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Tag: talent acquisition

  • Acquisition.com CEO says leaders ‘have it backwards’ when it comes to hiring: She says she hires for emotional intelligence over technical skills. | Fortune

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    Now more than ever, it’s difficult to know what makes candidates in a competitive labor market. While layoffs and unemployment remain low at the start of this year, jobseekers face an uphill battle as AI eliminates entry-level roles and employers added just 50,000 jobs in December. One founder says more than technical skills, being a good person is the quality that makes job candidates more appealing to hire.  

    Leila Hormozi, founder and CEO of Acquistion.com, said she learned her guiding principle for hiring from the Ritz-Carlton. Their philosophy is: “We don’t hire people who know how to make beds. We hire people that are good people,” she said in a video on Instagram to her 1.2 million followers.

    “Our process was to hire the right people. Not just hire people but select people and then orient them, not just put them to work but orient them to our thinking,” said Ritz Carlton Hotel Company cofounder Horst Schulze, reflecting on how the global chain developed their high standard, in a 2019 interview with Chief Executive.

    Hormozi says she echoes this philosophy: “I want to hire people who have the natural traits that I just need to give them the technical skills.” Hormozi cofounded Acquisition.com with her husband, Alex, in 2021. Before starting the private investment and advisory firm, Hormozi worked as personal trainer and launched fitness companies Gym Launch and Prestige Labs, and a software company ALAN. By 28, her net worth passed $100 million, she says. Acquisition.com now has a $200M+ portfolio and partners with companies to scale and grow business.  

    “Your business is only as strong as the people you pick to lead it. The fastest way to destroy your business is to hire the wrong people.” Hormozi wrote in a caption on Instagram.

    Some leaders “have it backwards,” she added. “People overvalue technical skills and undervalue social and emotional skills.” 

    As AI masters technical skills used in administrative, human resources, finance, and logistics jobs, soft skills such as adaptability and creative and analytical thinking are growing in demand, according to research from LinkedIn. People with strong foundational skills, such as collaboration, adaptability, and basic math skills typically learn faster and acquire more complex skills over time, one 2025 Harvard study about about long-term performance and advancement shows. 

    Other business leaders share Hormozi’s philosophy.

    “My advice to people would be critical thinking, learn skills, learn your EQ [emotional quotient], learn how to be good in a meeting, how to communicate, how to write,” JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said last month. “You’ll have plenty of jobs.”  

    Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has also long advocated for empathy and emotional intelligence as foundational skills in the workplace. 

    “IQ has a place, but it’s not the only thing that is needed in the world,” Nadella said in an interview with Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner in November. “And I’ve always felt at least as leaders, if you just have IQ without EQ, it’s just a waste of IQ.”

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    Jacqueline Munis

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  • A blueprint for leaders: How Allegis Group unlocks, sparks and drives AI innovation – Microsoft in Business Blogs

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    At Allegis Group, empowerment is a mindset. As a global leader in workforce and business solutions, the organization has a common purpose: to create significant opportunities for people and companies to grow and thrive.  

    That purpose drives how Allegis Group operates both externally and internally. When generative AI began reshaping the business world, the organization didn’t wait on the sidelines. Instead, it leaned in and asked: 

     “How can AI help us work better and faster?” 

    What began as a spark of curiosity quickly ignited a movement, reaching HR, operations, IT and delivery teams to reimagine how work gets done. 

    Turning excitement into confidence  

    Here’s what made progress real: 

    • Education-first rollout. Teams got hands-on through demos, pilots and safe environments that made AI approachable. From rewriting Outlook emails with Microsoft 365 Copilot to extracting insights with Azure AI, employees were encouraged to ask, “what if?” and see what was possible. 
    • Leadership-driven transformation. Senior leaders didn’t just endorse AI, they championed it. With backing from the CIO and enterprise architects, AI became a clear priority, giving teams confidence to experiment and adopt new workflows. 
    • Culture of exploration. Curiosity was celebrated. Managers invited AI ideas into team discussions, and employees shared creative use cases that built momentum across departments. 

