How to attract and retain talent: a guide for employers

Attracting the right people is only one part of building a successful team. Employers also need to create an environment that gives good employees a reason to stay with them. 

For many organisations, recruitment and retention are treated as separate challenges. In reality, they are closely connected. The salary, culture, flexibility and development opportunities that encourage someone to apply for a role will often influence whether they remain with the organisation once they join. 

A successful talent strategy therefore needs to consider the whole employee journey, from understanding the skills your organisation requires and reaching the right candidates, through to onboarding, development, engagement and retention. 

In this guide, we explore how employers can strengthen their approach to attracting talent, make more informed recruitment decisions and create an employee experience that encourages people to stay. 

In this guide

• Start by understanding what candidates and employees value
• Define the people and skills your organisation needs
• Build a strong employer brand and employee value proposition
• Benchmark salary, benefits and ways of working
• Make career development visible
• Create an inclusive and accessible recruitment process
• Use the right recruitment channels
• Provide a positive candidate experience
• Make competitive offers and keep candidates engaged
• Do not underestimate onboarding
• Focus on culture, leadership and communication
• Understand why employees leave
• Measure whether your attraction and retention strategy is working
• Attraction and retention should be one strategy

Start by understanding what candidates and employees value 

Before changing your recruitment strategy or introducing new benefits, it’s important to understand what matters to the people you are trying to attract. 

Candidate expectations will vary according to profession, seniority, location and individual circumstances. However, factors such as salary, flexibility, career development, culture and the overall employee experience can all influence someone's decision. 

Start by reviewing the information you already have available. Depending on your organisation and how frequently you recruit, this might include: 

• Feedback from candidates and recruitment consultants 
• Employee engagement surveys 
• Exit interviews 
• Reasons candidates decline job offers 
• Questions frequently raised during interviews 
• Market and salary data 
• Competitor research 
• Feedback from existing employees 

If you don't have access to much of this information, start by speaking to your existing employees and reviewing feedback from previous recruitment processes. A specialist Recruitment Consultant can also provide insight into current market conditions, candidate expectations and what other employers are offering, helping you understand whether your organisation's assumptions reflect what candidates actually value. 

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Define the people and skills your organisation needs 

Effective recruitment should begin before a vacancy is advertised. 

Rather than automatically replacing someone who leaves with an identical role, consider what the organisation actually needs now and in the future. 

Ask: 

• What does this role need to achieve? 
• Which skills and experience are essential? 
• Which requirements are desirable rather than necessary? 
• Could someone with transferable skills succeed in the role? 
• Are there skills we could develop internally? 
• Is a permanent hire the right solution, or would temporary, contract or interim support be more appropriate? 
• How could this role change over the next few years? 

Being clear about the requirement will make it easier to write an effective job description, identify suitable candidates and avoid unnecessarily narrowing the talent pool. 

It is also worth looking beyond individual vacancies. Workforce planning can help you identify potential skills gaps before they become an urgent recruitment problem. A specialist recruitment partner can challenge requirements that may restrict the available talent pool and advise on whether the brief reflects the candidates currently available. 

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Build a strong employer brand and employee value proposition 

Candidates will often research an organisation before deciding whether to apply, attend an interview or accept an offer. 

Your employer brand is the impression they form of what it is actually like to work for you. 

Your employee value proposition (EVP) supports this by explaining what employees receive in return for their skills, experience and contribution. This includes more than salary and benefits. It can include: 

• Your culture and values 
• Flexible working 
• Career development 
• Learning opportunities 
• Leadership 
• Recognition 
• Wellbeing support 
• Inclusion 
• Purpose and social impact 
• The overall employee experience 

Most importantly, your external message should reflect the reality of working for your organisation. 

Candidates increasingly have access to information about potential employers through platforms such as Glassdoor, Indeed, Google reviews and social media, as well as their own professional networks. These can influence how they perceive your organisation before they even consider applying, particularly if employee experiences differ from the culture, benefits or working environment you promote. 

It's therefore important to pay attention to your online reputation, respond professionally to feedback where appropriate and identify any recurring concerns. Employee stories, genuine examples of progression and insight into everyday working life can also help build a more authentic picture of your organisation. 

For more on this subject, read our guide to creating your employee value proposition. 

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Benchmark salary, benefits and ways of working 

Salary may not be the only reason someone chooses an employer, but it remains an important part of the decision. Before going to market, benchmark your proposed salary against comparable roles in your profession, sector and location. 

If the salary is below current market expectations, consider whether you realistically have enough elsewhere in the package to compensate. Going through several stages of recruitment before discovering that your preferred candidate's expectations are considerably higher than your budget wastes time for everyone involved. Specialist Recruitment Consultants can provide salary and market insight before you advertise, helping you understand where expectations may differ from your budget. 

Think about the complete package, including: 

• Pension contributions 
• Holiday allowance 
• Bonus or incentive schemes 
• Flexible or hybrid working 
• Healthcare and wellbeing support 
• Family-friendly policies 
• Professional memberships 
• Training and study support 
• Additional leave 
• Other relevant employee benefits 

Flexibility also needs to be genuine. If a role is advertised as hybrid, candidates should understand what that means in practice rather than discovering during the interview process that expectations differ significantly. 

