How to attract & hire the A-Team!

Some small to medium businesses can struggle to attract & hire the A-Team! We’ve heard about the war for talent, an increasingly competitive landscape for recruiting and retaining talented employees. In small to medium business, there is so much to do, so little time, so many deadlines. Then there’s the competition, the big end of town, the international players with their teams of specialists in every area. It can be tough to compete, but it can be done successfully if you follow a few simple rules.

Web

There is still a surprising amount of businesses out there without a website or they have a website that looked good in 2000, but now, not so much! The vast majority of candidates will go straight to the website or Linkedin to review the prospective firm and the key players. I have had candidates look at businesses websites and then, based purely on the website, they have said they didn't want to proceed any further. The other issue is no LinkedIn profile or a mere shell for senior staff within the business. In 2017 we need to do better if we want to be in the running for the best candidates.

Vision

People will go the extra mile if they buy into your vision of the business.They might move interstate, work like crazy, go above & beyond if they believe in the vision. If they believe in the people & feel like a valued member of the team. When recruiting, you need someone not just to tell candidates about their tasks, responsibilities & KPIS. They also need to know; where the business is going, how they plan to get there, what part they will play. People want to join you on a journey & celebrate your wins along the way.

Flexibility

In the age of inexpensive cloud-based software & smartphones, people can work from almost anywhere. Studies have shown people often achieve more working from home, compared to the office. If that is something you can offer staff, perhaps one day a week or each fortnight, then consider it. It is something people really value, once they have it, they are very reluctant to leave. It can not only help you get good candidates over the line and it will help you keep them.

Speed

Sometimes when you meet a strong candidate, you need to move quickly to hire them. Some firms move very slowly on the recruitment front, by the time they make a decision to interview, the good candidate has been offered, accepted and agreed on a start date. Too slow!

Bill Gates once said, “The key for us, number one, has always been hiring very smart people.” Bill Gates definitely knows a thing or two about building businesses and success on a massive scale. So when looking to hire your A-Team, consider the above.

Piper Fitzgerald is a Specialist Talent Consultancy operating within Audit, Tax & Advisory Australia wide, recruiting only the Top 15% of candidates. If you are currently looking to recruit for your organisation or are interested in current market opportunities contact Simon on simon@piperfitzgerald.com or 1300 619 510.