50 ways to be a Talent Maker: Insights for talent magnets

4 mins, 21 secs read time

We’re excited to launch our latest eBook, 50 ways to be a Talent Maker, where we share strategies and tips from experts who are already bringing these concepts to life in their own companies. This is the second post in our Talent Maker mini-series. Did you miss the first one on talent leaders? You can find it here.

In this post, we’ll reveal a few of our tips for talent magnets. A quick refresher: A talent magnet creates a place where great talent is attracted to come work. If you’re a recruiter reading this, we recommend forwarding it to your favorite managers, department heads and other leaders to help them strengthen their talent magnetism.

Tip #21: Get clear on your value

What makes your company an appealing place to work? How do your mission and values resonate with current and prospective employees? You’ll want to have clear and concise answers to those questions.

To help ensure you’re sending consistent messages to candidates, create a playbook for your talent brand. Start by considering what you are curious about when joining a new team or company. Train your staff and talent acquisition team on this content to build up everyone’s understanding and create alignment.

We love how DigitalOcean created a candidate resources and help page. This is a one-stop shop where candidates can find information and resources to help them prepare for interviews and learn more about the company.

Looking for more practical tips? Read up on how Talent Makers at Hired, Stripe, Thomson Reuters and Uncubed approach recruitment marketing here.

Tip #22: Develop your employer value proposition

As with sales and marketing, talent acquisition and employer branding starts with understanding your core mission and values and using them to build your messaging. Consider an exercise to formally develop an employer value proposition.

What exactly is an employer value proposition? This is a statement geared toward prospective (and current) talent, creating a clear vision of why they would want to work at your company.

To develop or refine your employer value proposition, be sure to speak with people throughout your company – your CEO and other leaders will probably have the big picture vision and everyone else can help you translate it into the day-to-day experience.

Looker’s Chief People Officer Kelli Dragovich recommends tapping into your alumni community, too – asking them about their experiences and perceptions can help you measure the continued impact of your company values and brand.

Tip #26: Get known as a thought leader

Marketing can certainly play a role in building your employer brand, but talent magnets attract stellar candidates through their personal brand and individual actions.

Cultivating talent magnets is taking on greater importance as consumers (and candidates) are increasingly wary of traditional marketing. Edelman finds that only 34% of consumers trust most of the brands they buy or use, but 63% of consumers age 18–34 are more trusting of influencers than a brand’s advertising.

Ready to step into the talent magnet role? Personal visibility helps. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there as a thought leader in your area of expertise to help expand your footprint and visibility. You can lead talks, blog, speak at conferences, arrange meetups, etc. Ask current employees how they joined the company and what convinced them to accept an offer so you can lean into that messaging.

Tip #27: Share roles outside your team

If you’re hiring for your own team, sharing your open roles is a given. Of course you’d like to get the word out there and find someone great to work directly with you. But a true talent magnet thinks beyond their own hiring needs.

Widen your influence by sharing roles outside of your immediate department on LinkedIn, Twitter or other public channels. Your network is much wider than your closest circle and if you are clear about why your company is a great place to work, people may tap an even wider community on your behalf.

Plus, sharing roles outside your team can help people from underrepresented groups find and apply to roles at your company. Research shows that when employees refer “weak ties” (the people in their extended networks), it can lead to a more diverse candidate pool.

Tip #37: Close the deal

Being a talent magnet isn’t just about attracting candidates initially – all that hard work will be for nothing if they don’t end up accepting your offer.

Work with your talent acquisition team to define your role and responsibilities in the hiring process. Perhaps you can do a quick check-in with candidates when they’ve made it to the onsite interview stage (or virtual equivalent) and again when you’ve decided to extend an offer. Can you commit to doing this for every candidate in your department as well as everyone you’ve personally referred?

As a talent magnet, you can take responsibility for closing the offer. There’s value in someone senior taking time with a candidate. This is a great time to sell candidates on how you’ll help them grow in a new role.

Download the eBook to learn all the other ways to be a Talent Maker.

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