Benefits should reflect the needs of your workforce rather than simply following what other organisations offer. Our guide to making employee benefits work for your business explores this in more detail. 

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Make career development visible 

Career development influences both attraction and retention. Candidates are not necessarily expecting every organisation to offer speedy promotion, but they often want to understand how they can continue developing their skills and career. 

During recruitment, be prepared to explain: 

• What development opportunities are available 
• How performance and career conversations work 
• Whether employees can gain professional qualifications 
• Whether mentoring or coaching is available
• Examples of people who have progressed internally 
• Opportunities to move between teams or specialisms
• How managers support individual development 

This also matters after someone joins. 

If employees feel they have reached a dead end, they may start looking externally for the progression they cannot see internally. Regular career conversations can help organisations understand people's ambitions before they reach that point. 

Progression does not always have to mean promotion. Broader responsibilities, project work, professional study, mentoring, secondments and opportunities to develop specialist expertise can all help employees continue moving forward. 

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Create an inclusive and accessible recruitment process 

An inclusive approach to recruitment can help organisations reach a wider pool of people and remove barriers that may prevent suitable candidates from progressing. 

Review the whole process rather than looking only at the final interview. 

Consider: 

• Whether job descriptions contain unnecessary requirements 
• Whether adverts use clear and inclusive language 
• How and where roles are advertised 
• Whether your application process is accessible 
• Whether reasonable adjustments are clearly offered 
• How interviews are structured 
• Whether candidates are assessed consistently 
• Whether working patterns unnecessarily exclude parts of the talent market 

At Sellick Partnership, we work with employers to identify potential barriers within their recruitment processes and explore ways to make their approach more inclusive. Our Recruitment Inclusion Checklist provides a useful starting point, covering job descriptions, advertisements, employer value propositions, interviews and building equity into recruitment. 

Inclusion should also extend beyond recruitment. Candidates will want to understand whether the inclusive culture presented during the hiring process is reflected in the everyday employee experience. 

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Use the right recruitment channels 

Reaching the right candidates often requires more than advertising a vacancy and waiting for applications. The most effective attraction strategy will depend on the role, the skills required and the availability of suitable professionals within the market. 

Consider which channels are most likely to reach your target audience. These might include: 

• Your careers website and job boards: Useful for reaching candidates who are actively searching for opportunities. 
• LinkedIn and professional networks: Can help you connect with professionals who have relevant experience, including those who aren't actively job hunting. 
• Employee referrals: Existing employees may know suitable professionals within their own networks. 
• Specialist recruitment agencies: Can provide access to established candidate networks, market knowledge and targeted recruitment support. 
• Executive or specialist search: Particularly valuable when recruiting for senior, specialist or hard-to-fill positions. 

It's also important to consider passive candidates: professionals who aren't actively applying for roles but may be open to the right opportunity. Someone who is happy in their current position may still consider moving for greater responsibility, more interesting work, improved flexibility or better development opportunities. 

Reaching these candidates requires more than visibility. You need to understand what would motivate them to consider a move and communicate why your opportunity is worth exploring. 

This is where working with a specialist recruitment agency can make a difference. Recruitment Consultants who develop long-term relationships within their markets can identify and engage professionals who may not otherwise come across your vacancy. They can also provide insight into candidate expectations, market availability and how your opportunity compares with others. 

At Sellick Partnership, we combine established candidate networks with targeted search, advertising, referrals and direct approaches to help employers reach suitable professionals. Our Consultants tailor this approach to each recruitment requirement, drawing on their specialist market knowledge and relationships. 

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Provide a positive candidate experience 

Candidates form an impression of your organisation throughout the recruitment process. A candidate who experiences repeated delays, unclear communication or an unnecessarily lengthy process may question what working for the organisation would be like. 

Before recruitment begins, agree: 

• Who needs to be involved 
• How many interview stages are genuinely necessary 
• What each stage will assess 
• Who can make the final decision 
• The likely timescale 
• How quickly feedback can be provided 
• Then communicate those expectations clearly. 

Keep candidates updated throughout the recruitment process, even when there is no significant news. If you're recruiting directly, maintain regular communication with applicants. If you're working with a recruitment agency, keep your Recruitment Consultant informed so they can provide timely updates on your behalf. Delays and a lack of communication can create uncertainty and increase the risk of candidates pursuing other opportunities. 

Please remember that candidates are evaluating you as well. Interviewers should be prepared to answer questions about the team, role, development, working arrangements, culture and expectations. Interviews should provide candidates with the information they need to make an informed decision, rather than operating solely as an assessment exercise. Be honest about the realities of the role, including its challenges, working arrangements and development prospects. Setting realistic expectations at this stage can help reduce mismatches and early departures after appointment. 

For more detailed guidance, read our guide to improving your recruitment/interview process. 

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Make competitive offers and keep candidates engaged 

Finding the right candidate does not mean the recruitment process is finished. 

