If you’re in the market to recruit employees in Sydney (or Australia for that matter), ‘talent attraction’ is one HR term you might be hearing a lot of lately. Especially now that the Federal Budget 2022-2023 has been announced, talent retention is a hot topic, that just got even hotter. So now your job as a business leader is to find solutions that address both talent attraction and retention. Here are tips on how you can boost your brand to make your business, a more appealing workplace.

Ramp up your branding

If you’re a relatively unknown small business in Sydney, this is the time where you should be marketing on why you should be the employer and/or business people want to work for. Branding is not only about projecting pretty logos and splashing it all over the socials, but rather your reputation as a business and employer. At the very least you should already have a LinkedIn business page that’s active and more vibrant than your neighbour’s Insta.

Have you read the testimonials from your current and former employees? Whether it’s on Google Reviews, Seek.com.au or Glassdoor, make sure you are responding (when possible) to positive reviews and do not let a bad review fester. Your company’s reputation will precede you.

Flexible Future is Here

 Still not offering hybrid work arrangement and non-linear flexible hours? Are you sure you intent to recruit employees in Sydney? This could very well the reason why you are not getting many applicants in your job search. Unless the role you’re advertising is hands-on (e.g., surgery, landscaping, construction, hospitality etc.) the premise of hiring an adult to do a job for you is that you have screened them to be someone trustworthy, possessing the skills and ability to do the job. On your end as an employer, this is where the importance of employment contract cannot be overlooked.

Incentives is now a must-have

By now you should be offering a wellbeing program at the workplace and offering a paid day off on your employee’s birthday, or you might deter potential applicants that can find those options elsewhere.

While you’re still the boss and they essentially do work for you, knowing that the high inflation rate of 7.9% is swallowing up real wage growth until the predicted 2024 ,what are you offering them to make them feel appreciated? You need to get with the program of being a post-pandemic employer, otherwise you might be perceived as being ‘behind the times’.

If you’re trying to recruit employees by offering the option to bring their dogs to work, don’t forget to get a policy on this. Nothing worse than an allergy attack amongst your staff and dog-park chaos at the office (not everyone likes dogs either).

Future Proof Your Tech

Whether it’s tech skills, apps or software, this is the one must-have you need to have under your roof to future proof your business. Still checking references manually and asking people to follow up on emails and calls?  Have a look at XREF or Referoo. You don’t need to go all Jira if you’re a small business but at least get on the same page when it comes to password security, Zoom vs. Teams, and efficiency when it comes to accessing folders and drives. We don’t need to remind you about the cybersecurity incidents that have been happening in Australia, so if you look like someone who doesn’t have their tech in order, why would applicants want to send you over their private details? Speaking of which, if you have the budget for it, invest in an Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

Marketing-led recruitment

Marketing has value and if you want to recruit successfully, this is one area you simply can’t overlook. Max out your  organic and paid socials for recruitment, optimising SEO for the job roles advertisement. Do it on LinkedIn, on top of Seek and Indeed. With LinkedIn, you have a wide reach as you can ask your entire network to share your ad as well as posting it under and getting applicants that way.

You can also use socials to target minority groups. If you are looking for staff who speak a certain language, you can join Facebooks groups for regions that have large populations of native speakers of that language. Be mindful of the group rules before posting a job ad.

As always, within the application process you should ask deal breaker questions or announcement to ensure you are not inundated with CVs from unqualified applicants.

Next Steps

From here give the shortlisted candidates a phone call and discuss what the role entails and why they want it. This separates candidates who are applying for everything and not doing research on the company/role. If they start the interview looking unpresentable and are not able to tell you about the company and role, the interview ends there. Move on.

Make sure interview questions are tailored to the role and include situations that would arise if the candidate was successful, this can include role play or listening exercises.  Making sure the candidate can perform the role is just as important as them being a cultural fit for the team. Find out a bit about their personality by throwing in a few questions like “what would your perfect day off look like?”

Housekeeping notes

Successful applicants will remember their onboarding experience. Read that again. It sets precedent on how it’s like to work for your business.

If the candidate is unsuccessful the off-boarding process needs to be supportive and pleasant.  Every interaction is a representation of the company you are recruiting for, being an employer of choice is an easy way to attract future talent.

Make sure job advertisements that have been filled are removed and that all unsuccessful candidates have been advised.  If you have good candidates that are not right for this role, ask them if you are able to keep them on file in case a future appropriate role arises.

Whether you need help in recruitment, want to purchase a bring-a-dog to work policy or need to update your employees’ contracts, LMHR is your one-stop-shop with no long-term requirement, unless you want it. We have the HR solutions that take away the pain. Cut through the noise and focus on your business. Contact us today.