Imagine interviewing a prospective employee and bringing up the daunting question, “Why do you want to work for us?” Now, let’s turn the tables and imagine having that employee ask, “Why should anyone work for you?”

Do you have strong enough reasons to convince them? The market is hungry for talents and good ones are hard to come by. How can companies win the war of talents and attract good talent? We begin by asking ourselves if we have what it takes to be the employer they want to work for.

Here are four points that make companies desirable to work for :

1. Have A Compelling Purpose

It’s not what you do, not how you do it, but why you do something that matters.

In Simon Sinek’s famous TED Talk ‘Start With Why’, he explains that all organisations know what they’re doing, some know how to do it, but very few know why. Why does your organisation exist? Why should someone get out of bed in the morning, sit through traffic and be at their desk for you?

Your ‘WHY’ is the cause you fight for, the reason you exist. When your ‘WHY’ is clear, people are aware that their work serves a bigger reason than increasing the profit margins of a company. This doesn’t mean that they stop caring about revenue. In fact, the converse is true – they’ll care more for the revenue because it enables them to achieve the company’s ‘WHY’, which is the reason they joined your company in the very first place.

When you have a clear purpose for the work that your organisation does, you’ll not only attract but retain like-minded employees who share the same cause. Defining your ‘WHY’ is what gets you to hire people who believe what you believe, and it’s what retains customers who care about your organisation as well.

2. A Unique Employee Value Proposition (EVP), or – more accurately, what’s your Culture?

We’re not talking bean bags or coffee machines or the largest sum of money. Sure, those things seem great but only for a while. The appeal eventually wears off and employees will begin to question if it is worth it. When that happens, motivation will drop, performance will suffer, and morale will be affected.

What is your true EVP? What is it about your organisation’s culture that gets people to stick? Or, in other words, the beckoning question is: What’s your culture like?

L’oreal showcased its EVP in a completely different via through its hiring campaigns. In 2014 and 2015, the brand leveraged on social media and their very own employees to get the word out on how amazing it is to work at L’oreal. The brand described life at L’oreal as ‘A Thrilling Experience, A Culture of Excellence’ and used Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and even Flipboard, to bring those words to life.

On various social media accounts across the world, employees shared, posted and tweeted their experiences at L’oreal, making the brand appear engaged to its target hires and a lot more human in its approach.

This is an opportunity to go beyond ‘family’ or ‘friendly’. Your culture is also closely tied to your brand, as they are two sides of the same coin.

Another way to go about this is to ask yourself: What kind of personnel, attitude and behaviour does your company need to achieve your company’s ‘WHY’. List down your answers and explain how would that achieve your company’s compelling vision. That will give you an indication of the culture you need. That’s your Employee Value Proposition – why people should join your company.

Do not be afraid to think outside the box and offer an extraordinary EVP because that’s what would capture the hires they wanted. Apply this to your organisation by thinking about who is it you wish to attract, where are these talents and what are they after, aside from the money. Think about experiences you can offer and the best ways to showcase your EVP. Soon, you’ll have the people you want right at your door.

3. Have Leaders That Garner Followers

The people at the top matter. Hire the industry bests and you’ll have like-minded followers who are willing to work for them and learn from them. Or train your leaders to reflect the nature and values of your organisation. Promote them in your industry, raise their profile, help them go further and they will soon attract people who can do the same for you.

A leader who can garner followers is one who knows their role is about action, not position. They know that it’s not about power but the ability to empower. They want to help others be better and work to raise others up. These people will not only serve your organisation well today but will groom the next generation of leaders that will continuously help your company grow.

This generation is looking for mentors, people who can guide them in the right direction. Are your organisation’s leaders trained to offer that?

4. Have An Outstanding Reputation Amongst Your Employees

It’s not about what you say about yourself but what your employees are saying about you. When your employees enjoy working for you, they will talk about their work, workplaces, culture, the people in your company, and the leaders. That defines the perception of your company, and if it is a desireable one, people will knock on your door.

Just as the saying goes “People buy people”, talents buy what their friends are saying about your company. You may have the best ads about your company, but what people will first believe is what your employees say about you. If you have a great culture, the word will spread, and talents will come.

Closing
These days, employees need more than money to act as their motivation. They want meaning, work satisfaction, and happiness amongst other intangible things. So many are job-hopping, searching for something more than an attractive workplace or paycheque, more than bean bags and beers. They want to do something that actually matters for an organisation that can define that for them.

Just as an employee takes the time to think about why anyone should hire them, it’s time we place an equal importance at looking within our organisations and asking ourselves, “Why should anyone work for us?”