2024 Innovative Recruiting Strategies
Attract the right talent for your organization
“Previously, people were typically looking for work if they were out of work or unhappy with their job. Now, there is an ‘always on’ perspective.”
– Dan Shapero, HR Magazine
Your Workplace Looking Forward
In the dynamic landscape of human resources and recruiting, embracing innovative strategies is essential to attract and retain top talent in 2024. Job seekers are empowered to make informed decisions with access to so much information through company reviews, salary benchmarks, and a deep understanding of the job market landscape. To stand out in this competitive environment, recruiters must be authentic, transparent and put thought and effort into marketing their organization. The points below provide a summary of what is needed to develop a comprehensive recruiting strategy to help you get noticed when recruiting. The key is to embrace change, innovate, and align your recruiting strategies with the evolving expectations.
1. Recruit with a marketing mindset
Actively communicate why someone would want to work and grow their career with you. Know your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and incorporate it with the company brand in the job description. Provide an inward view of working at your company by showcasing your culture, values, and employee experiences on social media platforms along with fresh and engaging content. Brand image heavily influences how candidates perceive your company. Lastly, keep an eye on employee review sites to make sure you are being represented favorably and/or addressing any negative comments– happy employees attract top talent organically!
2. Prioritize Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility
Diversity is fundamental to attracting top talent. Commit to creating an inclusive workplace where diverse voices are valued. Promoting your commitment to equality reinforces a culture that nurtures inclusion. Make sure you are accessible to all by having accessible facilities, the ability to adapt technology when needed, and programs that guarantee equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
3. Emphasize Purpose and Impact
Today’s candidates seek more than just a job; they want a sense of purpose and contribution. Highlight your organization’s mission, values, social impact, and how each role contributes to your goals and social impact.
4. Personalize the Candidate’s Experience
Each candidate is unique, and a personalized experience matters. Tailor your recruitment process to resonate with the individual. Personalize your communication and feedback to develop a candidate-centric approach. Be timely in your responses and transparent about the recruiting process by sharing the anticipated timeline and what is to be expected. This effort reinforces your commitment to a workplace culture that prioritizes employees. When applicable, host the top candidates for in-person interviews.
5. Promote a Flexible Work Culture
Our workplace dynamics have been reshaped. Remote work, flexible schedules, and hybrid models have become the norm. Embrace flexibility in work arrangements to attract top talent seeking a better life-work balance. Clearly define how your organization supports life-work balance.
6. Clearly define the job, compensation, and benefits
Clarity in job descriptions, compensation, and benefits is pivotal for effective hiring. It ensures that candidates understand the role’s demands and what they can expect regarding rewards. Transparent communication about compensation and benefits attracts the right talent and fosters a positive employer-employee relationship. It also helps keep you legally compliant, preventing misunderstandings and a satisfied and motivated workforce.
7. Leverage Technology for Efficiency
In 2024, technology continues to play a pivotal role in recruiting. Utilize HRIS and ATS tools for candidate sourcing, screening, and communication. Embracing technology tools will help streamline processes, allowing HR teams to focus on engaging and communicating with candidates throughout the process.
8. Offer Learning and Growth Opportunities
Top talent seeks continuous career growth and development. Highlight opportunities for learning, upskilling, and career advancement within your organization. Show how you invest in employee development for long-term growth. If possible, provide customized career development opportunities for the specific role you are recruiting for. An example would be tailored continuing education opportunities for accountants, HR professionals, salespeople, etc.
9. Create a Positive Candidate-to-Employee Transition
The candidate’s journey doesn’t end with a job offer. Ensure a seamless transition from candidate to employee. A well-structured onboarding process sets the tone for a positive employee experience and reinforces your company’s culture and work environment. This effort isn’t a one-day task; it’s the first step in integrating the new hire into all facets of your company and successful team members.
10. Establish a Supportive Work Environment
Cultivate a supportive work environment that values well-being, mental health, and life-work harmony. Offer wellness programs, support networks, and programs that prioritize employee health and happiness- professionally and personally.
11. Continuously Evaluate and Adapt
Recruitment strategies evolve, and what works today might need adjustments tomorrow. Continuously gather feedback, analyze recruitment metrics, and adapt your strategy to remain agile and competitive in attracting and retaining talent.
