The facts are alarming. This year, it is predicted that one person will enter the workforce for every two workers leaving. By 2020, The Conference Board of Canada predicts there will be a shortage of 1 million skilled workers.

According to The Conference Board of Canada, "the war for talent is fierce, and is likely to become more so with the massive number of employees retiring in the next five years. Top organizations are moving beyond the vanilla "employer of choice" concept to a more rigorous strategy of attracting and retaining the right employees through branding."

High performance companies understand that the key to attracting and retaining talent is to be, and be seen to be, a first-tier employer that can meet the needs of high potential/high performance employees. Research shows that there is a direct link between recruitment practices and high performance. According to a 2005 Watson Wyatt study, companies with superior recruiting practices financially outperform those with less effective recruitment programs.

To be effective, traditional marketing practices must be applied to recruitment. After all, every candidate is a potential customer and every customer is a potential candidate. By creating a strong employment brand, employers get the edge they need in the "war for talent."

So, what are some areas to focus on when creating, living and enhancing your employment brand?

Find a way to touch every candidate

For every opportunity you advertise, you attract a number of candidates. Most organizations focus on the "right now" candidates—those who may fit the opportunity today. Brand-centric organizations recognize the value in all candidates and view every applicant as "potential" for existing and future opportunities, referral sources of top talent, and existing or potential customers. With the help of technology, they track applicants, acknowledge the receipt of resumes and notify candidates of their status. Failing to do so may be perceived by candidates as a clear demonstration of how you operate and how your company values its people. This is by far, the simplest way to set yourself apart from your competition.

Leverage your Talent Pool

By tracking qualified candidates through the effective use of an Applicant Tracking system (ATS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, or even manual processes, companies can draw on an existing pool of qualified, interested and, more often than not, available talent. Effectively marketing to and mining from this pool of candidates is far more efficient and cost effective than re-advertising or re-hiring a third party recruiter. This is a great opportunity to market and leverage your employment brand.

Train hiring managers on effective interviewing

The effect of poorly conducted interviews can leave candidates with a poor perception of your company. Candidates tell people they know about their negative experiences, resulting in a "knock" against your brand. By giving managers the skills, coaching and support they need to conduct effective interviews, they become qualified to select the best candidates for the position and provide candidates with a positive impression of your company. In essence, the interview and the process surrounding it is an incredible opportunity to enhance your company's brand.

Build and use consistent employment messaging

To help you develop key messaging around what makes you a great place to work, talk to your employees. Draw on their positive experiences as well as your vision, mission and value statements to help you craft key messaging that defines the employment experience for your organization. Then, consistently and frequently communicate this message internally and externally to reinforce your employment brand.

Have a "Great Start" Program

Every company can affect the retention of new employees during the first month of a new hire's employment. By introducing a "Great Start" program, brand focussed companies work to create a welcoming environment to ensure that a new employee's first experiences will establish the foundation of their attachment to their new employer. Orientation sessions and on-boarding programs are only the beginning. Helping them to feel a part of the team, and enabling them to "live" the employment experience is the ultimate destination. Your employees are spokespeople for your company, it's critical to start them off right.

Conclusion

While there is little doubt that recruitment over the next decade will have its challenges, we can mitigate some of these risks by embracing our employment brands and living "best of breed" recruitment practices. At the most fundamental level, how we recruit, manage the hiring process and bring new employees into our organizations is what will set us apart from our competition.

This article first appeared in Ceridian Canada’s e-newsletter, The Specialist, March 2006 issue.

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