    “We weren’t focused just on leveraging the technology,” explains Pervez Nadeem, Chief Enterprise Architect at Allegis Group. “Our goal was to reshape processes, remove inefficiencies and free people from the routine tasks that can slow them down.” 

    Real change, real results 

    • Faster time-off requests. PTO calculations that previously took an average of 31 hours now close in just 13 hours with 100% accuracy, thanks to an AI-powered solution built on Azure AI.
    •  Smarter translation at scale. With the Azure AI-based Allegis Language Translation Assistant translations now happen in minutes, saving an estimated $1.5 million year-to-date and ensuring consistency across regions.
    • Everyday productivity. Administrative tasks are now streamlined with Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps and Teams, empowering employees to redirect their time and energy toward the work that matters most.
    • Better candidate experiences. As demand for digital skills accelerates, Allegis Group uses AI to match candidates with personalized job recommendations, speed up onboarding and improve communication, helping customers in every industry connect with top talent faster. 

    “AI is helping us move problems out of the backlog and tackle them faster,” says Anshuman Jain, Enterprise Architect for AI, Allegis Group. 

    Kelly Quick, Compliance Controller at one of Allegis Group’s companies adds: “AI also makes our work more efficient, giving us time back for critical thinking, deeper data analysis and better interactions with colleagues”. 

    The new mindset: AI as a co-pilot 

    For Allegis Group, this is just the beginning. With strategic support from Microsoft and implementation guidance from TEKsystems Global Services (TGS), Allegis Group’s internal systems integrator and a trusted Microsoft partner, the organization is building on its foundation with: 

    • Multi-agent solutions for complex workflows 
    • AI-powered training and onboarding experiences 
    • Intelligent search and knowledge assistance at scale 
    • Enterprise-wide innovation, where every new solution becomes a stepping stone for the next 

    At its core, Allegis Group’s AI journey shows that when people and technology work hand in hand, the results ripple outward. Customers benefit from faster placements, higher retention and cost savings. Candidates gain more personalized opportunities, smoother onboarding and stronger support throughout their careers.  

    Allegis Group_Assets_Quote 1

    By putting AI to work across its business, Allegis Group is reimagining how work gets done internally and reshaping the future of professional services.  

    Read the full case study to see the transformation in action.

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  • AI startups are leasing luxury apartments in San Francisco for staff and offering large rent stipends to attract talent  | Fortune

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    The AI boom is bringing a wave of startups to San Francisco, and employees are receiving generous benefits in one of the country’s priciest housing markets. 

    Roy Lee, CEO of AI tech startup Cluely, which makes software for job interviews and work calls, told The New York Times that he leased eight apartments for employees in a recently-built luxury complex situated just a one-minute walk away from the office. The rents in the 16-story building range from $3,000 to $12,000 a month. 

    “Going to the office should feel like you’re walking to your living room, so we really, really want people close,” Lee told The Times on Thursday.

    Flo Crivello, CEO of Lindy, another AI startup, said he offers his approximately 40 employees a $1,000 rent stipend every month if they live within a 10-minute walk of the company’s office.

    “People are so much happier and healthier when they live close to work,” he told The Times. “This makes them stick around for longer, perform better and work longer hours.”

    The AI boom has drawn a flood of money and talent to San Francisco, inflating rent in the process. The Bay Area has attracted 70% of AI venture capital funding nationwide since 2019, according to data from Pitchbook. 

    Across the U.S. and Canada, the pool of tech workers with AI skills jumped more than 50% to 517,000 from mid-2024 to mid-2025, according to a September CBRE report. The San Francisco Bay Area, New York metro and Seattle are the top U.S. markets for AI-specialty talent, accounting for 35% of the national total, the report said.

