Think like a marketer to hire great people for winning team

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/11/2023 (714 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In a recent strategic planning class I was teaching, we discussed the need to acquire, develop, and retain talent in order to have long-term success. We had a vibrant discussion about what companies can offer to attract talented individuals and the value most companies place on their employees. The first question to be solved is how to find the necessary talent?

I have been privileged to work with companies that acquired talent with the belief that their employees were truly their most valuable resource. I am now fortunate to work with many CEOs that do a wonderful job of attracting top-tier talent for companies. In both cases, it is apparent that success is because they think like marketers first. Yes, they think about their company as the product they must sell to potential employees.

These CEOs know that the product they are selling to candidates includes factors such as the company culture, work environment, opportunity to do challenging work/projects, career development opportunities, and compensation packages are all among the crucial factors potential employees consider when assessing an employer.

This marketing mindset was displayed earlier this year with the Best Managed Companies program announcing their annual recipients. These companies make note of the importance of their people specific to their own company. Every organization wants to be known as the best in their category. Great people can deliver on this objective. Therefore, you need the best people available and thinking like a marketer can make this happen.

Every leading company knows it needs top-tier talent as part of their winning game plan to provide the product or service their end customer needs. There is a talent challenge in all industries and companies must position themselves as the best option to attract the best employees. You need a specific human resource marketing plan to bring in the talent necessary for your organization to deliver what your customers need. To truly be the best place to work you must attract the best talent.

If you care about attracting terrific employees, consider these important marketing lessons from some of the successful companies that I have worked with over my career.

First, in marketing you must know your customer and why they want to buy from you, and in hiring you must first know your target employee and why they should want to work with you. This is more than just a fill-in-the-blanks exercise for a vacant position. You are hiring a person. Leading companies know you must go beyond just the skill matching for a role. You want to hire for talent and train for skill. Understand the qualities and values that you need to fit within your organization, such as creativity, perseverance, empathy, etc.. Think deeply about the talents that must be brought into the company, not just for today but for the future.

Second, know how your organization will provide a desirable work environment for employees. Every leading company knows that their environment can be the difference between people wanting to be at work versus not caring about the work that they do. In marketing, the place (where your product is sold) is one of the four P’s. Organizations need to look closely at their “place” to ensure it delivers the environment to enable employees to thrive. Top tier employees value the place where they work.

Finally, ensure that you do in fact “walk the talk” and that your current employees would stand behind what you are saying. You are attracting talent to help your organization succeed into the future. Why would you mislead someone about your operating culture, opportunities for personal growth, and work environment. You are throwing money away because top people will see through the façade and leave. Even though we have emphasized attracting talent we should be mindful that attracting top talent should not be viewed strictly in isolation. It should also be viewed in conjunction with developing and retaining top talent, which I will address in a subsequent article.

My students agreed with the key factors that can attract top candidates and the overall importance of the work environment. Think outside in when looking at what employees are searching for (their need). Then ensure you deliver a valuable overall work environment (your product), from the inside out. Succeeding in the current talent challenge requires you to emulate what the best of the best do so that you can attract quality employees, too.

Tim’s bits: Thinking like a marketer in your hiring process will encourage a view of what new employees are looking for and how your organization provides value for these potential employees. Your winning game plan needs talented players and step one is to find them and make them part of your winning team.

Tim Kist is a Certified Management Consultant, authorized by law, and a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Manitoba.

tim@tk3consulting.ca