When it is your job to find an elite candidate to fill a particular position, it is likely that you spend quite a bit of time on understanding the exact requirements which must be met by the candidate.

However, it may be time for a quick reality check. Elite candidates are in scarce supply. That means that the job market favors the candidate, not the recruiting organization. While it is important to fully understand what you require of candidates, it is likewise important for you to understand what elite candidates require from you. So, what do top candidates really want? What are they looking for in an employer?

1) A Strong Company Culture

Elite candidates already take well-deserved pride in their work. So, they are not necessarily looking for you to validate their skills or talents. Rather, they are looking for an employer that has vision, a clear mission, and a drive to make that vision and mission a reality.

Elite candidates want, not just to be proud of their individual jobs, but to be proud to be associated with a company with a stellar reputation. They want to work for an employer that they would recommend to a friend or colleague. In short, they want to be a part of something bigger and grander than what they can accomplish on their own.

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2) Respect

Top talent expects and deserves respect. Ciphr notes: “Treating your workforce as anything other than the beating heart of your brand is a huge mistake and will cost your brand, not only in revenue, but also in reputation, influence and your ability to attract talent in the future.”

Elite candidates expect to be respected from first contact through retirement. This means that your recruiting process should be streamlined to show respect for candidate time and effort. Your time to hire should be shortened as much as is feasible, especially when dealing with an ideal candidate.

Your onboarding process should be top-notch to eliminate the possibility of a candidate losing interest due to inefficiencies in the hiring process.

3) Reasonable Compensation

All employees want to be paid what they are worth, and elite candidates are likely well aware of their market salary. LinkedIn notes: “It’s important that good companies pay good wages — market or better. This is especially true in a competitive labor market, which like any market follows a supply and demand curve. A limited supply of labor in a given discipline means that the wage rate is likely to increase.”

If paying above market salary is simply not possible for your organization, be sure that the other perks you offer compensate for any lack in the salary department. A little creativity may help you find the benefits and perks that are most important to a particular candidate that will not break the bank.

4) Development Opportunities

One of the factors that ideal candidates typically have in common is a need to continue to learn and grow. It is the secret to their success, and the very reason that you want them in your organization. So, when recruiting top talent, it is a good idea to show them where growth opportunities exist in your organization. If they can see a clear path to future growth, your offer will be much more attractive to them.

5) A Forward Thinking Mindset

Elite candidates evaluate a company on its potential for forward momentum. Investing in state-of-the-art technologies like talent management software is one way that you signal your organization’s commitment to excellence from a candidate’s first interaction with you.

Thrive TRM helps you make the right first impression with highly desirable candidates. With robust applicant tracking functionality, strong communication features, and intelligent onboarding processes, Thrive TRM helps you attract and retain top talent. Contact us today to schedule a demo.