Conclusion
In 2024, HR recruiting requires a shift in perspective that embraces purpose, flexibility, inclusivity, and technological advancements. With these strategies, HR professionals and hiring managers can position their organizations as attractive destinations for top talent while nurturing a work environment that encourages retention and growth.
Contributed by Beth Williams, Warren Whitney
Warren Whitney’s HR team works with business leaders to strategically evaluate your best path forward. Our work includes strategy consulting, in-depth compensation and benefits analysis, organizational structure and planning, as well as talent management. If you have any questions or seek further clarification, please call us at 804.282.9566 or email Stephanie Ford at sford@warrenwhitney.com. We do not charge for the initial call. We want to learn more about your business needs.
MAKING POTENTIAL HAPPEN
Warren Whitney Leads Support for VACEOs
An important sponsor and partner with Virginia Council of CEOs since 2007, Warren Whitney has stepped up as Lead Sponsor of VACEOs in 2024. In this position, the firm will increase its support for the Council’s mission and engage their expert consultants more deeply in supporting the CEOs of growing Virginia businesses of all sizes.
Our mission aligns so well with what Warren Whitney does best. They help the leaders of small and mid-sized organizations overcome hurdles and grow faster. We are grateful for their long term support, and especially for leading us forward this year!
Scot McRoberts, Executive Director, VA Council of CEOs
Stephanie Ford has led Warren Whitney’s engagement with VACEOs, connecting their people and resources with our members and roundtables, referring numerous CEOs for membership, and waving the VACEOs flag wherever she goes!
VACEOs is a nonprofit organization that relies on sponsors like Warren Whitney to propel their mission of connecting CEOs for learning and growth.
Learn more about Warren Whitney.
Learn more about Virginia Council of CEOs sponsorship.
2023 Holiday Celebrations Photo Gallery
The VACEOs community came together to celebrate the holidays in Richmond, Roanoke, and Charlottesville. We at VACEOs couldn’t be more grateful to go into the New Year with such a joyous and great group. Wishing you and your family health, happiness and prosperity in 2024.
November 2023 Quarterly Luncheon
Our final luncheon of the year featured a conversation with Bill Nash, CEO of CarMax. Incoming VACEOs Board Chair and CEO of TILT Creative + Production Ron Carey did a terrific job swapping stories and learning about how Bill’s leadership and CarMax’s entrepreneurial culture have led to such success.
VACEOs Member Profile: Philip O’Connor
Thanks to Phil O’Connor, Managing Partner of SPARK Product Development, for answering our many questions!
Q: Tell us about your first job after college, and your professional journey.
A: I attended Radford University and majored in Political Science. I had grand plans to attend law school and become an attorney; the universe had other plans. My first job out of college was working for Checkered Flag Motor Car Company in Virginia Beach selling MINI Coopers. It was a wildly important and impactful opportunity to learn about myself, sales and how to overcome objections.
From there, I worked for SunTrust Bank in Norfolk and then Hampton before making my eventual move to Richmond, starting a job in recruiting with Aerotek. It was at Aerotek where I found my passion in working with engineers in the manufacturing industry. It was fascinating to work with engineers from undergrad to my father’s age. The most interesting part of the job was getting to visit all the manufacturing facilities in Central Virginia and getting a true understanding of just how critical the industry is to the region. While I get excited to drive around industrial parks near airports and guess what’s being made in all the warehouses (Oreos and hummus for example), my wife prefers that we just keep moving and find the nearest parking space so we can make our flight.
Q: Who inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
A: Often during my professional career I would look at the entrepreneurs I worked with and ask myself, “Why can’t I do that?”
But if I really think about it, it’s my mother and father. While my father worked a steady career with Dominion, his example of working hard to achieve professional success and the ability to support a family stuck with me. My mother, on the other hand, was always hustling and doing her own thing. She started a business hosting craft classes at our house for other parents and their children. When my sister and I were a little older, probably middle school, she started “Christal’s Home and Garden” cleaning people’s homes and doing landscaping. Most of her clients were in the neighborhood and that meant she could be home when we got off the bus. Her next role was being a landlord for a few rentals she picked up in the neighborhood.
My wife, Sara, grew up in a home where her parents were small business owners. We definitely had a number of discussions when considering going this route and she was the most supportive in terms of making the leap.
