This guest blog contribution comes from Business.com's Erica Bell.
Job seekers want to work for the best companies. These companies allow employees to grow as individuals while contributing to overall development of the business. These companies often offer great benefits. While the perks of being an employee will vary from company to company, no one can deny that the benefits of each company factor into their decision of where they accept an offer. In one survey, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that nearly one-third (31%) of businesses use their benefits programs to recruit highly skilled employees. Don’t be left out. Promote your benefits for better recruiting.
Social Media
Without selling, you can share information on social networks about the benefits your business offers through employment branding. Some companies match contributions to 401(k) plans, while others have successful office happy hours. Today’s society is connected; smartphones, tablets, and social networks are just a few of the reasons why. If your business has a stronger social presence, chances are that the perfect candidate is following your business on these networks, especially after they see a job posting online. By sharing benefits information, such as quarterly company outings, when tweeting open positions, you’re sharing attention-grabbing information that can attract top talent. Employment branding is similar to business branding. Use social media in such a way that when applicants think of your business, they don’t just see the business brand, but instead think of the employment brand and what being a part of your team means.
Job Postings
People are concerned about healthcare benefits the most, according to SHRM and Monster, as well as retirement and savings plans and vacation time. If your business has benefits in these areas, you can include that information to appeal to more people. While this type of information isn’t as social as office happy hours and company outings, it is valuable to job seekers and should be included with your job postings. High-quality candidates are hard to attract and recruit, so it’s up to your job postings to catch their attention. While a description of the position and qualifications needed for the job can weed out some candidates, you can catch the eyes of top talent by including information about benefits your business offers.
Interviews
If your social media subtleties and job posting propositions have led to an in-person interview with top talent, make sure you make the most of the opportunity in front of you. Just as job seekers want to find great companies, your business wants to find great new hires. When it comes to interviews, don’t hold back on the potential benefits candidates can receive. You don’t want your top prospects going to another company because you failed to ingrain the perks of being an employee at your company. In your interviews, make sure to note what employees will be eligible for and when. This could be the final push in their decision.
It is your company culture and benefits that will make an employee want to stay, especially when it is a less-than-rare position. The benefits your business offers, which contribute to culture, need to be promoted on social networks, job postings and interviews as a distinguishing factor. These things can set your business above others in the job seeker’s eyes. If you want to recruit the best, your benefits can help.
Author Bio: Erica Bell is a web copywriter for Business.com. She covers a range of topics including social recruiting and HR software solutions. Find Business.com on Google+.
Labels: benefits, Business.com, recruiting