The war for talent is getting tougher: winning top talents and retaining qualified employees is more challenging than ever before. When competing for top talents, it is not enough to offer them just a competitive salary. They only leave their jobs in search of roles that are more aligned with their values and that may also offer a better work-life balance.
So, what do companies offer them in addition? Based on our experience, the answer is very often about possibilities to take decisions and to make an impact. Not only top talents but also experienced leaders value the possibilities to grow personally and professionally. Is there a match between the company’s culture and their value system? What does the company stand for? Therefore, companies with a strong purpose are their first choice, especially to the millennials.
Company culture is the way a specific value system is lived by its employees and leadership team. It acts as orientation for decision-making and acting, but also for rewarding specific behaviour. This is the challenging part for companies as well as candidates trying to find a perfect cultural match.
There are cultures which focus more on power play, status and personal gain rather than shared goals. And there are cultures where teamwork is based on collaboration and common value. How to measure, which culture is more successful in the war for talents? Indeed, there are significant KPIs available to measure, how successful a company attracts and retains their employees, like a low rate of fluctuation and sickness leave or a high Net Promoter Score.
Attractive candidates receive countless messages and calls, so they hardly react anymore. What is the key success factor to win potential candidates for our clients? In our role as “ambassadors” for our clients we present their unique company cultures to potential candidates and often succeed in creating curiosity and interest for the open position. By sharing our clients value – and not only the job description – combined with authentic enthusiasm – this is what a potential candidate feels and what set us apart from others. And finally, the way the companies express their culture by presenting themselves and communicating with potential candidates is a crucial success factor to win these talents.
