Blog #84: How to make clear what makes your company different?

"Don't you have a sunset at your place?" our driver asked surprised. We, some white Europeans, were driving in a jeep along a Central-African road. We were enjoying the most magnificent sunset in an astonishing landscape. We all said ' wow!' and 'amazing!' and 'wonderful!' with bold exclamations. There were no words to describe this natural wonder. This happened years ago, but I still remember it as if it was yesterday.

The local driver who saw this sunset every day, could not believe that we were that excited about something normal like a regular sunset... ??

When you are driving your company do you realize that your 'sunset' that seems so obvious to you, might be unique for many others?

When you talk to people who do not know your company, what are you telling them about your organization?????????

Realizing what makes you different, knowing what is special about your company will help you, to understand your (employer) brand and to share that with the world.

That will help you to attract and retain talent.

Let's start by realizing what your 'sunset' is.

This exercise does not start from you, but from your ‘ideal’ candidate. First, you need to know based on what do people make decisions? Most people do not like change at all and changing jobs is a huge change! They will only change jobs when

1. they get rid of a 'pain' (frustration, discomfort, ...) or
2. when they have something to 'gain' (= a benefit)

So, the better you help them figure out how they can get rid of the pain and which gain they will get in return from you when they join your team, the more effective you will be.

What are the possible ‘pains’ a lot of candidates are struggling with? Some examples:

• Mobility: ‘I do not want to be in a traffic jam every day.’ ‘I would like to be at work in less than an hour.’
• Leadership: ‘I want to get away from the micro-management of my current boss.’
• Working conditions: ‘I would like to choose when I start to work’. ‘I need some flexibility.’

Your ‘sunset’ is the ‘gains’ you offer to the candidate and they are not all related to the content of the job. The job itself is of course also important but usually, the information about the job you share already. Do add to that the gains your company, your job opportunity possibly offers to the candidate. For example:

• ‘You can reach our office easily by public transport (max 20 min walk from the station), but also by car (exit X from highway Y is only 3 minutes away) and also biking to your next job is a safe option.’
• 'When temperatures allow it, we have picnic tables on our terrace where we take lunch together with our colleagues.’
• ‘You organise your daily schedule yourself. You can start between 7-10h and work from home has been part of our practice for a couple of years. Most of your colleagues work two days a week from home.’

Once you have clarity about those 'pains' and 'gains', you can update the text of your job ads and include it in any communication you are having with potential candidates so that they can recognise themselves in your offer so that they apply.

The other day I had a conversation with the CEO of a growing company ‘you make me feel better about my own organisation’, she said with a smile. The only thing I did was sharing the assets of her company with her, from a candidate's perspective. I did not find that information on the job ads she had been posting, but I could retrieve it from a conversation we had at her office.

This is?my?84th?blog?to inspire you, decision-maker in the hiring process, for you to attract and keep the talent you need to grow your business, now, and in the future.

Now, it is your turn.?Please answer the question below:

How do you get a better understanding of your future new hire?

Would you like to dig deeper into this topic? Take up contact so that we can set up a call (for the first 3 people!) to assess the challenges you currently have, what you would like to achieve and if I can help you with that. I would love to make you feel better about your organisation as well ??

Thanks a lot for reading till the end and I am looking forward to reading your reactions.??

Sharing is caring, so if you believe?this?blog?might be beneficial for other people within your network, please feel free to share this blog with them or tag them below. I appreciate it??

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Enjoy your treasure hunt journey!

Katherina?

Co-Wings, Using Everybody's Wings to Fly!

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About?Katherina Swings

An inspirational?connector, a multi-lingual?contributor?with international (working and living) experience, an inspirational speaker, a seasoned HR person with two decades of corporate experience, an experienced change?manager?with business savvy, a creative?writer, a certified professional?learning facilitator, a certified inclusive leadership trainer, a certified employer brander, a?multi-cultural networker, an active?listener…

My?vision?is to create a positive world by connecting people who discover each other’s strengths.

My?mission?is to support?10 000 managers worldwide to become (more) in-clusive.

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Below????????????you will find my?83?previous blogs??????????????Let me know your feedback after reading them!?