Employee Benefits
The 5 best talent acquisition strategies for SMEs in 2023
The 5 best talent acquisition strategies for SMEs in 2023
Employee Benefits
Aug 7, 2023
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How do you attract the best talent when you don’t have the brand reach of the big players? Well, with the right strategy, you can build a talent pool any big brand would envy.
Here are five talent acquisition strategies guaranteed to drive top candidates to your SME business.
1. Build an employer brand with real personality
1. Build an employer brand with real personality
Think about the up-and-coming brands that have caught your eye recently. Chances are, they all have something in common – a unique identity.
You can turn a perceived weakness – your size – into a strength. As a smaller business, you’re not confined by strict corporate branding. You can afford to be a bit cheekier, even disruptive.
Think about Innocent Drinks, for example. Their willingness to speak directly to consumers in a light-hearted, unpretentious way helped them attract the candidates who fit their values, contributing to their success. Be clear about your mission and what you stand for, and don’t be afraid to show that to candidates.
As small companies can react faster, and are more adaptable than the big behemoths, you can also compete by integrating shifts in the social mood directly into your workplace culture. By contrast, big companies can take years to implement new ways of thinking.
2. Laser target candidates
2. Laser target candidates
Carefully consider where your talent acquisition resources are best placed. When you’re smaller, you need to be smarter. Don’t waste time advertising jobs on mass platforms, your job posting is likely to get lost in the shuffle. And can you be sure your ideal candidate is looking on that platform?
One of the best talent acquisition strategies for SMEs is to go straight to where your candidates are searching. After all, while you wouldn’t look for a bank manager on Instagram, it might be just the place to find your next creative.
Similarly, create job ads that speak your candidates’ language. Looking for sales people? They’re a bold group - so make your ad strategy bold too! A job ad written in the language and style of your target will go a long way towards attracting the right candidate.
3. Offer something unique
3. Offer something unique
Even if you don’t have the budget to offer employees the most extravagant compensation packages, you can still provide great benefits. One of the best talent acquisition strategies for SMEs is to get creative with your compensation. Think about your employees’ lifestyles – like how they get to work – and offer something that catches candidates’ attention. Here are a few ideas:
- In 2022, offering candidates flexible working hours, and opportunities to work around family commitments can be a winning strategy.
- Is your company health or fitness focused? Incorporating gym membership, boxing or yoga into the employee benefits package supports your core values as well as your candidates’ health. For example, California company Patagonia, who make outdoor clothing, provide bikes and volleyball courts for their employees.
- If your teams are working remotely, consider the challenges of working from home and benefits – like cleaning services – that respond to these challenges.
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4. Sell your growth opportunities
4. Sell your growth opportunities
Big conglomerates can’t offer the same flexibility and opportunities a growing business can. So don’t be shy about selling this benefit of your business. A small or medium-sized company can offer a candidate more ways to grow and experiment, by taking on new responsibilities or leadership roles. Do you have an employee who rose through the ranks really quickly? Sell their story of success to candidates so they know what’s possible.
Candidates attracted to SMEs appreciate quality management. In-company professional development programs can show a candidate that you take their career as seriously as they do. Mentorship programs could also be an incentive for an ambitious new hire.
In a smaller company, your candidate will have a bigger impact. This too, can be an attractive proposition for employees who have no interest in being a cog in a corporate machine.
5. Set up an irresistible employee referral program
5. Set up an irresistible employee referral program
Who understands better than your existing employees what you’re looking for? You’ve likely heard the
For added reach, encourage employees to share job ads on their own social media – personal accounts get way more traffic than brand pages. Plus, candidates will be reassured your company has a good culture if they see employees willing to promote working there.
We recently published a survey about how employee transport benefits are having a positive impact on SME talent acquisition strategies. Click the button to download the survey and build an unbeatable recruitment strategy for 2023.
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