    Meanwhile, fully remote working arrangements for open positions have declined, and more employers are adopting hybrid arrangements requiring tech talent to spend three or more days in the office. In San Francisco alone, 1 out of every 4 square feet of office space was leased by an AI company over the last two and a half years, according to CBRE.

    Tightness in the office market is also seen in the residential sector. Over the past year, apartment prices in San Francisco rose 6%, on average, more than twice the 2.5% increase experienced in New York City and the highest rate in the nation, according to real estate tracker CoStar data cited by The Times. In hot spots like Mission Bay, near OpenAI’s headquarters, rents climbed 13% recently.

    Average rent for a San Francisco apartment is now $3,315 a month, just below New York City’s, the nation’s highest at $3,360.

    A September report from real estate tech company Zumper said San Francisco’s housing market bucked the national trend of flat or falling prices and instead saw the strongest annual growth across the country for two-bedroom rent, which surged 17.1%. One-bedroom rent climbed 10.7%, the third-highest increase in the nation, the report said.

    The report points to a “perfect storm” of tech-sector hiring and stricter return-to-office mandates driving more renters into the city as well as supply-chain constraints. The city’s vacancy rate has fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, and new housing construction is at its weakest pace in a decade, the report added.

    Will Goodman, a principal at Strada Investment Group, which developed the luxury complex where Cluely leased its eight apartments, told The Times that half of the 501 units in the complex were leased within two months of its May opening.

    “Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it before,” he said

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    Nino Paoli

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  • Should you give job applicants an assignment during the interview process? Be thoughtful about the ask

    Should you give job applicants an assignment during the interview process? Be thoughtful about the ask

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    Hiring is a time-consuming and expensive endeavor. Companies need candidates who offer the right skills and experience for a given role, and who align with their organization’s vision and mission.

    To find the best fit, many companies still lean on a strategy that continues to generate debate: the assignment. Some candidates believe their experience and interviews should give prospective employers enough information to determine whether they will fit the role. Employers have to ask themselves whether they are willing to turn off a strong candidate by asking them to do additional work.

    Is the assignment valuable enough to the evaluation process that they cannot move someone forward without it? Sometimes it is—sometimes they help an employer decide between two strong candidates. And if they are necessary, how can employers make assignments fair and equitable for the candidate or candidates?

    When done right, assignments help assess practical skills and problem-solving abilities, giving a clearer picture of a candidate beyond what their resume or interview reveals. But employers should be thoughtful about the ask. While it may make sense for roles that require specific technical expertise or creative thinking, it isn’t appropriate for all roles—so assignments should always be given with a clear reason for why they are needed.

    Plus, they don’t just benefit the employer. For job seekers, an assignment during the interview process might also help them stand out from the competition. It can also offer a window into what their day-to-day in the new role might entail. Remember that the candidate should be interviewing the company, too. Having a test run of the work they’d be asked to do is a great way to see whether they believe the role is a fit.

    However, there is a rift in how people perceive the assignment as part of the interview process. Workers today span many generations, each with unique values and expectations. Whereas older workers often prioritize stability and loyalty, younger millennials and Gen Zers are more focused on flexibility and work well-being, Indeed data shows.

    This mindset impacts the amount of time and energy a candidate is willing to devote to each application. After multiple rounds of interviews and prep, taking on an in-depth assignment may feel like a bridge too far—especially if the expectations for the assignment are not clearly communicated ahead of time.

    Some candidates are wary of providing free labor to a company that may use their work and not hire them. Hiring managers should be clear about how the work will be used. They may also consider offering compensation if the assignment requires more than a couple hours of someone’s time, or if they plan to use the work without hiring the candidate.

    The key for early career candidates in particular is to ensure their time and efforts are respected. This is a win-win for employers: By providing clarity and transparency, they not only elicit the additional information they want from candidates, but they demonstrate that the organization is transparent and fair.

