Many new clients ask us where do we search for candidates. I wish there is a secret portal only privy to us to find talent but unfortunately, it really is not the case.
It's not a question of where but how.
How do you search for talent? How do you make passive candidates from LinkedIn respond to you? To consider your role amongst many others chasing the same pool of high-in-demand but short-supply technology candidate market?
The answer lies in your EVP aka Employee Value Proposition. And it’s not because your company is dynamic, fast-growing, fun, and diverse. EVPs go beyond your motherhood statements but what is unique about you that is appealing to them in their consideration for their next move. There is a specific mix of motivation, different for every candidate that can be fulfilled by the EVP which is also a combination of its value offering. In a nutshell, an effective EVP includes more than just a paycheck.
Which is why it is important to sell the EVP of a job when pitching to candidates that will appeal to their mix of motivations. Too many people think hiring is getting on LinkedIn, sending over a JD, and saying the company is the Fill-in-the-blank equivalent of dynamic, fun, and fast-growing. It’s quite astonishing how many startups think that way about themselves.
The employee value proposition is defined as the unique set of benefits that an employee receives in return for the skills, capabilities, and experience they bring to a company. This typically includes the financial rewards, benefits, career development opportunities, work-life balance, respect and culture, leadership, and the company’s values and vision. EVP makes candidates excited at the possibility of working for your company.
In simple terms, what’s in it for them?
Here, our practice leads us to apply a more granular approach here to look at EVP for each individual. We need to assess where they are currently at from the various factors from which they consider for a move to happen and which of the areas are the ones with the highest weightage.
E.g. if they deem autonomy as important, how important is it to them amongst the factors, say compared to money offered, compared to the perceived working relationship. Also, where are they now at those markers, 6/10? 7/10? Whether a move in more money (say from a 7/10 current to 8/10 from their point of view) is able to compensate for a move from 4/10 to 5/10 in autonomous decision making. There can be many factors or a single most important factor of motivation, both circumstances have their own challenges. Some working mothers' negotiable factor is flexibility to work from anywhere. Some can be looking for a good supportive team compared to their current toxic one. A good boss is always one of the reasons to leave a bad one that plagues 80% of the workplaces.
We sometimes also serve as a sanity check for the candidate. We help question how important it is for a difference of say 5K in salary compared to the growth potential from a marketability standpoint if the candidate is holding on to a point that may not be very important in the whole scheme of things.
Once we know where the candidate is, applying the EVP mix to the candidate then makes a lot more sense.
This is even more essential when you need to pitch your opportunities to A candidates. They are more well-informed, and discerning and are likely to have more than one choice or offer. Each of these candidates will compare their options and may not be as easily moved just by a good financial package. If you don't have money to throw, the crafting of your EVP is even more crucial.
There is no one size fits all solution - understanding motivations is an art and science in order to apply the EVP mix. Often, we sit down with clients to understand what exactly is their value offering from a 3rd party's eyes as almost 99% of the time, it is hard for clients to see themselves objectively. It might take a single session with a client and it might take a few sessions of observation and market research. But it is something we do, to produce the EVP with the client as a compelling message and opportunity that candidates cannot say no to.