Attracting talent and developing a strong presence as a desirable company to work for is going to become even more essential in 2015. Up to 61% of employees are planning on looking for a new role this year and some industries, including digital, technology and engineering are already experiencing skills shortages.

Companies who rely on old-fashioned recruiting tactics are going to lose out: millennials in particular are sensitive to employer branding and will share their experiences (both good and bad) on social media.

How can businesses position themselves as a top company to work for in their niche – one that has prospective employees enthused and eager to apply for job?

Give candidates what they want beyond a paycheck

Any business that wants to attract the top talent needs to consider whether they’re offering they’re current employees an industry leading working environment. After job security and pay, employees are motivated by a good work/life balance, a positive workplace culture, opportunity for professional development, recognition and collaborative and flexible working.

A business that manages to get all of these down is going to find that their existing employees are some of their best advocates, telling friends, family and contacts about their company and the possibilities that exist there for good candidates.

Creating a company culture that encourages employees to thrive means that a business is more likely to keep staff, so recruiters can be even pickier when hiring, going only for top talent. In turn, this enhances cachet and encourages the best to apply – just look at the two million people who apply to Google every year.

Showcase talent and opportunities

If a prospective candidate can scroll through a company’s website or social media profiles and see employee achievement celebrated or even chat to existing employees about their experience, it provides valuable social proof of positive working environment.

It can also allow prospective candidates to get an idea of the company before they even apply for a job, which can help ensure that those who are a good fit from the point of view of experience and attitude apply. For instance, a business that values innovation could share case studies on their company blog, LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.

Reach out to prospective talent

Being visible to potential employees isn’t just about being engaging online. Reaching out to employees at events is also a valuable way to attract talent and it doesn’t have to be limited to graduate employment fairs.

To attract mid and senior-level hires, leading networking events or conferences provides a way to broadcast authority within a niche and an informal platform for potential new hires to get to know a business.

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