How to Attract Top Talent by Using Key Selling Points for a Job

For hirers, attracting the best talent available is a top priority. An organisation’s workforce is undoubtedly its most important resource, as it encompasses every function integral to its success, from technical know-how to culture. Manpower is both the mechanism and the heart of every company. If you want to hire the best, you must be able to present that connection to your candidates and make them see your company as a desirable place to work in. That is why it is important to communicate key selling points for a job when recruiting talent.

The hiring process involves two-way screening: one is done by the hirer, and the other is done by the candidate. While you are assessing a candidate’s qualifications, your candidate is also doing their own evaluation of your company. This is why hirers also need to sell candidates on why they should take their job offer. The best way to do this is by presenting your Employee Value Proposition to your candidates.

Knowing your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is the first step in figuring out how to attract top talent to your company. Your EVP is what you want to highlight to potential candidates. It is essentially your company’s brand positioning when it comes to hiring.

Like your products’ brand positioning or unique selling proposition, your EVP is what makes you stand out in the industry. It is what you can claim that other or most hirers cannot. Without identifying what this is, it would be difficult to make key selling points for a job you are offering.

You need to come to an agreement, as an organisation, on what your Employee Value Proposition is. To arrive at the best possible EVP, it would help if you conducted a survey among your employees on what they like best about working in your company. Your HR department can also conduct a similar survey among new hires, asking them why they accepted their respective job offer.

What should come out of these surveys are your strengths as a hirer. It could be anything from better compensation, attractive benefits, work-life balance, great career potential, or excellent working culture. These are already some good examples of Employee Value Propositions. Once you have determined what your greatest strengths are, then you’ll know what your EVP is.

To attract top talent to your company, you must be fully aware of what jobseekers are looking for. JobStreet Malaysia’s 2022-2023 Outlook: Hiring, Compensation, & Benefits report provides some valuable insights on the latest hiring trends as well as the top considerations for candidates. This report can serve as your guide in the job aspects you may want to highlight in your EVP.

Do you have one of the best compensation packages in your industry? The priorities of the modern Malaysian worker may have evolved in the past few years, but compensation remains among the top considerations. According to JobStreet’s 2022-2023 Outlook: Hiring, Compensation, & Benefits report, 63% of candidates in Malaysia turned down a job offer because the salary package was not satisfactory.

Your company should make a reassessment of your current compensation packages. Is the package you are offering fair? How does it compare to the ones offered by your competitors? JobStreet’s 2022-2023 report reveals that 71% of employers in Malaysia offer what can be considered “fair compensation,” while 8% plan on adding or improving their salary packages in the next 12 months. This shows that most hirers in Malaysia see fair compensation as a point of emphasis and improvement. To attract top talent to your company, you need to stay competitive in this area.

Salary is just one piece of the entire working experience. Many jobseekers also look at employer benefits when considering a job offer because they provide a more complete picture of the compensation they will be getting. For instance, Company A might be offering a bigger salary, but Company B is offering more health and living benefits. In this case, it may actually be more financially favourable for the candidate to take Company B’s job offer.

Benefits are especially important to workers who are married and have children. Family-oriented perks are among the top benefits that companies are planning to provide, based on JobStreet’s 2022-2023 report. 11% of hirers plan on extending work activities to employee family members, while 8% plan on providing more or better medical protection or insurance to family members. Does your company have enough employee benefits that even extend to their loved ones?

A lot of workers, especially the younger ones, now view work-life balance as another priority, and in some cases, a non-negotiable. People now value personal time more than ever and would like more time to pursue other interests. Companies that give their employees more leeway, whether in terms of work hours or work location, can have a bigger edge in hiring. As another recent JobStreet survey indicates, 89% of Malaysian workers prefer flexibility in where work gets done.

This means that companies that can give employees flexibility in when and how they work can be one of the key selling points for a job. If you are open to a hybrid work setup, for instance, wherein employees have the optionality between working onsite and working from home, then you may have a better shot at attracting top young talent. 

This can be a market inefficiency when it comes to hiring, as only 23% of companies in Malaysia have plans to implement a hybrid model within the year. Meanwhile, a little over half of the companies in Malaysia say that they are capable of supporting their employees remotely. Is your company willing or prepared to give employees remote work optionality? If yes, then that can be an advantageous Employee Value Proposition.

Career growth Does the job you are offering have a clear career path? Can the candidate envision a fruitful career trajectory with your company several years down the road? Having bigger things to look forward to during your potential stay in the company is a great key selling point to have in your job offer. A candidate will likely go with an organisation where they can grow and where that growth will be rewarded and compensated accordingly through promotion and salary increases.

Let the candidate know right away the potential career path for the job you are offering. It can make the job more attractive since it gives the candidate something to aim for in the future. It would help if you have proof of concept: managers in your company who started with the same job can attest to the gratifying career path the company provides for its employees.

When you are making a job offer, you are not only selling a position to a candidate. You are also making a pitch on a future worth building towards. Attracting top talent ultimately boils down to selling a career, a way of life, and a culture they can be a part of.

Getting the best talent in Malaysia requires access to all the information you need. To get the best insights on the latest hiring trends in Malaysia, download the JobStreet 2022-2023: Hiring, Compensation & Benefits report now.

Find suitable talent for your company by registering on JobStreet now. For more resources on employment trends, talent acquisition, and talent management, visit the Employers Insights page.