1. Design your recruitment advert like it’s the biggest rebrand project you’ve ever done. Make it cool, creative and engaging – and a big hitter. Add in animations, video and make it fun. We see soooo many dry adverts, that with the noise and speed of the digital world it’s no surprise it gets missed.
2. Tell them what you are going to pay. None of this ‘competitive salary’ rubbish. The world today is transparent and if you have issues with other staff members knowing what the new bod’s renumeration package will be, address this before advertising.
3. Hold open days. Really ace ones. Put on great food, music and presentations. Imagine you’re inviting in your best prospective client in. After all, your employees are the ones who’ll get and keep your clients. Who’d have thought. 😉
4. Sort your website out (before advertising). Does it reflect your values & personality? Does it show a diverse mix of people? If you say you are modern & forward thinking with a strong positive culture, does your website (copy and design) really say this too?
5. The same goes for your social channels. All prospective candidates will be checking you out as much as you are them. So make sure you look and sound bloomin’ amazing!

Spoiler Alert – Glow can help you with all of the above! (well, perhaps not the pay bit)

1. Dine & wine (before they start). This is the pre-date, keeping them keen bit. The recruitment market is probably more fickle than it’s ever been and people move quickly with their decisions. If you don’t show them your love from the off, they could easily be wowed by another company who has more time. So, meet them for coffee, invite them in, have regular calls and chats. And yeah, absolutely, depending on the role, take them out for dinner and wine too. Make them feel special.
2. Design – or revise / improve – a really lovely employee handbook. Make it on brand, creative and interesting. Of course it needs all the legal but this doesn’t mean that it is visually dull.
3. Get the handbook ready with all your merchandise (don’t have any? get some), on their desk or meeting room if you hot desk. Choose merchandise that matches your values and personality. Make it count.
4. After the induction process (that’s for you to craft) hold regular one2ones – out of the office! Take them for breakfast or coffee. No agenda. Get to know the real them, their family nuances, friends, dogs…be open about yours too. I’d suggest every 2 / 3 months with regular check ins in between.
5. Don’t clock watch. In the business office environment in particular the 9-5 does not exist anymore, so being petulant about start and finish times will turn someone off big time. Instead, get a flow which works for you all. Understand their home committments and set up meetings which work around this.
6. Be fluid, remote and realistic. If, for your business operation, you need people in the office 5 days a week, say so clearly in the advert. Don’t say ‘remote working’ possible just to tick a box, and then get all heavy when people start to want to be at home more. If you do offer remote working (I am sure 90% of businesses do now) don’t be prescriptive. Again, get to know the individual and the team they work in. Set up project meetings to suit a time for all. And be fluid it. Life and work changes, so be flexible in your approach.
7. Offer fitness sessions and time out of the business as normal in the ‘working day’. if someone needs to do a fitness class at 10am, how great is that. If another would like to meet a family member or friend for lunch encourage it. The thing is, if you’ve the right team, people won’t take the mick, and they will get the work done, brilliantly. And if they are struggling, help, nurture and if they are really not right, get rid.