Mastering the Art of Hiring and Onboarding: Strategies to Engage Top Talent.

Attracting and retaining top talent is a critical objective for any organization, but it presents its own set of challenges. Mastering the Art of Hiring and Onboarding:

Strategies to Engage Top Talent

Attracting and retaining top talent is a critical objective for any organization, but it presents its own set of challenges. One of the primary obstacles is the universal nature of this goal—every organization is striving for the same outcome.

According to Gallup's State of the American Workplace report, 51% of employed adults in the U.S. are either actively seeking new job opportunities or keeping an eye out for them, with this figure rising to 60% among millennials.

This statistic underscores the competitive landscape for talent acquisition and retention. In this environment, having a distinctive edge is more crucial than ever.

Many HR departments focus extensively on refining the employee lifecycle from a procedural perspective. Hiring managers and recruiters often appeal to potential candidates by emphasizing practical benefits such as competitive salaries, benefits packages, and work location. However, a critical element is frequently overlooked.

What’s missing is a focus on the emotional aspect of the employee experience—from recruitment and onboarding through to the ongoing employment journey.

Research indicates that 70% of decision-making is driven by emotions, while only 30% is rational. This finding, pioneered by neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, emerged from studies of individuals with brain damage affecting their emotional centers. These individuals not only struggled with emotional experiences but also faced significant difficulties in making even the simplest decisions.

This insight reveals that emotions play a pivotal role in decision-making.

Consider a candidate evaluating two job offers that meet all the rational criteria: competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and reasonable living costs. However, one employer offers the candidate an opportunity to visit the area with their family to get a firsthand experience of the community.

While understanding a community through a description is informative, experiencing it directly—such as seeing one’s family enjoying a local park and interacting with potential neighbors—can significantly influence the decision. This demonstrates the power of emotional engagement over purely rational evaluation.

What does the modern workforce desire?

In the U.S., 35% of employees have changed jobs within the past three years, with 91% of these transitions being voluntary.

These career changers are not necessarily disloyal or disengaged; rather, they are individuals whose needs are not being met by their current employers. They begin to view the job market as consumers, assessing potential employers through the lens of their emotional and experiential needs.

Much like consumers making a purchase, job seekers rely heavily on emotional factors and personal experiences when considering new opportunities. The decision to switch employers or remain is influenced not only by tangible aspects such as salary and job location but also by social interactions, alignment with organizational mission, and cultural fit.

Employees seek environments where they can excel and feel inspired by the organization's mission—places where they feel a meaningful connection and understand how their contributions fit into the larger picture.

This connection is fostered through positive, emotionally engaging interactions throughout the hiring and onboarding processes.

Enhancing employee engagement from the start requires a focus on emotional connections in your branding and onboarding strategies.

Today's candidates are looking for more than what a job description or technical onboarding can offer. Organizations that succeed in appealing to the emotional needs of prospective employees are more likely to attract talent that resonates with their mission and values.

This approach not only boosts engagement levels among new hires but also creates a more positive onboarding experience. Neglecting to address the emotional aspect risks losing out on crucial connections that could significantly impact the employee experience.

Reflect on these questions:

• Is your organization ensuring that candidates feel an emotional connection to your culture, mission, and purpose from the initial interaction?

• Are you attuned to the unique emotional needs of each candidate?

• Are you clearly demonstrating how working with you will help candidates achieve their personal and professional goals?

• And can they envision themselves enjoying the local community, perhaps even playing with a Labrador in the park?

By fostering these emotional connections, you will inspire candidates to invest their best efforts, resulting in a mutually rewarding relationship.