Recently, everyone I talk to is dealing with the same challenge: “I can’t find enough talented people to fill my job openings!” What a significant problem to have, right?
Some blame the workforce or the lack of interest in coming back to the office or that there is not enough trained talent in the broadband business. I’ve also heard that the level of competition for quality new hires is intense, and the cost of winning a new employee has grown by 50 percent in the past two years.
Some of this may be true. But I also think providers have more control than they realize in hiring and attracting talent today, and that’s the opportunity to build the right environment to recruit.
The CEO of a large bank said the other day, “While bright young minds do care about the money, they also care about the vision, the challenge and the opportunity in front of them.” In other words, they want to join an organization that fills more than their pocketbook. They are looking for rewards that are different than just monetary.
This means they are reviewing the compensation package and your organization’s values. What do you stand for? What is teamwork like? Is the work rewarding? What is the mission of the company?
Look at your organization today. How would a recruit feel about the answers to these questions?
Focus on Company Culture
For many years, I heard companies say they wanted to emulate the environment of venture capital–backed Silicon Valley firms. They saw that adding foosball tables and kegs of beer or free lunches in the middle of the stack of cubicles made for a more fun work environment.
This worked for some groups. “Those who play together, stay together” was an HR mantra for a while. But this may not be enough in today’s recruiting world. The whole job search has been reversed – potential hires are doing more research on employers than the employers are doing on them!
What does that mean? “Bright, young minds” – I mean this figuratively – are looking at the culture of the company, the priorities, the work environment and the leadership.
They review employment policies, vacation time, sick pay, etc. But they are looking at what you stand for.
I saw an ad recently for Avocado Green Mattress. This young company spoke about its organic products, how it makes its mattresses in the U.S. and its sustainability efforts. It says it gives back 1 percent of its profits to green causes.
It’s easy to imagine many people lining up to work for a company with a robust approach like this.
In his recent book, “Trailblazer,” Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce, said that “in a competitive business such as tech, where luring top talent can be the difference between profit and loss, it’s often something intangible – [such as] a diverse, inclusive, values-driven culture – that determines where the best and brightest talent decide to work.”
New Recruiting Realities
Recruiting is not about working LinkedIn harder or hiring a recruiting service to make several networking calls.
It is about building the best organization to attract, and keep, associates engaged for the long term. Become an employer people will line up to work for.
I’m sure you read some employee reviews of organizations (including yours) and wonder if this paints an actual picture of work life. It may, but it is not the only picture. What is your company’s story, purpose, mission and values?
The multifamily market has so much talent, and it attracts more new candidates daily. We don’t lack people or talent to choose from. We need to be sure we create an environment so attractive they will choose us!
The best recruiting service is currently satisfied employees. “Come work with us. Not only is the pay great, but I love the people, the mission, the energy and the drive to do good.”
This we can control. And it will make finding talented people easier in the future.
Bryan Rader is the president of MDU for Pavlov Media.
Bryan J. Rader
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