“Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them. They hire already-motivated people and inspire them.”
Do benefits packages, amenities, or top-of-the-line office spaces make a company great?
Or is it something more than that?
In our opinion, it takes more than the promises of great pay and a hefty benefits package to build a business that makes people want to stick around. Businesses need to look beyond the transactional side of employment and embrace their people as entire human beings to create something unique.
At DotConnect, our mission is to bring consciousness to corporations and change the way businesses onboard and hire talent. We’ve seen it time and time again — companies want to bring in the best talent possible, but they don’t connect with potential hires in a way that makes them want to stay.
Recently, our CEO, Dom Farnan, had the pleasure of sitting down with Adam Torres on the Mission Matters Podcast to chat about her recruiting story, how employers can build a positive corporate culture, and what it means to be a conscious connector.
If you’re curious about what it takes to attract and retain top talent at your company, stick around! We’ve got a ton of great information and tips to help you boost your hiring process and create an environment that makes people want to stay.
Dom’s Recruiting Journey
What were you doing at 17?
For most of us, the story is pretty similar. We were probably rounding out high school, deciding where we wanted to go to college, and working a part-time job for a little extra cash.
At that point in your life, do you think you were ready to take the plunge and start a recruiting career? We think it’s safe to say the answer is probably “No” for most of us, but that wasn’t the case for Dom.
“This journey of mine began when I was 17, actually. I graduated high school early, and [between] when my courses were done and when I could receive my diploma, I had a lot of time on my hands. So, I got an internship at a marketing company.”
As Dom’s internship was ending, she realized that she didn’t want to go back to working at the restaurant where she had been employed before the internship:
“When the internship was done, I went to HR and said, ‘You know. I don’t want to go back and work at the pizza place, so keep me. What can you teach me? I’m down.’ And the VP of HR said, ‘I’ll hire you as a recruiter.’”
From that day forward, she was hooked on recruiting and has stayed in the industry ever since. Growing up as a recruiter wasn’t always an easy path, but Dom credits much of her success in the business to mentors she had along the way. Her willingness to soak in all of the information she possibly could put Dom in a position to succeed from a young age.
“It was a lot of learning and being a sponge. I had amazing mentors that took me under their wing from day one and helped me learn everything that I could know at an early age. … I had to learn a lot about myself and a lot about corporate [companies].”
Fast forward to today. Dom sourced hundreds of candidates for companies around the globe and is now the founder and CEO here at DotConnect. Her 20+ years of experience in the industry and wealth of knowledge have helped her grow our excellent team of recruiters who are dedicated to making an impact while working with clients.
Three Ways Companies Attract and Retain Top Talent
We said it earlier, and we’ll say it again. Old strategies for attracting high-quality candidates aren’t going to work in today’s market.
Let’s face it, benefits and salary can only make a job so appealing. There will always be another company out there that can offer the same perks as you, so you need to find ways to be creative and stand out to prospective new team members.
At Dot, we suggest doing a few things to really pull people in and make them happy at your organization.
#1: Meet Candidates Where They’re At
If you want a team of motivated people who care about your company, you need to meet them where they are. An excellent way for companies to show they care about their people is to revamp how they create job descriptions.
“The more progressive companies that I’m seeing in terms of attractions are really meeting candidates where they’re at and talking about things that are important to the talent. … When you think about job descriptions, most are super boring.”
Reimagining how your company creates job descriptions to highlight and focus on what the candidate gets out of the role instead of what they are going to do for the company is a great way to reinvent your job descriptions. Letting people know how the position will benefit them shows that you’re invested in their growth.
#2: Invest People As Humans
Let’s get this out of the way right now: Your employees are humans, and you aren’t going to keep them if you aren’t nurturing their entire being. You need to look for ways to foster holistic growth in your team to retain top talent.
“[A job isn’t,] ‘You’re gonna do all these tasks for me, and then I’m gonna pay you.’ [You need to] start and lead with,’ I will invest in you. I will listen to you. I will get to know you as a human being. I will elevate you. I will grow your confidence.’”
The more you can show your current and future employees that you want to put them first and invest in their well-being, the more willing they will be to strive for excellence at your organization. So, you need to constantly look for ways to build them up both professionally and personally!
#3: Be Flexible
Flexibility is key when it comes to employment these days. We know that people grow weary of hearing that the pandemic changed how we work, but it’s true. Many people who used to work in offices from 9-5 got a taste of the flexibility of remote work, and they don’t want to give that up.
“There isn’t a one-size-fits-all [solution] that feels good for the talent that you’re trying to attract. People who didn’t work from home before, who have now worked from home for the past few years, might be settling into that. And they may not go back to an office.”
We’re really seeing this flexibility-based model thrive in the world of big tech. Many companies are actually repurposing their offices into co-working hubs without a set number of days or hours employees need to be in the office.
We think that coworking models aren’t only an excellent idea, but they’re also only going to become more prevalent moving forward. People want flexibility, and companies need to meet that demand to be successful in attracting and retaining top talent.
Culture Plays a HUGE Role in Retention
Here at DotConnect, we believe that culture is the number one thing that keeps people happy and motivated at work. If people feel supported and their employer invests in their overall success, people will want to stick around.
When developing your corporate culture, one thing to keep in mind is that you need to be very intentional about creating it and aligning it with your values. Otherwise, your company’s culture will create itself, and a self-developing culture might not be what you want.
“I think culture is wildly important. … It’s 90 percent of what [my leadership team] focuses on. … I think it’s really important to start with your values and make sure that your team understands that and that the people you hire understand that your interview process is a service to that. … You need to be asking questions aligned with those values and principles.”
Dom believes that one of the best ways to set the tone for your culture is to lead by example. Her desire for inner work and healing comes through in our culture at Dot and how we approach our roles as recruiters.
“An example of that intentionality for our company is that I am very big on inner-work and my healing journey, and I am bringing different modalities of things that have helped me [grow] as a leader, like breathwork, meditation, and journaling, back to my team. I’m inviting them to join me on this journey if they feel called.
Virtual meditation, monthly breathwork sessions, and other inner-healing sessions are available to everyone at DotConnect. These opportunities for growth and healing may not be the strategy that works for your team. However, finding a way to set the tone and invest in your people matters the most.
Your employee retention will reflect the investments you make into your team members as entire humans. When you focus on creating a culture that values your employees holistically, your team will love working at your organization.
Build Your Culture and Increase Your Retention With DotConnect
Sourcing talent, knowing the right questions to ask, and building great corporate culture is challenging. It takes a significant investment of time and effort to make the right decisions when recruiting new talent. But you don’t have to go it alone.
At DotConnect, we’re a team of outstanding talent advisors who work with a high level of intention to build your dream corporate culture. Relationships are essential to our process, and we love to find out what makes your organization tick to make magic happen in recruiting.
If you’ve been burned by recruiters in the past or outsourcing your hiring process seems terrifying, we totally understand. But if you want to take a step out on faith and experience what exceptional recruiting can look and feel like, get in touch with us.
We’ve helped businesses like Beautycounter, Samsung NEXT, and Zendesk build people-focused teams, and we can do the same for you!
And if you’re looking to make a pivot in your career and think that recruiting could be a good fit, reach out to us. We’re always looking to add exceptional people to our team and believe that you don’t need a background in recruiting to be successful — you just need to be willing to grow!
