Getting the right people “on the bus”.

Growing your own talent is a great way to motivate employees who will see there are progression opportunities for those with the necessary skills, commitment and passion for the business.

It also has the added advantage that existing employees will also understand your business, its culture and ambitions and make them ideally positioned to help fuel growth.

However, there will undoubtedly be times on your growth journey when you need to bring in extra capacity, experience and specialist expertise from outside.

In 2017, unemployment levels in the UK fell to the lowest level since 1975, making attracting the best people tougher than ever. This makes it even more important to ensure you are seen as an ‘employer of choice’ if you want to have the ability to recruit the best in an increasingly competitive market.

It is important to consider how attractive you will be seen in the market and how what you offer compares to other employers. Many companies see recruitment as a ‘buying’ process, i.e. they are in the driving seat in terms of choosing the best person for the job. However, the best employers also recognise it is a ‘selling’ process and they need to communicate to the market why the brightest and best would want to work for them?

So it is worth asking yourself, “What’s our ‘compelling sell’?”

What impression does how you present your company, the role and the package convey? Do you just focus on what you want and the salary paid in return? If so, it’s worth considering how much more attractive it might be to identify your company’s broader ambitions, why the role is important to the company’s future success, and what, beyond just the pay packet, you can offer?

Perhaps most importantly, you need to think about how you will differentiate yourselves from other employers.

What makes working for you different and why would people want to be part of it?

Your employees are increasingly looking for ‘engagement’ in their work. Being part of something they see as worthwhile and an organisation they can be proud to work for is becoming increasing important.

What does your recruitment process say about your business?

Finally, you need to assess whether your recruitment process itself enables you to effectively select the right people – and also reflects well on your business, its aspirations and values? Or does it resemble an endurance test? You need to think about what you really need to know about people, and test that. Assessing their ‘attitude’ as well as skills and experience is key. Skills and experience can be learned and developed, attitude and behaviours are much more difficult to change if people don’t have the right ones at the outset. So save yourself time in the long run and invest up front in getting ‘the right people on the bus’ in the first place.