To Be the Best, You Need the Best: 8 Steps for Attracting Incredible Employees

The following is adapted from Building an Elite Organization.

In order to build an incredible organization that will withstand any market cycle, any economic challenge, and anything the competition can throw your way, you need amazing team members who have the capacity to perform their jobs at a high level.  

The bottom-line truth is, you cannot possibly do everything on your own. To grow an enterprise, you need to attract, hire, develop, and retain great people—people who will keep your organization running smoothly, overcome the challenges that inevitably arise, and grow your customer base and revenue. 

You have to be selective. These people have to fit your organization’s culture, share your values, and have the skills and the will to perform the job at the level you need it performed.

Finding these types of employees is next to impossible, I am often told. But personal experience has shown me, time and time again, that’s simply not true. If you follow the eight steps I’m going to share with you, you’ll be able to find and attract the best people to your organization.

#1: Start with a Unique Job Title

One of the most effective ways to attract great people is through job ads. It can’t be any old job ad, though—it needs to be as elite as the talent you want to attract, or you run the risk of experiencing paltry results.

When you sit down to write your job ad, spend some time on the job title. Think about how you can use or create unique job titles that make the role more exciting and help it stand out. 

For example, at DLP, we have a position called Investor Success Manager. We could have created another ho-hum account manager or sales professional position, but doesn’t Investor Success Manager sound more important and exciting? 

Yes, the job functions are similar. But I can guarantee you that Investor Success Manager will draw more attention from the types of candidates we are looking for than “account manager” will. 

#2: Decide if You Should List Compensation

In most cases, listing the compensation in the job ad is a good practice. However, if you know your salary isn’t going to be able to match or exceed what others can offer, make the salary you are offering as exciting as possible. For example, instead of saying, “The role has a salary of $50,000 a year,” say, “Annual salary of $50,000 with a generous bonus structure.” 

If you are expecting the new hire to be able to earn and receive bonuses in year one, assuming they are a rock star, include that in the compensation. So, for example, if the salary is $50,000 and you expect a rock star can earn $20,000 in bonuses, say that up front with a post such as, “Total compensation potential of $70,000 plus tremendous opportunity for advancement.”

#3: Mention Location and Detail Benefits

Next, mention the location where the new hire will work and what benefits you are offering. Even if you aren’t offering traditional benefits—and I would encourage you to consider offering health insurance and a retirement plan as early as you can in your company’s growth plan—be sure to stress all the things you can do for your team members. 

For example, you may be able to provide a flexible work schedule, education incentives, a generous holiday schedule, or a significant amount of vacation time. If you can offer something unusual or appealing, highlight it here. 

#4: Provide a Superhero’s Job Summary

The job summary, or role description, is next. Take it up a notch by describing the role with as many descriptive terms as possible. As you do this, pretend the person you’re hiring is a superhero. 

Think about your clients as you write the summary. Ask yourself what they would want this person’s superpowers to be.

Focus on the client whenever possible and the great results this team member will drive for the client and the organization. If, after you write the role or job summary, you aren’t thinking, “Man, I want that job,” then you need to make it better until it is that good. 

#5: Position Job Requirements in the Right Terms

Next, list job requirements. However, get more creative by listing your expectations for the candidate’s experience and education under a section titled, “What You Have Already Achieved.” 

Be extremely precise here. These expectations should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-certain. 

As you draft this part of your ad, think about what background you are looking for and why. Does a great candidate actually need five or ten years of experience (or a particular degree), or are you really seeking someone who understands the industry and can hit the ground running? 

Be careful you don’t narrow your ad so much that you actually screen out viable candidates at this point of the hiring process. The goal is to attract as many interesting and talented candidates as possible. You will do your screening after you have attracted all the people who self-match their interests with the role you are offering.

#6: Turn Role Expectations into Exciting Achievements

Next, list out the expectations or results of the role in a way that will make sense to the candidate. You can call this section “What You Are Great At.” 

For our investor success manager, for example, we might say, “You are great at building trust with clients, delivering amazing wow experiences, consistently obtaining positive reviews from clients, retaining clients year after year, and garnering referrals and repeat investments.”

You’re looking for the people who will see this list and think, “Yes! I am great at that! Absolutely, that’s my experience! Of course, I can close sales and get referrals!” It’s those people’s résumés you want piling up in your inbox. 

#7: Brag a Little About Your Elite Accomplishments 

Up until this point, you’ve focused the entire job ad on the candidate you’re looking for, not on the company. In this final section, talk about the company and why this is the best place to work.

The key is to do it in a way that is exciting and interesting to the talent you’re looking for. Of course, you want to do this bragging in a balanced way so you attract enthusiastic candidates without turning them off with over-the-top self-congratulations. 

Write out what your organization values and what you do to support each team member so they are set up to succeed. Talk about your commitment to growth and how doors will continue to open for each team member as the company expands its reach. List your accomplishments and accolades.

#8: Finish with a Call to Action

If you’ve done your job well, by now, your job ad will be pretty appealing to the people you want to attract. All that’s left now is to wrap your ad up with a call to action. While there are lots of ways to write this, a good example could go something like this:

We are looking for rock stars to join our collaborative team. Are you driven for greatness? If so, we may be the perfect match. If you feel that you have the drive, knowledge, skills, and experience to truly be successful in this role, we would love to hear from you today. 

The Talent Really is Out There

Although writing a great job ad takes time and effort, if you do the work, you’ll be amazed at the talent you’ll attract. You’ll be able to find people who will fit into your organization’s culture, meet the expectations of the role, and succeed at meeting and furthering your organization’s goals.

By putting these strategies into practice, you will be able to attract amazing individuals who will catapult your organization to success. Having put these same strategies to use myself, I can almost guarantee that the quality of talent you attract will increase significantly.

For more advice on finding and hiring top talent, you can find Building an Elite Organization on Amazon.

Don Wenner is the Founder and CEO of DLP Real Estate Capital, a leader in real estate investing, private direct lending, construction, management, and sales. DLP has been ranked as an Inc. 5,000 Fastest-Growing US company for eight consecutive years, with an average three-year-growth rate exceeding 400 percent and more than $1 billion in assets. Named one of the top fifteen real estate professionals by REAL Trends and The Wall Street Journal for seven years straight, Don has closed more than $4 billion in real estate transactions. He resides in St. Augustine, Florida, with his wife and two sons.