    Equity is also imperative: Which candidates are being asked to complete assignments? Is the hiring team consistent in giving out assignments across ages, experience levels, and roles? There should always be a process and clear evaluation criteria in place to ensure fairness.

    As we adapt to the rapidly evolving world of work, we must continue to think critically about each step in the hiring process. Candidate assignments can be a valuable tool, but only with appropriate respect for job seekers’ time and contributions.

    With the right strategy, we can bridge the gap between generations in the workplace and build a hiring culture that values efficiency, talent, and integrity.

    Eoin Driver is the global vice president of talent at Indeed.

    More must-read commentary:

    The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.

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    Eoin Driver

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  • Entry-level workers haven’t been this anxious about the job market in almost a decade

    Entry-level workers haven’t been this anxious about the job market in almost a decade

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    All things considered, most employees are slightly more confident these days. Just don’t look down, or compare it to how they felt last year … or ask entry-level workers how they feel. 

    Entry-level workers are losing confidence at a rapid clip. In March, their rate of a positive outlook dropped to 46.1%, the lowest it’s been since 2016, owing to a depressed hiring market and minimal turnover. That data comes from the latest Employee Confidence Index installment from anonymous job-review site Glassdoor, published on Tuesday. 

    A slow hiring market hurts entry-level workers the most, leaving them fewer opportunities to break into new industries, much less climb the corporate ladder when no one above them quits for a new gig. 

    Of course, one major reason for the glass-half-empty outlook is the spate of layoffs hitting nearly every industry indiscriminately. Many bosses have blamed the unfortunate job cuts on over-hiring following strong pandemic-era performance, which, naturally, hasn’t gone over well with their workers or boosted morale. The share of Glassdoor reviews that mention overhiring jumped 24% from last year, and more than tripled from March 2022, before the layoff flood really began.

    It’s really no wonder entry-level workers are stressed. Career consulting firm Challenger, Grey & Christmas recently reported that this year kicked off with 82,307 job cuts—a 136% increase month-to-month increase. (Save for January 2023, the January 2024 figure represents the highest number of cuts since January 2009.) Add that to the fact that there are fewer jobs to apply to if you happen to get laid off; by late 2023, total listings were down 15% year-over-year, Indeed found.

    Ever since late 2022, when layoffs “really began to grab headlines,” employee confidence has been dropping sharply, and it’s stayed subdued despite economic data showing that layoffs are actually low by historical standards, Glassdoor’s lead economist, Daniel Zhao, told Fortune on Tuesday. “The share of Glassdoor reviews mentioning layoffs continues to rise even as layoff waves come and go, signaling that this economic anxiety about layoffs is sticky.” 

    The company has even seen that effect in reviews written by workers who were unaffected by layoffs, but still reported stress and burnout from layoffs in their industry. As Zhao wrote in the report, “economic anxiety about job security does not necessarily match actual layoffs one-to-one and the impacts on morale and employee sentiment may last longer than employers realize.”

    But despite the monthslong lows, a revitalized job market could stand to boost employee confidence. As Zhao pointed out, rates of hires and quits are both low, because both bosses and workers are sitting tight. He compared that job market freeze to the current housing market. “where interest rate lock-in has reduced the number of buyers and sellers.” 

    “If the economy thaws and hiring opens up, that can get workers back to moving up the career ladder,” Zhao added.

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    Jane Thier

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  • Economy be damned: Your workers still expect a hefty raise this year

    Economy be damned: Your workers still expect a hefty raise this year

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    Sixty percent of organizations are now sharing salary ranges on their job listings, according to the 2024 Compensation Best Practices Report from compensation software firm Payscale. That’s a 15% year-over-year jump. The biggest challenge for companies today, per the Seattle-based firm’s report, is compensation. Namely: Despite a tight job market and record-high inflation, workers are still gunning for better and better pay. That concern comes ahead of recruiting, retention and engagement for their employers. 