Q: Tell us about your journey to becoming a CEO.
A: Maybe I was delusional, but I always thought I’d own a business. My younger self would tell you it was “O’Connor and Associates”; I made tri-fold sales pamphlets and business cards I hung on my childhood bedroom door. My client list was pretty exclusive, including all the famous actors and athletes of that time.
It’s not linear and certainly not without successes and failures. I’ve attempted any number of “jobs” over the years; some where I was an individual contributor and others where I managed a staff and was responsible for handling a Board of Directors. While at VCU, I moved from managing a portfolio of Corporate clients (philanthropy, sponsorship, student engagement and continuing education) to running one of the institutionally-related Foundations, the VCU College of Engineering Foundation. My wife Sara and I both worked at VCU during that time and we began to consider relocating, finding another engineering college to support and her working at a university hospital or in student health. The pandemic had other plans; we decided to stay in Richmond.
Having nurtured a network in Richmond mostly in the engineering, manufacturing and tech space, I looked around at several companies whose work intrigued me and placed a few strategic phone calls. The one I really wanted, SPARK Product Development, was a longshot. They were, and still are, a small business. Most of the staff was billable, a true consulting firm, with minimal overhead; adding me as Business Relationship Manager would change that. I started discussions with the owners, comparing notes on what “could be” and we finally came to an agreement at the end of 2020. We agreed to me being an employee for a year while we determined if it made sense to buy into the company and ultimately move into a leadership role to set the vision and strategy for the next generation of the business. Early 2022 I joined Bruce and Bill as the third owner and at the end of 2022 we transitioned the role of Managing Partner from Bruce to me.
Who is SPARK? What do we do? We’re a product design and development firm. We’re hired by other companies to come in and solve problems and develop new ideas – deliver solutions. We were part of the team who developed the Kobalt brand for Lowe’s and have several clients who have been with us for over 15+ years. We employ engineers and industrial designers and work mainly in the areas of consumer, medical and industrial products; the majority of our clients are mid-market and are B2B with their sales channels. That said, we’ve worked with a number of startups and inventors over the years and even support many of the research institutions here in Virginia. I’m honored to lead a 25+ year business with its roots in Henrico and I’m even more excited for the next 25 years.
Q: What to do read or listen to?
A: I have a number of them! As far as podcasts, some favorites of mine are The Pitch, How I Built This, Wisdom from the Top, Re:Thinking, Richmond Entrepreneur, That Will Never Work. I consume most of these as soon as they come out and share some of the ones I find most interesting or inspiring with friends and colleagues. Hearing these voices and their journeys in their personal and professional lives gives me time to consider what’s happening in my world and make thoughtful decisions. One of the more recent books I read was “The Ride of a Lifetime” by Bob Igor; can’t wait to see Volume 2 after getting back into the game. I just picked up Michael Lewis’ latest book, Going Infinite, which itself might be a cautionary tale of what not to do in leading a business.
Q: When you are not leading SPARK, what do you like to do?
A: We live in Church Hill in an old home from 1882. To know me is to know that our home is always under construction. We like to walk around the neighborhood and are suckers for a new Richmond restaurant (though my Alpha-Gal allergy puts a damper on the meats and cheeses).
Sara and I spend most weekends in Williamsburg. My folks still live in my childhood neighborhood and we enjoy sitting by the James River reading and just floating for hours in the water. The neighborhood is also just off of the Capital Trail and we can bike to a few places to eat or drink (if you do a century ride, look me up, maybe you can stop by to cool off). When it gets cold, there are plenty of fallen trees and branches that keep us warm by the bonfire.
During the F1 season you’ll find me watching qualifying sessions and waking up early to catch a race when it’s overseas.
Q: Tell us how you are involved in the community.
A: Education is central to the business and industry that I work in. Mentoring is also something near and dear to me after working with engineers for the majority of my career. I routinely mentor students at the VCU College of Engineering and help them with career exploration, resume reviews and interview preparation. Sara works at VCU Health and is a graduate of Brightpoint Community College’s Nursing program. We have supported a scholarship at Brightpoint and I also serve on the Brightpoint Community College Foundation Board. I’m Chair of the Institutional Advancement Committee and serve on the Executive Committee. Sara and I are also donors to the VMFA and support the Richmond Forum.
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