How Your Persona Can Attract Top Talent

The current competitiveness of the labor market in the A&E sector is unprecedented. There isn't one single approach that will establish a distinguishable advantage, but rather a series of small differences that will offer a competitive edge. Building a clear persona is one of those differences.

In the realm of business, Occam's Razor underlines the principle that simplicity often leads to the most effective solutions. Throughout my career, I've discovered that some of the most profound advice can be succinctly expressed. For instance, the simple guidance of "Dress for the job you want, not the one you have" can be a metaphor for demonstrating where you belong to get the attention of those with the same aspirations. That same sentiment can be applied on a larger scale to the ongoing "war for talent."

In the perpetual quest for exceptional talent, companies often find themselves making assumptions about what prospective employees truly seek. While understanding the candidate's perspective holds intrinsic value, relentlessly chasing a presumed utopian vision may not yield the optimal results. Leveraging Occam's Razor with some simple practical wisdom can be the first step towards filling your talent pool:

Build Your Persona as a Top Firm to Attract Top Talent

Simply put if you want to hire employees that strive for high-performance and can make a difference, present your company as a high-performance firm that makes a difference. Employees don't want to "fix" a struggling firm as much as employers do not want to "fix" an employee. If your firm is viewed as top functioning firm, it will attract high functioning employees. However, the persona has to be real or the employees you attract won't stay regardless of the free lattes, unlimited PTO and other benefits you offer.

CONSIDER THE DATA

A Deltek survey of over 580 architecture and engineering firms identified several key trends from 2022 and initiatives for 2023. The survey segmented the respondents into the top 20% of firms based on profit ("High Performers") and compared their results to the remaining 80% ("Other firms"). When it came to hiring and retaining employees the firms that demonstrated themselves as "High Performers" maintained a distinct advantage.

It is easy to suggest that high performance firms achieve their results because they are better at hiring and retention, but consider a different perspective. Perhaps just being a high-performance firm makes it easier to hire and keep staff. It is arguably a combination of both which suggests that to some degree being a considered a high-performance firm can lead to greater success in hiring and retaining talent.

Creating a persona involves consistently demonstrating these traits in all aspects of business operations to attract and create a connection with likeminded employee candidates. The very first step is understanding the industry's perspective on how high performers operate. If you have already achieved those high-performance levels, make sure that is clear and that you intend to keep improving. Lou Holtz said, "You are either growing or dying." So, make sure you pick the right one. If you haven't reached the high-performance tier yet, emphasize the actions being taken and the confidence in achieving the next level. Having a well thought out plan will motivate potential employees to join your quest.