giving team members an opportunity to have a veto vote,” Corrin added.