November 26, 2018

Incorporating Your Agency’s Character Into The Recruiting Process

by Chris Winterboer

We work with a broad spectrum of clients, from small agencies in rural areas to large national firms in the biggest cities. They all have their unique cultures and workflows, but some do better than others when describing it to potential employees. Who you are, what you do on a daily basis, and how you conduct your business is going to be at the core of the recruitment process in a perfect world. If you have difficulty outlining that or explaining it early on, it will put you at a distinct disadvantage with your competitors when it comes to attracting top talent.Here are some easy tips to incorporate the character and culture you strive for on a daily basis:

Make Your Leadership Team Visible

How do your executives interact with the team every day and every week? Are they showing up to team meetings? Are they recognizing top employees? Are they participating in group activities and holiday parties? If you answered “yes” to any of these, tell us all about it! Post on social media, put updates on your website, talk about it with external partners, and live that philosophy out in a very public manner. Not only is this good for overall branding, but it shows potential employees that you have an engaged management team that cares about their employees. It also makes them relatable and likable. Everyone wants to like their boss. Especially if they are coming from an environment where the management is closed off and rules with an iron fist.

Show The Human Side of Your Company

I saw several posts on LinkedIn and Facebook pages last week about companies that were volunteering for Thanksgiving or participating with schools to make a difference in their community. This shows not only that you care about others, but that you will allow time for employees to volunteer at causes that are near and dear to them. Perhaps provide some monetary contribution as well.

Put FUN Back Into Fundamentals

There are obviously things that have to happen from a business perspective to make money, have profit, and experience growth. That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun while doing that. Whether it be on-boarding, ongoing training, professional development, agency management system training, or attending conferences, employees are expected to participate in these activities to make them a better employee. Why not incorporate some fun into that process? When planning a morning’s training agenda, add in lunch and time off-site going bowling or taking part of an afternoon off?

Provide Flex Time or Work-From-Home Options

This has been a topic that has been widely discussed and considered for quite some time. The fact is that not only is the workforce changing, but so is technology to support employees working from home a few days a week. You certainly don’t have to do this in order to be successful, but firms that employ this philosophy tend to attract a more diverse and skilled workforce. If this is something you do well, don’t be afraid to talk about it in the recruitment process. Too many clients I know actually try to keep this a secret and only offer it to employees after a long period of time proving themselves. That is fine, but still promote the idea early and often. You will definitely set yourself apart from your competition if you do.

More than anything, show how you are DIFFERENT when it comes to telling prospective employees why they would want to come work for you. If you are just the same as everyone else, it will not be something the best employees and recruits will consider. Contact me any time to further discuss what we’re seeing in the market and possible suggestions to improve your process!

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