    “While the economy may be in flux, employee expectations have not swayed,” Payscale’s chief people officer Lexi Clarke wrote in the report, which surveyed nearly 6,000 HR company managers. “Transparent pay practices and meaningful raises are now table stakes to attract and retain top talent, but many organizations are falling behind as legislation is only accelerating.” 

    Half of companies lack a compensation strategy or firm messaging on the reasoning behind their pay, which is a problem, because employee engagement “hinges on workers understanding the ‘what’ and ‘why’” behind their salaries, Clarke said. 

    Even worse, despite the pronounced desire for better compensation, fewer organizations are planning on shelling out. (Seventy-nine percent said they plan on giving raises, against last year’s 86%.) On average, companies are planning for a 4.5% base pay increase; last year’s average was 4.8%.  

    Maybe companies have reason not to sweat: Last year’s rate of reported voluntary turnover was 21%, Payscale found, a 4% year-over-year drop. That’s all the evidence bosses need that it’s an employer’s market, and they can probably get away with being less generous.

    In direct response to the pay-transparency boom, more and more workers are asking questions about their pay, companies told Payscale. That’s led, predictably, to some unrest. 

    Fourteen percent of companies say some of their workers have left because they saw an ad for a similar position offering higher pay elsewhere—and 11% saw higher paying roles listed within the company itself. Indeed, pay transparency can be a double-edged sword, but the risks of bad feelings are considerably lower if companies prioritize fairness to begin with.

    The best of the rest

    When it comes to the three pillars of workplace future-proofing—artificial intelligence, skills-based hiring, and flexible work—trying to stave off the inevitable is never a sustainable approach, and Payscale’s findings confirm it. (“If we were to capture how to approach 2024 in one phrase, it might be ‘cautious optimism,’” Payscale’s research team wrote.)

    Each of those three pillars come back to fairness and equity, and each, when executed correctly, can make workplaces fairer places to be. 

    “Fair pay is the bedrock of compensation strategy, yet alarmingly, more than a quarter of employers are not proactive about correcting pay disparities,” Ruth Thomas, a pay equity strategist at Payscale, wrote in the report. “We’re seeing forward-thinking companies, on the other hand, make adjustments for external and internal pay equity, pay compression, and competitive skills—while diversifying their workforce by removing barriers to entry like degree requirements.”

    Just shy of half (49%) of HR leaders are optimistic about AI in their workplace; their top concern is that AI would stand to worsen existing biases rather than mitigate them. Just 7% of HR leaders would feel completely comfortable letting AI carry out pay-related decisions.

    On the skills front, over a third (34%) have removed college-degree requirements from their salaried job postings. Just 22% of firms say a college degree is a requirement for all of their salaried positions this year—a sizable improvement, and part of a rapidly building skills-first wave.

    Then there’s remote work, which is considerably less of a threat than most bosses may fear. Just 11% of the employers Payscale surveyed are fully remote—the same share as last year. But there’s still lessons to be learned among that small group: The voluntary turnover rate at fully remote companies is 13%, compared to 16% at hybrid workplaces and 30% for fully in-person companies. 

    It’s well known that replacing a strong performer is harder (and costlier) work than paying them what they want, so the Payscale report takeaway for employers might be two-fold: Pay your workers above market rate, and if they want to, let them work from home.

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    Jane Thier

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  • Hire mindset over skill set | TechCrunch

    Hire mindset over skill set | TechCrunch

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    Joshua Wöhle
    Contributor

    Joshua Wöhle is CEO at Mindstone, transforming daily learning from articles, podcasts, and videos into a quantifiable skills profile, much like LinkedIn. He personalizes your learning experience but also aligns it with your career goals or your company’s objectives, making every learning moment count.

    My career is rooted in the tech industry, but the lessons learned there are universally applicable across all sectors. Tech has always been synonymous with a frantic pace of change; the industry conjures up images of engineers working at breakneck speed to deploy new version after new version, with stagnation being a dirty word.

