When we speak to business leaders, they invariably mention how hiring top talent has boosted their organization’s growth. It is nearly impossible to build a successful business and to do it on your own; you need people. Having said that, hiring anyone just for its sake is not a very effective strategy to implement; you need to hire quality. To do so, make sure you have a robust hiring process in place; every candidate you hire is an investment you are making. So what should you look for when you are hiring top talent?

Here are some facts you need to know to omit bad-hire costs and secure your quality candidate -

1. Competency - Are the candidates you are looking to hire competent? Do they have the potential and required skills, experience, education, and other qualifications for the job at hand? If you are looking to hire the best fit, competency tops the list, and it cannot be discounted. If you are looking to hire recent graduates, do they have the soft skills you need, which are must-haves? If not, are you willing to train them till they acquire those skills and qualities? Make sure to analyze these factors to bring in the candidate who will push your growth to the next level.

2. Attitude - How do they come across as a person to you? What does your intuition scream when you are in a conversation with them? Do they present themselves as a team player, or will they be more inclined to “fly solo”? Do their values align with yours? Make sure your interview questions dig deep into this area. 

One of the most important decisions you make is hiring the right people to represent your business. You need to find those individuals who round out your team.

3. While you pick them, they pick you - Attracting top talent today requires a shift in approach. The candidates receive multiple job offers and have the freedom to choose where they want to work. Finding the right match requires giving applicants a realistic preview of what the job is like –– what is difficult and challenging about work as well as why it is rewarding.

Attributes of a quality candidate could be defined as -

• Highly skilled - Profoundly qualified for their line of work. 
• Informed - Take a decision based on research and insights.
• Motivated - Passionate about work that challenges and inspires.
• Growth orientation - Seek personal and professional growth.
• Invested - Enable ownership and belonging.

4. More than a job description - The quality candidates you need demand more than a job description. 60% of job seekers are looking for more information about you after reading your perfectly crafted job description. If the candidate doesn’t know or like your brand, the opportunity is nearly non-existent. Candidates want to hear who you are, why you do what you do and what is in it for them if they join.

If your brand is not out there and they do get the information they are looking for, then a quality candidate has just chosen someone else over your organization. Hence, it is essential to increase your brand visibility by implementing various marketing strategies, which would give you an edge over your competitors.

5. To land top talent, you have to act fast - Like it or not, you will have to act fast to land quality candidates; it’s a race. Speaking for ourselves, since we have been in the search industry for the better part of a decade now, we need to act fast without compromising quality. Our talent experts determine strategies to get fewer, better applicants. Getting a massive number of resumes has become a liability. It’s expensive and time-consuming to weed through all those applications. The successful retention rate at KAPITAL is 96%. Yes, 96% of candidates hired by us are still working on their first anniversary with our clients.