You Gotta Have L.I.B. To Find Talent

If you want to attract top talent you have to understand what motivates top talent. There are three things that all top talent is looking for:

1. Top talent always want to be learning. They thrive on expanding their knowledge. Growth is not just moving up in a company. Growth has to be personal. They have to be challenged, given opportunities to learn, take on new projects outside their normal function, be stretched and be learning something new.
2. Top talent needs to make an impact. Maintenance roles are not for top talent. Companies have to ensure that top talent have the opportunity to really impact the company. They want to improve earnings, open new offices, introduce new products, grow a business to new heights or take on a project that will change the company.
3. Top talent want to become something bigger than what they are. Maslow came up with this in the 50’s. He called it self-actualization. Top talent strive to be something more. They want to be all they can be. Personal growth is critical and if their personal growth flattens out they immediately start seeking a position that will continue their growth.

What this means is if you want to attract top talent you have to motivate them. Posting a boring job description doesn’t address any of these issues. Instead, consider posting a Compelling Marketing Statement. You need to think like a Madison Ave. advertising company that knows to display the benefits to the reader. Here are three things you can do to motivate top talent in your ad:

1. Include the vision of your company. The goals, objectives, and where the company is going. Top talent want to be apart of a growing, energetic company that has a vision.
2. Don’t list duties and responsibilities. Instead discuss how they will contribute to the vision, how this role will help reach those goals. This is what excites top talent and differentiates you from the 1000 jobs listed on the board.
3. Challenge them with specific objectives they will accomplish. This is the learning and growing that all top talent want to achieve.

Top talent will then read your ad and think to themselves “That’s what I’ve been looking for. That is what is missing in my current position and company.”

Remember top talent could care less about what you want. They are interested in “what’s in it for me.” Post an ad that demonstrates that and top talent will start responding to your ads.

Our website offers a library of  FREE resources, including an audio library on hiring topics, examples of Compelling Marketing Statements, a chapter from our best selling book on Advanced Sourcing Techniques, and many others.

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3. Hiring Top Talent Requires a Process