Battling for Talent? Show That Your Jobs Offer More Than Pay

Gartner research shows that more than half of HR leaders say they’re having more trouble today attracting candidates with the exact skill sets required by hiring managers than they did five years ago. “To attract talent, it’s become critical to understand what your target talent pool wants most in a job,” Gartner Senior Principal Alexia Cambon said at Gartner ReimagineHR in London.

The convergence of demand for certain roles continues to strain HR leaders’ talent sourcing efforts. Gartner TalentNeuron™ data shows that 90% of S&P 100 companies in 2018 were competing for talent to fill the same 39 roles.  

“ Employment brand must be both highly visible and highly attractive because candidates now often find the employer, not the opposite”

But Gartner research shows that talent-sourcing strategies built on remuneration aren’t enough. While compensation remains the top consideration for employees when evaluating a job, work-life balance, stability and location are also priorities. Understanding what those in your target talent pools want most can enable your organization to rebrand hard-to-fill roles and improve its ability to recruit and hire the best talent. 

“In today’s labor market, an organization’s employment brand must be both highly visible and highly attractive because candidates now often find the employer, not the opposite," said Cambon.

Read more: 9 Ways for CHROs to Attract Top Tech Talent

HR leaders must have an action plan in place to drive candidate decisions and limit the chance of them regretting their decision to take an offer. 

Represent the opportunity holistically 

Instead of focusing on any one job attribute, employers should be sure that candidates understand the wide range of elements that make up the role and working at the organization. Though compensation remains the top driver of attraction/attrition globally, organizations should also communicate the other key components of their employee value proposition (EVP), such as stability, work-life balance in the form of paid time off, and/or flexible working arrangements, professional development, etc. 

“Organizations must offer candidates an opportunity to evaluate the EVP factors they find most valuable,” said Cambon. “Doing so ensures that you are transparent in your approach and attract the right candidates to the job.”