5 Strategies to Promote Culture and Attract Top Talent

You may not realize it, but recruitment is closely related to marketing. It’s just, instead of trying to “sell” your services to attract new clients, you are essentially “selling” what a great place your practice is to work in order to attract great candidates. One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to promote your practice culture. In fact, 46% of job seekers list culture as one of the most important factors when applying for a job. So, what’s the best way to market your culture for recruitment purposes? Here are a handful of our top recommendations.

Recognize your existing team publicly.

There’s an age-old principle that advises business leaders to “praise in public, criticize in private.” It’s important not only to routinely recognize and reward your staff in front of one another, but to also take every opportunity to do so in front of the world as well. Even something as simple as giving a shout out for a job well-done on your practice’s Facebook page can work wonders for demonstrating how much you value your employees. Other ideas include writing recommendations or endorsements on LinkedIn and posting write-ups or video showcases on your other social profiles. 

Leverage your blog.

Chances are you already have a blog as part of your practice website. It’s an important tool for being found by prospective clients and keeping existing clients engaged. What you may not have realized, however, is that it’s also a powerful way to showcase your practice culture to the world. Think of it as a way for people to get a little glimpse at the personality behind your brand. In addition to sharing cute and educational content about pets and their care, you can pepper in posts that show people what it’s like to work at your practice and share some personal stories about members of your team. This helps to make a more human connection with prospective job seekers and clients alike.

Rethink your referral system.

You’ve already got a great team in place. One of the best ways to ensure that your next recruit will be a good fit for your practice culture is to ask your existing staff for referrals. But simply dishing out money for every name you collect isn’t enough. Instead, create a formal referral system that clearly defines the qualifiers for success, whether it be new recruits who become top performers, when a new employee hits a specific goal or reaches a certain milestone, etc. Then encourage your existing employees to keep your practice culture top of mind when suggesting candidates from their networks.

Let your culture shine at recruitment events.

Recruitment events don’t have to be boring, uptight and awkward. To the contrary, they are a golden opportunity to shine a light on your practice culture and demonstrate firsthand why your clinic is a fantastic place to work. Don’t be afraid to get creative and let your personality shine as you connect with prospects. Make your interactions more memorable through things like Q&A sessions and other fun and engaging activities. This will not only give you a chance to illustrate your culture, but also identify valuable personality traits and soft skills in candidates who would be the best fit. 

Tap into your existing team.

Who better to showcase your practice culture than the people who work in the trenches day in and day out? What’s more, employee-driven content is often seen as more authentic than content that’s produced and shared by a business. There are a variety of different ways you can do this, such as asking team members to share on social media or contribute to your practice blog. You could even create a designated social channel exclusively for content that’s created and shared by your staff, provided it remains in line with your practice mission and rules. 

The bottom line is this: your job from a recruitment perspective is to attract the attention of high-quality job seekers who not only possess the appropriate skills and experience, but who will meld well with your existing team. By incorporating your practice culture in your recruiting efforts, you’ll be able to find candidates who are a good match on all fronts, which will improve retention rate, keep morale at an all-time high and ultimately elevate the client experience.

Need help putting these tips into action? Maybe you simply don’t have the time and resources to make these things happen. That’s where Dream Team Elite can help. We’ll get to know your unique culture and find you the perfect person for each of your open roles. Get in touch today to get started!