Before making an offer, understand: 

• The candidate's salary expectations 
• Their notice period 
• Other processes they are involved in 
• What matters most to them in their next role 
• Whether any concerns remain 
• What might influence their final decision 

Make the strongest offer you reasonably can rather than automatically leaving substantial room for negotiation. If the salary has been discussed throughout the process, the final offer should not come as a surprise. 

Speed also matters. Unnecessary delays between final interview and offer can give candidates time to progress elsewhere. 

Once someone accepts, maintain communication throughout their notice period. Candidates may receive counter-offers from their existing employer or continue hearing from other organisations, so a long period of silence between acceptance and starting can create unnecessary risk. 

A simple message from their new manager, useful information about their first week or an invitation to an appropriate team event can help maintain engagement. 

Working with a recruitment agency can also help employers navigate this stage. A Recruitment Consultant can maintain communication with the candidate, provide insight into any concerns or competing opportunities and support negotiations to help both parties reach an agreement. 

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Do not underestimate onboarding 

Retention starts before an employee's first day. The early weeks in a new role shape how quickly someone feels confident, connected and able to contribute. Effective onboarding should cover more than systems, policies and administrative tasks. 

Make sure new employees understand: 

• Their role and immediate priorities 
• What success looks like 
• Who they will be working with 
• How the organisation operates 
• Where to go for help 
• How their role contributes to wider objectives 
• What will happen during their first few weeks and months 

Managers should make time for regular check-ins during the initial settling in period rather than assuming that no news means everything is going well. 

It can also be useful to ask new employees for feedback on the recruitment and onboarding experience while it is still fresh. Their perspective may identify gaps that established employees no longer notice. 

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Focus on culture, leadership and communication 

You can attract someone with a competitive package, but their everyday experience will heavily influence whether they stay. 

Culture is created by what happens in practice: how managers behave, how decisions are communicated, whether people are treated fairly, how teams work together and what happens when things go wrong. 

Leadership therefore plays an important role in retention. 

Managers should be equipped to: 

• Set clear expectations 
• Give useful feedback 
• Recognise good work 
• Have development conversations 
• Address concerns 
• Communicate change effectively 
• Support different working styles and circumstances 

Communication matters too. Employees are more likely to feel engaged when they understand what is happening within the organisation and how their own work contributes. 

For more on this subject, read our guide to building a strong company culture. 

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Understand why employees leave 

Some employee turnover is inevitable and can be healthy. The aim should not be to prevent anyone from ever leaving. However, repeated patterns can reveal problems that need attention. 

Exit interviews can help you understand why people move on, but do not rely on them alone. By the time an employee has resigned, the opportunity to address their concerns may already have passed. 

Use information from: 

• Exit interviews 
• Employee engagement surveys 
• Stay interviews 
• Regular one-to-ones 
• Absence data 
• Staff turnover 
• Internal progression 
• Recruitment feedback 

Look for patterns. 

Are people repeatedly leaving one team? Is there a particular point in their tenure when turnover increases? Are employees leaving for higher salaries, better development opportunities, more flexibility or stronger management? 

Feedback is only valuable if organisations are prepared to act on it. 

You may not be able to accommodate every request or prevent every resignation, but recurring issues should feed into your people and recruitment strategy. 

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Measure whether your attraction and retention strategy is working 

Recruitment and retention should be measured rather than judged purely on instinct. 

Useful measures can include: 

Recruitment and attraction

• Number and quality of applications 
• Sources of successful candidates 
• Time to hire 
• Offer acceptance rates and reasons offers are declined 
• Candidate feedback and withdrawal rates 

Employee retention

• Employee turnover, including new-starter turnover
• Retention rates after six or 12 months 
• Employee engagement and satisfaction 
• Internal progression and development opportunities 

There is no need to measure everything simply because you can. Choose the metrics that answer the most useful questions. 

For example, a high number of applications may initially appear positive. However, if very few applicants meet the requirements, application volume may be masking an attraction problem. 

Similarly, if offer acceptance is low, look at salary, timescales, candidate feedback and the way the opportunity is being presented. 

If new employees regularly leave within their first year, investigate recruitment expectations, onboarding, management and the reality of the role. Compare these findings with what candidates were told during recruitment. If people repeatedly leave because the role or working arrangements differ from their expectations, review the job description, interview discussions and onboarding rather than treating turnover as a separate problem. 

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Attraction and retention should be one strategy 

The most effective talent strategies do not stop when a candidate accepts an offer. The experience an employer promotes during recruitment should continue once someone joins. 

If you promise development, provide meaningful development. If flexibility is part of the offer, make sure it works in practice. If culture is one of your main selling points, ensure employees experience that culture in their everyday working lives. 

That consistency helps turn successful recruitment into successful retention. 

At Sellick Partnership, we understand that successful recruitment involves more than simply filling a vacancy. Our specialist Recruitment Consultants work closely with employers to understand their requirements, provide insight into the talent market and develop tailored recruitment strategies. From identifying and engaging suitable candidates to managing offers and providing post-placement support, we help organisations make informed recruitment decisions and secure professionals who are well suited to their roles. 

If you are looking to recruit, submit a vacancy or contact Sellick Partnership to discuss your requirements.