Attracting great staff to your business

Some PAs making use of one of our bespoke meeting rooms

People are the foundation of any business.

And in today’s highly competitive marketplace and with the changing way we operate, finding the right people with the right skills is vital to the overall success of your business and the realisation of your goals long term.

Start from the inside

Before you think about attracting new people, your business needs to genuinely be a great place to work and needs to be known as such in the community around you to generate interest from high calibre candidates. Are you and any existing employees oozing the positivity to create the right impression of your business? Word of mouth is probably the best recommendation of all – happy staff and happy customers make for a strong reputation, as a good employer will attract interest. Network well and get your good news stories out into the media. Though, no amount of PR will paper over the cracks if things aren’t right, so you need to be getting the basics right and build an attractive culture and a buzz in your business that people want to be a part of.

Attract the right kind of people

Give your business a personality to attract people who are a good fit for you. What makes for a great member of staff in one business isn’t necessarily so in another. If you are advertising, using social media or simply word of mouth to attract applicants, make sure you are asking for exactly the kind of people you know will suit your business. Offer a salary that will attract good people (it’s false economy to do less) and describe the position and its expectations clearly, using the words and language that match your culture. While finding a skills match is important, recruit on attitude and personality and make sure you are advertising in the places your best candidates are likely to be looking.

Use word of mouth

Encourage your existing staff to recommend suitable people they know (incentives can work well here) as this acts as an early filter. Make the application process a challenge, although not too daunting. Those who get past the first hurdle must really want the job and are already demonstrating some of the positive qualities you are looking for. Screen your applicants by phone – what do they sound like? Always go for two interviews rather than one, making sure the people your new employee will be working with are involved, even if it’s just a meet and greet.

It may sound a bit whacky but something simple like changing the email address you use for replies – for example from the faceless ‘careers@’ to ‘thebestintheland@’ will immediately raise the bar with a slightly tongue in cheek expectation that only the best need apply!

Your staff members are your best asset so look after them and be known for looking after them. Making staff feel valued and special will make all the difference to how they feel at work and to how ultimately, you all go about your business.