The competition to win top talent is currently very fierce. There is a shortage of qualified candidates, and the more senior the role, the harder you have to fight to win over the talent. Does this discourage you? Read on.
If your organization is poised for near-term growth, you will certainly need strong, competent leaders. You need to retain the ones you have and attract the ones you don’t. Here are 3 tips to help your organization win the right talent.
3 Tips for Winning Top Talent
Winning top talent is key to developing a winning organization
- Be intentional – Don’t expect top leaders to be drawn to you without any effort on your part. The companies that are winning have a comprehensive talent strategy in place.
- Think outside the box for recruiting talent – Look at creative talent pools rather than traditional means. Top talent is not easy to find.
- Develop a positive organizational brand – generate a brand that is so consistent that people know why they would want to work for you. Your organization should have a reputation for being a great place to work.
A short list of only three tips sounds manageable, but the reality is, these initiatives are quite complex. To have a fighting chance in today’s market, you need someone with their finger on the pulse of these three areas.
A Talent Partner to Help You Win
We know it’s uncommon to have someone dedicated to managing a significant talent strategy. For various reasons, talent strategy is sorely overlooked and that negatively affects short-term and long-term goals. That is where Centennial can make a big impact on your sustainability and success.
Intentional
By definition, to be intentional means to make a plan and act on it. It means you have thoughtfully considered your next steps–not leaving it to chance. Attracting and retaining great leaders requires just that – planning and action. For that reason, you need a talent strategy – an action plan for creating an environment that develops and values team members.
Some organizations do a great job of incorporating a talent strategy into their overall strategic plan. However, more commonly, organizations do not recognize the necessity of a talent strategy. At Centennial, we’ve worked with organizations at all points of the spectrum of talent planning. We are equipped to come alongside organizations, at any point in their journey, to help develop a winning talent strategy.
Creative Talent Pools
Most organizations depend on traditional means of searching for candidates. They return to the same sources they’ve used for the last decade. Those organizations may get a lot of activity from their sourcing, but we know, and you probably know as well, that activity does not equal results.
One of the great benefits of using a retained executive search firm, such as Centennial, is the access we have to a wide network of people. To find the right talent whose character, culture, chemistry and competency aligns with your needs, you need access to an abundance of talent. Rather than taking the candidates that are easiest to find, we search for the best candidates to fit your unique needs.
Positive Organizational Brand
What is the reputation of your organization? I say it often: “If you are not taking ownership and proactively managing your organization brand, you are letting others manage it for you.” The reputation and real-life experience of your organization directly affects your profits, your client retention and your employee retention. With all of these things at stake, your organizational brand must matter to you as the leader of your organization.
Your current employees should have such a positive experience with your organization that they become your natural recruiters. They should have no desire to leave and, even more so, they will encourage their friends and relatives to join them.
When your organizational brand is a key part of your talent strategy, it is felt in the community. You become known for being THE place to work. Talent seeks you out. What a great feeling.
Developing an organizational brand that will stand out is not a once-and-done activity. It needs to be worked into your talent strategy. This too, is an area that Centennial specializes in. Building an incredible organizational brand is a journey worth the investment. It will save you in recruiting and retraining costs, and it will allow you to spend more time growing.
It’s a True Relationship
Centennial’s goal is to see organizations achieve their goals. This is true for organizations in America as well as across the globe. We’ve worked with organizations from a dozen different countries. In our global marketplace, we are closely connected through technology and transportation. We want to see organizations winning the right talent locally– and globally.
If you want to increase your ability to attract and retain talent, it’s worth your time to give us a call. Creating a solid talent strategy will impact your ability to edge out your competition in the fight for top talent. If you want to be in the driver’s seat and be more effective in your organization’s efforts give give us a call at 888-366-3760. We are the ally you need to win the talent war.