Recruiting beyond the city limits

Attracting talent to regional New Zealand can be a challenge. Read on to uncover tips, tricks & strategies to help attract top talent to your regional organisation.

Run a slick recruitment process. Your recruitment process speaks volumes about the way your business functions. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so ensure your process is an efficient experience for your potential new employees. Paramount to this is having the right people involved in your recruitment process. Who are the ambassadors and decision makers for your organisation and your location? Ensure you have these people on your recruitment panel.

Enhance your employer branding. Employer branding goes beyond your company’s external brand image. Employer branding is what your employees and candidates think about you as an employer. It influences their decision to join, stay or leave your organisation.

What motivates your candidates? Understand what factors drive your candidates and customise your offerings to suit. Create a workplace culture that is relaxed, social and family friendly. Develop a career roadmap for employees so they know they have a future with your organisation. Consider offering a relocation allowance and temporary accommodation to remove the financial disincentive of relocating. Embrace workplace flexibility through initiatives like remote work options, flexible work hours, and job sharing.

Location & lifestyle. Think about what you can offer employees over city living. For example, is your office five minutes from the beach? Does your staff room have a beautiful countryside view? Is property really affordable? Think about the lifestyle that candidates could have and sell that, as well as the job opportunity.

Widen the net. Make your advertisement as inclusive as possible. Be open minded and open the door to people from all walks of life and all stages of life.  This increases your chance of attracting candidates with great potential who will thrive in the position. Also, stay connected with employees who leave your organisation. Maintaining these relationships will make it more likely they will return to the region and to your organisation when the time is right for them.

Work with a recruitment company. Partnering with a recruitment agency can be particularly beneficial in remote areas where the talent pool may be limited. Agencies often have a broader reach and can tap into networks you may not have access to. They will help you identify what the candidates’ drivers are, and help you run a tight recruitment process so that you appoint the right person who will thrive in your role.