    AI is spreading this speed of innovation further and accelerating the workplace cadence across all sectors. As company founders, this allows us to look closely at the trends and strategies within the tech industry and use these insights to predict what will happen everywhere, shaping our hiring approaches for the next few years.

    CTOs (chief technology officers), often responsible for the hiring and firing of talent in tech, are the canaries in the coal mine when it comes to future-proof recruitment. They have been operating in a high-speed moving environment for longer than most. As the pace of change accelerates for all of us, they’ve uniquely positioned to identify emerging trends and shifts, particularly in skills and roles that are gaining or losing relevance. Their decisions and insights, therefore, provide valuable foresight into the new demands of the tech industry.

    In a recent survey I conducted with leading CTOs, a consensus emerged in hiring for longevity rather than immediacy, not prioritizing traditional skills but instead placing emphasis on adaptability and problem-solving acumen. I know this firsthand, having dropped out of university twice due to its rigid structure. Only later in life did I understand the key to success, and it’s not about formal qualifications but rather a willingness to learn and adapt. In engineering teams, it’s not just conventional technical skills, such as coding in the case of tech, but rather the aptitude for learning, teamwork, and proactive problem-solving.

    Only later in life did I understand the key to success, and it’s not about formal qualifications but rather a willingness to learn and adapt.

    Generative AI making more inroads into workflows, as seen recently in companies like Duolingo, is a timely reminder that the need to adapt is now here. The company cut its contractor workforce by 10%, using AI to fulfill some of its duties, hinting that imminent change is here. This move signals a broader trend: The ability to adapt swiftly and proficiently utilize new technological tools is becoming indispensable.

    The shift toward AI-driven changes in the workforce underlines the importance of upskilling. More importance should be placed on upskilling existing employees rather than recycling workforces. Telecom giant AT&T is an excellent example; after conducting a skill gap analysis, they found that almost half of their employees needed more adaptable skills for the company’s future needs. Instead of extensive recruitment, AT&T focused on upskilling and reskilling initiatives, particularly in areas like AI. In 2022, the company spent $135 million on employee learning and development, providing online education platforms for convenient learning opportunities.

    What does this mean for startups? Upskilling, especially in fields like AI, is more than just a remedy for skill shortages. It is a strategic long-term investment and will help cultivate a dynamic, adaptable workforce, which is crucial for driving innovation and growth in your business.

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    Carrie Andrews

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  • The laid-off masses have a message for Mark Zuckerberg and Marc Benioff: We’ll never come back

    The laid-off masses have a message for Mark Zuckerberg and Marc Benioff: We’ll never come back

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    For some workers, it doesn’t matter how grim the economy is, how dismal the job market, or how thankless their current job. If they were laid off—especially during the pandemic—many workers would never dream of returning to the place that dropped them. 

    Tech companies have laid off nearly 245,000 workers this year alone, per tracker Layoffs.fyi, and Silicon Valley heavyweights like Meta and Salesforce have led the pack, each culling thousands of jobs apiece.

    But workers weren’t losers for long. Now, as the job market shifts once again, companies are scrambling for talent, and some are angling for the very kinds of workers they just cut. The real question is what will happen when those workers decide they don’t want them back? 

    Over half (58%) of 6,000 professionals who responded to a recent Glassdoor poll said they’d never return to a company who laid them off. In the tech sector specifically, just 46% of workers said they’d boomerang. Men were slightly more likely to consider boomeranging than women, and older workers were more open-minded than younger ones.  

    “As the labor market has softened over the past year….some regrets are inevitable,” Aaron Terrazas, chief economist at Glassdoor, tells Fortune. A few sectors have begun “cautiously” ramping up their hiring as their fears of a recession recede, but “corporate reputation casts a long shadow.” 

