Recruitment strategies for how to attract and retain employees.
Finding top talent in the highly specialized area of pharma advertising and healthcare marketing can be challenging at best, and downright impossible at times. You are looking for candidates with a particular combination of skills, from the ability to understand scientific jargon to the legal implications of marketing a pharma product. You’re looking for the cream of the crop, what some people call a unicorn.
You know the skills and personality you’re looking for, but often the most talented individuals aren’t actively looking for a job. The question is, how do you get those top performers interested in your company and willing to take the leap and submit an application.
If you want to learn how to attract top talent, you must be proactively promoting your workplace long before you post a job. You want to build your reputation and market your company’s best-kept secrets, so by the time you post a job, you have top-notch candidates knocking down your door. The best recruitment strategies start with effectively marketing your company as a workplace just like you would any consumer brand. The same emotions that get people to purchase a product are what will entice top candidates to apply.
By marketing your company, we don’t mean calling out your so-called office perks like a ping pong table and bean bag chairs. Those kinds of perks aren’t going to sway the top performers away from their current gigs. Instead, you need to promote your company’s intrinsic values, your mission, and your people. Top performers want to work with other rock stars in the industry, so draw attention to your employees and the groundbreaking work they are doing.
When trying to begin hiring top talent, be clear and concise about your company’s mission. You can promote your mission and values on your website, throughout social media, and any other publications or materials you release. If your purpose is authentic to your organization, you will attract talent that shares in your mission and wants to further your goals. In addition to finding the TOP talent, you also want to be finding the RIGHT talent that will remain with your company long-term. You want to develop a symbiotic relationship where the values and mission are mutually shared between employee and employer.
The upper echelons of the talent pool are filled with aspirational individuals - people who hope to make an impact and continue to grow in their profession. It’s always beneficial to promote the opportunities you provide to your employees, like continuing education or room for growth. Feature employees on your website or social media that are demonstrated overachievers and have been promoted within the organization. Top performers will take note and begin seeking out jobs at your agency because they know no matter where they start there is always room for growth.
Social media is a great tool to have at your disposal. Use it to showcase your culture, great things your employees are doing, educational seminars you are hosting and more. Of course, you can slip in some photos of the company boat outing or Taco Tuesday, but don’t make that a regular practice because top performers demand so much more. Feature things that your employees do outside of the office, to demonstrate that you support growth even when employees leave the four walls of your company.
The key is to be authentic and clearly articulate your value proposition to elevate your brand in the eyes of talented individuals. If you can’t identify your value proposition as an employer, turn to long-time employees. Ask them what enticed them about your company and why they continue to stay. This will be the best way to remain authentic and true to your organization, by drawing on actual employees as your key brand ambassadors.
While there is no surefire way to continue attracting the right talent, the best place to start is by creating a solid marketing plan that demonstrates your core values, mission, and culture. Finding top talent can be a challenge in the pharma agency world, so if you’re looking for advice or people who can find these unicorns for you, turn to GLE Creative Talent to help you find and hire the best candidates.