Bright and sticky | Part 1: 5 ways to attract the top 1% of external talent

A two-part Work for Impact guide on how to attract and retain the top 1% of external talent to fuel your hybrid talent strategy.

When considering the need for extracurricular activity outside the existing talent SOP, the first question is usually Why?

Why would you invest time and money in being bright and sticky when it comes to external global talent? Surely there will always be people queuing up to fill external roles. The worlds a big place and people need work.

True. Most organizations that already leverage external talent know that most job postings immediately attract 50+ applications so why bother doing anything more?

The answer is a simple one. Supply and demand. As demand for the best independent talent grows, accelerated by the increasing number of organizations seeking to fuse outsourced and in-house teams to best effect, the highest quality external talent will be in increasingly short supply.

Even with an ever-expanding global talent pool, the universe of highest quality talent is not going to expand exponentially - which means more organizations fishing in a dwindling pool of excellence, relatively. Outcome? Those multiple applications youre receiving on a posting will be no guarantee of you securing the quality of talent that you or your organization demands.

In short, youre going to have to work for the attention and affection of the 1%. This is not as simple as it may first sound. The highest-quality external talent will rarely be scrabbling gratefully for any old job. They are also free to be courted by whichever organization catches their eye and grabs their attention.

This tension between supply and demand means that to attract that top 1%, organizations will need to do more than simply post jobs, pay the going rate, and provide a structure for the external talent to fit into they will have to develop clear EVP strategies and systems for attracting and retaining the best external talent, in much the same way they already do to build in-house talent capability and culture.

This is why Bright & Sticky is more than just a jaunty meme. Its a critical imperative in evolving and improving your operational performance and agility - and building increased resilience over time.

In this 2-part WFI Bright & Sticky feature, we offer some home-grown Work for Impact insights drawn both from our in-house recruiters and our global talent pool of 100,000+ high-quality contractors insights designed to help you stay on the front foot in the attraction and retention game.

To kick things off, our own expert recruiters have identified 5 attraction levers that can elevate your ability to attract and engage the top 1% of talent:

Time and time again, weve seen the highest-performing candidates arent just the ones with the hard skills and experience. Theyre passionate about the work they do and the organizations they work for."

Work for Impact Recruitment Team

Never forget, in any conversation, the top 1% have both their hearts and dialed up to 10, always. Not only are they incredibly good at their given role or task, they are highly ethical and purposeful, and seek the same in the organizations they choose to align with. So, you must be clear about how you speak to both and be able to move between them with ease. It shows maturity and confidence: very attractive qualities in an organization.

Speaking to candidates about potential growth and development over time is not only attractive; it also shows your willingness to commit to the right people and an openness to developing a long-term opportunity with them. In a gig economy world where the social contract between employer and employee is often broken, long-term commitments by organizations who do what they promise are precious and highly compelling.

This is what we like to call the dinner party rule. When youre meeting new people that you wish to impress, do some homework on them first. Pick up on one thing about their profile that youd like them to speak more on.

It makes a candidate feel seen beyond the basics of skills, discipline & experience. In doing this you can also start to look for insights, themes, and threads in your most valued employees and hires, that in turn help to finesse and evolve your EVP.

Work for Impact Recruitment Team

Were constantly analyzing the effectiveness of our hiring process, the experience for candidates, and the performance of talent. So that we can iterate and optimize.

Work for Impact Recruitment Team

Even the most seasoned hirer has blind spots. Speak to recent hires about your organizations interview and onboarding process: how they found it; what could be improved; and positive or unique things they now know about the organization that werent made clear in the initial stages of hiring. Not only does this allow you to continuously improve your capacity to attract top talent, it also demonstrates a growth mindset at work inside your organization a beacon for ambitious high-achieving talent looking for the best environment in which to thrive.

This may seem obvious, but it is easier said than done when you have a long line of candidates stacked up and a short time in which to cover a lot of ground. As each candidate presents themselves, before you dive into the detail, take a breath, and a moment to see them, and for them to see you. Though this is at the far end of the soft skill spectrum of recruitment strategies, it is a powerful one and can change the dynamic of the conversation to remarkable effect.

Becoming a beacon for the top 1% of external global talent requires many things, many of which are quite practical. Seamless onboarding and integration, ease and security around global payroll, and a support network to manage any glitches and hurdles they may encounter are critical to the integrity of any solution all of which Work for Impacts global talent solution offers.

Having attracted the highest-quality external talent, the resilience of your operation relies on your ability to keep them fully on board and chiming with your organization.

In part 2, we will be exploring what you can do to be sticky and retain the top 1% of external talent once theyre engaged.

Dont have time to research candidates, conduct engaging interviews, and build a global team? Our recruitment team can handle it all for you, so you can secure the top 1% of global talent. Its like traditional outsourcing but you save up to 70% and get a team custom-built for your goals.

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