    The legacy of layoffs—and how they were carried out—could “come back to haunt companies when the pendulum of the labor market inevitably swings back,” Terrazas adds. “Former employees can be a company’s most loyal advocates, or they can be the most piercing critics.” The result depends on the nature of the company. 

    Salesforce laid off about 10% of its workforce earlier this year, but now CEO Marc Benioff is encouraging those people to apply to fill its 3,000-plus open roles. “Our job is to grow the company and to continue to achieve great margins,” Benioff said in September. “We know we have to hire thousands of people.” He’s hoping a good portion of those people will be boomerangs. Benioff admitted to attempting to lure workers back in with an “alumni event for people who are employed in other companies to say—it’s okay, come back.”

    As for Meta, after laying off about a quarter of its workforce, jobs are open again, and the company has even constructed a specialty “alumni portal” for boomerangs looking to cut the line. 

    Why boomeranging makes workers cringe

    Leaving a job is fraught, especially when it’s the worker’s call. Eighty percent of employees who left their jobs during the so-called Great Resignation came to regret it. That would make boomeranging, for them, a bit less conflicted—and explains why boomeranging is on the rise across the board. But for workers who had no say in the matter, it’s no doubt a rocky call to make, with minimal precedent.

    On Blind, an anonymous employee forum, one Stripe worker recently asked whether layoff boomerangs are common. “I know if you get PIPed out or fired you are basically added to a ‘do not hire’ list but what happens with a layoff?” the poster wrote, referring to performance improvement plans. “Has anyone ever returned back after being laid off? I’ve surprisingly never seen it happen in my career.”

    A Microsoft employee said they’d seen it with “multiple engineers,” particularly those who were laid off during the Great Recession, only to rejoin a year or so later. Some were re-interviewed, but it was a “mere formality.”

    Granted, boomeranging—if an employee can withstand the early awkwardness—could be a strong move. A worker likely already knows the ropes, can skip the interview process entirely, and won’t need to prove themselves or forge new relationships with managers. 

    Naturally, it would help the company too. “Re-hiring employees means saving on recruitment costs, onboarding and training, and they bring the benefit of newfound knowledge from their most recent employment experience,” Ryan Wong, CEO of software firm Visier, wrote on LinkedIn last year. But, after a year, workers are significantly less likely to consider boomeranging. And if they do come back, they’re likely expecting an average pay bump of 25%, Wong added. That leaves employers with the question: How much are your boomerangs worth?

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    Jane Thier

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  • Want to Attract Diverse Talent? You Need to Work on Your Employer Brand — Here’s Why. | Entrepreneur

    Want to Attract Diverse Talent? You Need to Work on Your Employer Brand — Here’s Why. | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Now more than ever, this question of what a business’ values, perspective, and stance are on certain social issues is under the microscope of diverse applicants. According to Monster.com, 86% of applicants actively engaged in a job search care about an employer’s reputation with regard to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The same survey found that 62% of applicants would turn down a job offer if their employer did not support DEI.

    In this hiring climate, where hundreds of thousands of jobs have been added to the economy in 2023 alone, employees are looking for their perfect match and feel certain they can afford to wait until they find it. Without communicating DEI as a key value of your business on online platforms, you could be turning off high-value applicants who could join your team.

    So, how can businesses like yours stand out in the vast sea of “now hiring” signs and attract the best of the best diverse talent? The answer is clear: Develop an employer brand.

    What is an employer brand?

    Employer branding is a marketing and communication strategy that builds an emotional connection between the potential employee and the employer by demonstrating a positive image and reputation in its marketing.

    Employer branding involves the rhetoric that’s written on the company’s website, the posts it touts on LinkedIn, and the word-of-mouth reputation that represents its staff makeup, values, and commitments.

    When a diverse applicant sees your newly posted job description and is curious about your business, they likely go to your LinkedIn profile or website to see if yours is the kind of organization they’d like to be a part of. One of the ways companies can present themselves in the most positive light to these applicants is by discussing their values and initiatives around DEI.

