Want to attract top talent? Change these 4 things

As the skills shortage intensifies, winning the war for talent starts at home–sometimes literally. It’s all about creating a company people want to work for.

There’s no doubt that finding high-quality talent is getting harder, with more vacancies than ever before. Finding the right person for the job is taking significantly longer–and good candidates will almost certainly be considering offers from your competitors. Here are four ways to make sure they choose you–and to make sure they stick around after they do.

1. Pick the right clients

It’s hard to be selective when it comes to client partnerships, but it’s important to get behind the brief and get an in-depth understanding of what a client wants and needs before you commit. For your employees’ sake, make sure you stick to clients who are in your area of expertise, are aligned with your values, and treat your people with respect.

2. Grow your own

Is your organisation a meritocracy? Make sure development opportunities are open to anyone who shows ability and dedication. Look for ambition and a good attitude as much as technical skills and knowledge, especially in younger recruits. You’ll be rewarded with a workforce that’s more open to change and more agile, with more transferable skills. Most people no longer want to spend their whole career doing the same thing; open up possibilities, and you’ll find people want to join you and want to stay.

3. Offer more support

Even the most independent workers tend to perform better when more real, personalised support is available. Pair new hires with a buddy they can turn to in confidence, make sure leaders make themselves genuinely available and take a pastoral rather than disciplinarian approach, and create a culture where it’s “OK not to be OK”.

4. Make flexible working work

No doubt you’re sick of hearing that you need to offer flexibility. But there’s more to it than that. You need to make sure that flexible options work as effectively as possible both for your people and for your organisation, and that those who want to be in the office and those who want to work from home receive equal support. If you want to attract and retain top talent, you need to remember that work is what you do–not where you do it.