To find and keep top Talent, employers need to exceed their employees' and job seekers' expectations. From remote work options to competitive compensation, these are a few Talent Acquisition Trends hiring teams can use to attract and retain highly qualified candidates. 

Want to learn more ways to exceed employees’ expectations? Download our free handout

Increase Employees’ Compensation and Benefits Options 

Providing employees with competitive salaries and benefits packages can help reduce turnover and attract more highly qualified talent. Due to market forces like inflation raising living expenses, many employees want higher pay and better benefits to keep up with the rising costs of goods and services. Depending on their task load and experience level, they also want to be properly compensated for their contributions and skillsets.   

Of course, there are a lot of factors to consider when determining what makes a salary competitive. From the industry and job function to the location, hiring teams should keep these things in mind when conducting research on salaries for similar roles. 

To give you a starting point when determining competitive salaries, we did some research on a few key industries. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2022, these are the average mean yearly salaries for managers and specialists in the IT, marketing, finance, and human resources industries.¹ 

IT

- Computer Support Specialists - $64,410
- Computer and Information Systems Managers - $173,67 

Marketing and Creative

- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists - $78,880 
- Marketing Managers - $158,280  

Finance

- Financial Specialists - $92,290 
- Financial Managers - $166,050 

Human Resources 

- Human Resources Specialists - $73,080 
- Human Resources Managers - $145,750 

Give Your Team Professional Growth Opportunities 

Offer your employees growth opportunities like tuition reimbursement, access to online courses and certifications, and tickets to webinars and events. Dedicating even just a few hours each work week to ongoing education lets your team learn new skills and expand on current ones. Then, they can even host internal workshops to teach their teammates these new skills. 

Ultimately, offering ongoing learning opportunities builds trust with employees. By investing in their professional development, they may be less likely to search for open positions at other organizations. Plus, they may even recommend your company to colleagues in the market for a new job. 

Not sure where to start when offering access to online training resources? These are a few good places to start with that provide online courses and more for various industries:  

- LinkedIn Learning - 16,000+ online courses 
- Udemy - 213,000+ online courses 
- Coursera - 5,400+ online courses 

Offer Employees Work-From-Home Full or Part-Time 

Letting employees work remotely full or part-time can boost retention. According to Buffer’s 2023 State of Remote Work, many people appreciate the flexibility of working from home.  

These are a few findings from their survey²:  

- 98% of remote workers surveyed want to work remotely at least some of the time indefinitely. 
- 68% of participants said their experience working remotely is “very positive.” 
- 40% of those surveyed said their work-life balance is “very healthy.”

 
Remote work lets employers expand their talent search beyond their local region. Companies could be missing out on highly skilled candidates if they only accept applicants in certain areas. There is a lot of highly qualified talent throughout the country and worldwide, so being open to remote employees turns your talent pool into an ocean of opportunities. Additionally, remote work lets employers reduce the costs associated with in-office expenses.  

Prioritize Your Team’s Work/Life Balance 

According to one of our LinkedIn polls, 57% of employees said remote work options are the aspect of work-life balance they desire the most. The second most desired work-life balance benefit was flexible work hours, followed by boundary setting and encouraged PTO. 

Along with the option to work remotely, providing employees with flexible work hours can help them create a schedule that works for their needs. Regularly taking time off to complete errands or to relax can prevent burnout and let employees come back to work feeling more refreshed and ready to learn. 

Letting employees create their own flexible schedules makes it easier for them to find time for professional development and learning new skills. Getting to learn on your own time and at your own pace can make the ongoing learning process more enjoyable and fruitful for employees. 

Follow These Talent Acquisition Trends to Exceed Employees’ Expectations 

Hiring teams can implement these talent acquisition trends to exceed their employees’ and job seekers’ expectations and boost talent retention and acquisition. Take a strategic approach to hiring by connecting with a recruiting expert for your talent management needs. 

Sources:

¹ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates United States. 
² Buffer, State Of Remote Work 2023.