    However, there are several missteps companies make when engaging in employer branding that could turn diverse employees off in seconds.

    Related: How Employer Branding Can Help Your Company Be Perceived As A Great Place To Work

    How employee branding could be turning off diverse candidates

    From the brand’s policies to its website messaging, these five mistakes may cause diverse candidates to dismiss your job posting before they even apply.

    1. Your business doesn’t have a DEI statement on job applications

    If you don’t have a DEI statement at the end of your job applications, you’re sending the wrong message to diverse candidates. This statement can be simple and should say something to the effect of “We’re an equal opportunity employer and are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees, regardless of race, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital status or veteran status.”

    As basic as this statement may sound, it acts to lower the perceived barriers to entry for some diverse applicants. It’s the first step in DEI-centric employee branding that serves as a handshake to diverse candidates. It communicates that “all are welcome” and that one’s identity doesn’t qualify or disqualify someone from being here. It’s a small step that can lead to more diverse applicants applying for your open role.

    2. Your business doesn’t offer ERGs, BRGs, or wellness groups

    An employee resource group (ERG), business resource group (BRG), or wellness group is an important component of promoting a sense of belonging in a company. Diverse applicants are looking for businesses that offer affinity groups, especially if the staff makeup has a sizable group of individuals who share a similar identity.

    It doesn’t always have to be about race, gender, or other common identities. Groups can also be formed around shared values like faith, health, sports and more. The goal is to demonstrate that your business is making a good-faith effort towards promoting community and belonging, and these are important components of a desirable workplace, especially for diverse applicants. Having a page on your business’s website or social media showcasing special groups that employees can join can help your business stand out and appear more welcoming to diverse applicants.

    Related: How to Utilize Employee Resource Groups for a More Diverse

    3. Your business doesn’t offer a flexible work environment

    It’s 2023, and more applicants are looking for flexible workspaces, whether they’re a parent or someone looking for more work-life balance (or work-life blend, as I call it), companies who brand themselves as flexible or accommodating workspaces are more attractive to potential employees than those who enforce rigid work schedules and mandatory in-office days.

    Since the world was taken by storm by the Covid-19 pandemic, more diverse applicants, including people of color, those with disabilities, and gender minorities, began looking for “safer” spaces to work. Minorities have always had to face microaggressions and adapt to the dominant culture in the workplace. However, having more flexibility around their office environment and schedule has helped those individuals find a work-life blend and has eased the burden of daily microaggressions and code-switching in the workplace.

    Related: How Code-Switching Hurts People of Color in the Workplace

    4. Your business doesn’t offer outside-of-work activities

    We all like to have fun and enjoy quality time with others. Companies that brand themselves as “fun” workspaces or ones that offer outside-of-work activities like company outings, retreats or sports activities can attract more diverse applicants and likely retain them longer. Although not every employee should have to participate in these activities, it’s nice to have the option for diverse candidates who are seeking community in the workplace.

    These activities aren’t just for show; they allow employees to bond and cultivate a true sense of belonging and community. Belonging is a critical element of a diverse workplace and should be promoted. Most companies do the bare minimum in offering outside-of-work activities. The consequence is that it can lead many minorities to feel isolated or disconnected from their coworkers–and this certainly does not attract or retain diverse talent.

    5. Build an employer brand that attracts — not repels — diversity

    Your business could have some of the best benefits packages and offerings available, but if you’re not actively discussing them, writing about them on your website and on social media, and sharing them in company emails, your employee brand isn’t going to benefit.

    Don’t neglect to speak about issues potential employees care about, like maternity and paternity benefits, flexible hours, and remote working, as well as diverse representation at all levels of the organization.

    These components of an employee brand can make or break your business’s competitiveness in the hiring market. Be the brand that stands out and attracts the best of the best by honing your employer brand and letting diverse employees come to you.

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    Nika White

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