Winning the War for Talent

Are you winning the War for Talent?

Are you using the right weapons? It’s not just about ££

We visited AR Hine Associates’ Alan Hine at his bright and airy office in Bicester this month where he talked with passion about how he saw the current employment market.

Written by: B4 Phoptography by: Rob Scotcher

“There has been much talk of wages in recent months particularly in the election campaign but as the candidates I talk to will tell you, it’s not all about the money when seeking out future opportunities. I work with candidates from a variety of sectors. While each group will have its own idiosyncrasies pertinent to industry or location, one thing I am seeing across the board is a changing emphasis on what candidates consider motivators when looking for a new job.

Just over a decade ago, the salary would have topped a list of factors most important when considering a job move. However, in today’s environment I am seeing a much wider variety of options with factors such as work/life balance and training and development becoming equally important.

This reflects the environment in which I now work and employers have to adapt their recruitment and retention strategies accordingly. Being able to identify a remuneration package that conveys the value of an individual is critical in not only securing new talent, but also in being able to retain employees. Once such factor is training and development.

Candidates working in fast changing environments such as IT and marketing have to respond to the way technology is altering their industries, the new job roles being created and the ongoing need for

“I see a number of candidates in these sectors looking closely at the level of training and development content on offer by future employers

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revised skill sets. As a result, I see a number of candidates in these sectors looking closely at the level of training and development content on offer by future employers.

will be. But no one would say that their salary didn’t matter – it does, but is now a constituent element of a candidate’s decision rather than the whole. For many candidates it provides an initial benchmark to spark interest. But in isolation, it no longer carries the same degree of importance. Candidates need to understand more of the role being offered and how it will contribute to their career opportunities in the future.”

For advice on winning the war based on 30+ years’ recruitment experience contact Alan...

arha AR Hine Associate s

alan@alanhine.co.uk 01869 690260 / 07971 224752 www.alanhine.co.uk @alan_hine    

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6 REASONS TO STEP UP AND OWN YOUR BRAND STORY IN 2020

Written by: Lucy Eckley, director of Build Your Brand Story and founder of Oxford Independent Consultants Meetups

It seems like everyone is talking about business storytelling at the moment. But what exactly is a brand story and why do you need one? A compelling brand story tells people who you are, why your business exists, how you work with clients and what makes you different.

As trust in faceless organisations declines, there’s never been a more important time to embrace and share your story.

Building your unique brand story:

1. Helps potential clients get to know, like and trust you It’s no secret that people do business with people. Your potential clients are going to work closely with you, hopefully for many years. They want to know something about the human faces behind your business before they buy from you. Your story makes this connection by shining a spotlight on your founders and leaders, team members, suppliers and clients.

2. Shows what your business stands for “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” Simon Sinek’s words are now almost immortal. Your clients and employees want to see your passion and your purpose. Your brand story is a great way to share your values and commitment to responsible business.

3. Demonstrates how you can help your clients Your back story - your expertise, experience and qualifications – can show why you’re best placed to serve your ideal clients. Adding testimonials from clients who fit your ideal client profile builds your credibility.

4.

Helps you stand out from your competitors You don’t want to blend in and be just another business in your industry. Sharing your story makes you memorable. Don’t be tempted to follow your competitors too closely. Make the decision to be you, to stand out and be different.

5. Gives you a unique voice Once you’re clear on your business personality, you can find a consistent voice that sounds like you and fits your brand. That means no jargon or business speak, just everyday language that will make sense to your audience.

6. Provides consistent messages It’s not about finding a one-off story to use in your PR activity. Your brand story gives you a communications framework that feeds into all your marketing, PR and social media activity so you know exactly what to say every time you speak and write about your business.

Making your story work for you

Once you’ve created your story, you’ll use it every day. You can use your whole story to write your website and share it piece by piece on social media. You can even distill it down to a 30-second intro for networking events.

known as the go-to expert in your field and to charge what you’re worth.

Creating your story requires a bit of effort but the results are well worth it! It will change the way you approach your communications and content forever.

Lucy’s story Lucy has more than 20 years’ strategic communications experience. After building her career in-house, she set up her independent consulting business in 2010.

Lucy has since worked on employee communication projects with high-profile brands and global businesses. Today she combines consulting work with helping independent consultants to build their unique brand story, so they can attract their ideal clients and become known as the go-to expert in their industry.

lucy@buildyourbrandstory.com www.buildyourbrandstory.com lucyeckley Lucy Eckley    