Welcome to Talent Talk, a collection of thought leadership articles from industry experts in the recruitment and HR tech space.
Finding good candidates isn't tricky. Finding top talent, both in culture fit and in skillset, can be daunting. Your recruiters are actively at work, but the candidate you want just doesn't come through your company doors.
So how do you make them come to you?
We recently sat down with Barbara Galiza, Co-Founder of Job Dispatch, a tool for job seekers to receive new jobs from any company in a weekly email newsletter.
Hi Barbara, thank you for joining our Talent Talk series. As a start-up Co-founder, what do you think employers should do to attract top talent to their company?
Thank you for having me! Before I dive into concrete steps, I want to underline a key aspect I believe every employer should keep top of mind: attracting top talent takes time. Just ask any recruiter or sourcer. Employers often focus too much on the open roles, looking to fill the gaps as they come along. However, what’s most important is engaging with quality passive candidates.
Making the next career move, especially for senior talent, is a risky decision with bad odds. It's a lot more difficult for the candidate than it is for the employer. So it's natural that top talent can take months exploring options, testing the waters, and networking.
What happens when great talent makes it to your career page, and there's no proper role for them? They leave, and you'll likely never see them again.
I think employers should focus on capturing talent leads the same way they approach customer leads. There's an opportunity to nurture top talent by simply adding a job alert to the careers page. Then they can focus on nurturing and eventually converting them into new employees. Getting visibility in someone's inbox is a great way to stay top of mind, and, apart from a few exceptions, companies aren't doing that enough yet.
Is this what led you to co-found Job Dispatch?
Indeed, we developed Job Dispatch after seeing the need for companies to engage with passive talent. We wanted to create an alternative to job boards which are built for people looking for jobs today. Job Dispatch is built for people looking for jobs tomorrow. In a way, we're creating the reverse job boards. We see it as a way to strengthen the talent ecosystem.
How do you want to help companies engage with passive quality talent?
When someone subscribes to a company using Job Dispatch, they will start receiving a weekly newsletter with new jobs from that particular company. For example, check out Twilio and Stripe, some of the most popular companies on Job Dispatch.
Companies can show up in a potential candidate's inbox every week by linking their careers site to their Job Dispatch. We have a curated collections list handpicked by industry experts, which showcases companies that job seekers can subscribe to. Here's a collection of European Product-Led Growth companies, as an example.
Tell us more about the Job Dispatch Collections. How do you help talent find the company that's right for them?
We see collections as the alternative to the traditional job board. Top talent is not searching just for, let's say, Product Marketing roles in general. They're concerned about their career trajectory, so their job search is a lot more specific than what other job boards can offer them.
For example, we see talent searching for roles in SaaS, Direct-to-Consumer, Series A companies, or purpose-driven companies. So, back to the Product Marketing example, maybe someone is interested in fulfilling that role solely at a purpose-driven company. They can subscribe to a collection listing only for such employers.
What advice would you give to companies that are actively searching for quality talent?
As I mentioned earlier, my main advice is for employers to pay close attention to their talent pool. Start thinking long-term! There are many ways to do that. You can build your employer brand with great content that keeps you top of mind for every potential candidate like Stripe does with Stripe Press.
Being a thought-leader in the space makes your company very attractive for top candidates looking for the next big step in their careers. If you're not quite there yet, you can use a solution like Job Dispatch to start building a connection with passive candidates.
Make sure to keep nurturing your rejected candidate pool and keep them up to date with your new roles. I've seen applicants turn into ambassadors after having an excellent experience - even though they didn't get the job!
Barbara Galiza
Co-Founder Job Dispatch
The second thing I'd recommend to everyone is to invest in your candidate experience. A candidate who's not a fit today could be a fit for the future, which can come sooner than expected if you're in a fast-growth stage. So make sure to keep nurturing your rejected candidate pool and keep them up to date with your new roles. I've seen applicants turn into ambassadors after having an excellent candidate experience - even though they didn't get the job! A candidate who considers your company a great place to work will recommend your new roles to their friends.
Last but not least, involve your team in the hiring process. Your employees' network is highly valuable to you, as they are in direct contact with top professionals looking for the next opportunity.
