Forget being the 'best place to work' — it doesn't matter
The biggest shift I’ve seen in 20 years working in talent has nothing to do with tech.
It’s the changed dynamic between employers and employees.
This is not a post-pandemic thing. This is a change that's been happening subtly and slowly for a long time. And it's a good thing.
Work is such a big part of our lives, we deserve to love it.
I am deeply encouraged by the rise of the Great Places to Work and Best Places to Work movement. There are several organisations globally and here in Australia that are acknowledging and accrediting employers with well-earned, evidence-based accolades.
Savvy, forward-thinking leaders and people teams are responding to the shift, listening to their people and intentionally building organisations and cultures people want to be part of.
However:
Being the best place to work should not be your goal.
To demonstrate my point, I'm going to lean on one of the world's leading voices in marketing — Seth Godin.
When it comes to modern marketing, few names carry the weight of Godin’s. His work has shaped the way we think about marketing and business. In one of his early books The Dip, Godin writes:
‘Best is subjective, I (the consumer) get to decide, not you’ The world is selfish; it’s my definition, not yours. It’s the world I define, based on my convenience or my preferences'.
Being the best place to work is subjective. What makes an organisation the best choice is highly individual.
Effective talent attraction (aka recruitment) and retention isn't as simple as being the best place to work. It’s about being a great choice for the person or people you’re trying to attract — and communicating this. Because recruitment is a marketing challenge.
My advice to any employer is to forget trying to be better than the competition. This is especially important for smaller organisations with limited funding or brand awareness.
Competition for talent is a given. But competing isn’t always about being better. Knowing what makes you different and what value you provide is equally as powerful as a shiny list of benefits — because standing out in the crowd is about being different and demonstrating that value.
Let's not forget how humans make decisions.
Emotionally.
We don’t connect with facts alone — we need to feel a connection.
When you're hiring, you don't need a blurb about your organisation and a list of benefits you offer.
You need a narrative.
A story about your organisation as an employer including your real employee value proposition and authentic, compelling content which will inspire and motivate people to consider working with you.
Using this marketing-led approach, Heart Talent recruitment campaigns deliver:
7X more views
8X more clicks
17X more applications
5X increase in the engaged, qualified talent pool in just 1-2 weeks.
That's the difference between filling a vacant role — and engaging hearts and minds.
I write about this in chapter 17 of my book Attract: Recruitment Reimagined.