Attracting top talent is a preoccupation for many companies. Hiring managers gather around tables in darkened rooms, plotting and scheming about how they can acquire the small subset of people who are better than everyone else. 

The reason they do this is the sheer value that highly talented people offer. The best employees aren’t 10 percent better than the next rung down. They’re sometimes 100 percent better, or even 1,000 percent more productive. They have an uncanny ability to get things done. 

In this post, we take a look at some of the insane lengths companies go to to get these  people. It’s quite mad. 

 

Interactive Open Houses

Imagine opening up your company to everyone in the job market and allowing them to come inside for a poke around. 

Madness, right? 

What about your security? Your trade secrets? The privacy of your employees?

Well, in the talent search, none of those factors matter. The rewards are so high.

Open houses are like a job fair where you engage with random people in your local area. You talk about what your company does and then find out whether there are people out there who could help you. Often, you’ll fire up conversations that provide new ideas and employment opportunities you never knew existed. 

 

Reach Out To Previous Employees With New Offers

All top recruitment agencies know that the most talented employees like to circulate. They move between job roles so that they can experience something fresh. 

Mostly, they have no quarrels with their previous employers. It’s just that things got a little stale and they wanted to move on. 

Businesses, however, can look for ways to reignite old flames. Romances only tend to peter out when it becomes same-old, same-old. The same is true of work. So if a star employee has been away for a long time, invite them back with an upgraded position and salary. They’ll often want to return. 

 

Give The Employee The Lead

Imagine just asking somebody to join your organization and then giving them the lead for how they spend their time. 

Again, sounds a little crazy. Most hiring managers want to control the activities of people in their organizations down to the finest detail. 

But that’s not how you should approach talent acquisition. Remember, the whole reason you want these employees in your organization is because they have a knack for creating value, whatever they do. What’s more, they want to be able to direct their activities. So giving them a list of instructions isn’t ideal. 

Giving them the lead is a great way to turn your business into a talent magnet. Top employees don’t want guidance, they want the freedom to explore all avenues. 

 

Be Kinder

 

Lastly, some companies are focusing on kindness as a tool to get people to work for them. 

Think about it: what do most people want from their working environments? Money? Well, that’s part of it. But they also want their days to be enjoyable and full of love. And that’s precisely what an empathetic organization provides.