Jim Collins once said that great vision without great people is irrelevant. For your business to thrive, you need to secure candidates with talent, passion and the drive to turn vision into reality.

So, how do you get an exceptional team around you? Not only do your candidates need to impress you, it’s a frequently forgotten fact that you need to impress them in return. With over a third of job candidates (34%) revealing that their experience during the hiring process affected their decision on whether to accept a position, it’s essential that you ensure a recruitment journey that will leave applicants intent on joining your business.

In order for these attractive and ripe for the picking candidates to accept the role you’re recruiting for, here are three top tips from Uniting Ambition to ensure success:

1 - Be consistent with branding

Your branding is valuable. When Kraft bought Cadbury for £11.9 billion, they weren’t buying the chocolate or the factories. What they were paying those billions for was the brand. 

With this in mind, you need to ensure that your strong branding permeates the entire business, especially in the hiring process. Branding isn’t just a marketing concept, it encompasses your whole company even from the style of the interview you conduct to the follow up emails you send.  Yet research suggests that over half (51%) of business do not have clear branding messages when it comes to employment ― a hugely detrimental factor in winning talent.

 You’ll need to live up to the reputation of your brand when recruiting. Remember that everything a candidate has ever heard, read or personally experienced regarding your business will affect their decision of whether to work there. Impress candidates with brand consistency, clarity and quality throughout your time with them, whether that be face to face, over the phone, online or through any secondary materials.

So, in order to maximise results and win talent, be clear and consistent with your branding throughout the entire recruitment process.

2 - Excellent, visible company culture

If you want the best of the best, it stands to reason that  your workplace needs a fantastic culture that is clearly visible even to those who don’t work for you.  In today’s world, it’s a guarantee that candidates will scrutinise your website and social media channels to find out about your business and, more importantly,  to gauge whether or not it looks like a good place to work. 

Be strategic. Post engaging photos of a thriving working environment and happy employees. Share details of staff days out and show off the benefits of working for your business. Impress candidates when they come in for an interview with a vibrant atmosphere and a dedicated, dynamic team.

But above all, be you. The right candidate will fit in with your company’s culture and will want to see precisely who you are and what you’re offering. Show them what you’re about and attract their talents simply by visibly showcasing your great culture.

3 - Communication, communication, communication

78% of candidates say that they would discuss a bad hiring experience with friends and family, whilst 90% who have a positive experience would recommend the business and encourage others to join. Clearly, it’s crucial for your reputation that you create a positive hiring experience.

To do this, communication is key. Keep on-going communication with the candidate about where they stand in the process, even if it’s just in the form of a quick email after the interview and a later follow-up. Gather feedback from candidates about the hiring experience to find out how well you’re coming across to potential employees. In return, offer feedback on their application. In today’s fast-moving and competitive job market, you simply can’t afford to be uncommunicative with a talented candidate.

As simple as it sounds, taking these three steps can help you to win the leading talent that will accelerate your business. To go back to Jim Collins, “a company should limit its growth based on its ability to attract enough of the right people”.