Regardless of the current recruitment climate, top talent is always in peak demand. Every forward-thinking business strives to employ gifted individuals, but with so many successful companies vying for top candidates, it can be challenging to position your business as a standout employer and close that all-important key hire.

Reputation plays a huge role in your candidate perception and can mean the difference between attracting the best candidates and repelling them. Not only should you consider the impact of your recruitment marketing, but you should aim to be conscious of your wider social presence and the opinions of your existing workforce.

In order to maximise your potential as an employer, you should consider implementing the following talent attraction techniques in 2018:

Don’t curb your enthusiasm

As millennial numbers in the workforce swell, so too does the universal preference for business leaders and influencers to talk passionately and plainly about their organisational goals. According to the 2017 Deloitte Millennial Survey, professionals aged 18-34 respond positively to passionate opinions and seek to forge a relationship of trust with their employers and co-workers.

Do not be afraid to show your true colours as a business. Advertise the company culture; show your casual side through social media content. Live videos, fundraising campaigns and socially aware blog posts will help candidates grasp the core values of your business and test for alignment with their own.

Appreciate your Existing Workforce

Your existing workforce is your most valuable asset in ensuring you present a positive candidate experience. They are individuals who were at one point compelled to apply for your vacancy or accept your invitation to interview, so they know precisely what it was that attracted them and exactly where you can improve upon your hiring process.

Not only can their insights prove invaluable, but getting senior employees involved in the hiring process could also assist in evaluating the potential for professional chemistry between the new acquisition and the team into which they will be integrated.

Nurture a Positive Candidate Experience

In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on the importance of creating a positive candidate experience and it’s no wonder that successful employers are taking note. With the rise of services like Glassdoor, business transparency is becoming less of a choice and more of a societal imperative.

Top candidates will likely base their initial impression of your business as an employer on the experience of previous candidates, so making sure that they are treated well – even in the case that they are unsuccessful – is paramount. Should a candidate view your interview process in a negative light, they are likely to publish their opinions online and impact future applications.

Send Consistent Messages

Despite the quality of your publications, the professional presentation of your website and the wide reach of your social networks, a single piece of off-brand promotion can prove enough to deter talented individuals.

Outdated branding, inconsistent marketing messages or even simply accidental misinformation – there is no end to the number of that could be costing you top talent. If your company website states that you are a global business with 400 branches worldwide and your LinkedIn page says that your workforce is under 20 people strong, candidates will instantly hear alarm bells.

Simple diligence can stop any inaccurate information from slipping through the net and protect your good reputation with prospective employees.

If you’re looking to expand your team across 2018, why not speak to us about how our brand advocacy recruitment methods can best position you within the market. Call 0844 997 9700 to speak to one of our specialist consultants or email us directly at info@advocate-group.co.uk for further information