Every employer wants to hire top talent, especially for positions that are critical to company performance. But we should not think of talent as a resource. We are trying to attract talented people, not filling up a "talent tank" that the company needs to keep running. Maybe, the company's bottom line depends on attracting top sales talent to gain traction in new markets and close high-level deals. Or, a company's performance depends on attracting top tech talent to beat the competition for a product release. Irrespective of a company’s core business, there are a few departments and a certain key positions that must be staffed with talented people to gain a competitive advantage within your industry.
 
The best way to recruit top candidates, is to first identify who/what you want to recruit before you start the search. To define that fit, you need to detail out the demands of the job and its fit factors, including fit with key colleagues, superiors and/or direct reports. Once these requirements are thoroughly defined in all relevant areas of job performance and fit, looking for a suitable candidate becomes more a matter of checking the boxes, than a hopeless search for a unicorn or a purple squirrel.
 
When trying to reach people who you have identified as top-level talent for a job, using social networking as a recruitment tool, personal or an online social network, works best. To attract suitable candidates for open positions, the job description plays a large role, but your employer brand is just as important. 

An employer brand is the combination of the work environment, the company culture and the compensation/benefits you offer to employees. Other than finding a job that is rewarding, top candidates are focused on finding companies with great employer brands, meaning companies with the best benefits packages and the most employee-friendly company culture. No job description, no matter how beautifully worded, can make up for a weak employer brand or a compensation/benefits package that is below your industry’s average rate. 

The best way to start an employer brand makeover is to elevate the great aspects of working at your company online while working privately with staff to address and resolve any negative aspects of your employer brand. Like the details of the job, the details of your employer brand need to be completely reflective of reality, as a "pumped up" employer brand will be easy to spot and is a red flag for candidates. 

Here are the factors you need to keep in mind when designing an employer brand that will get the attention of top talent.

What other steps do you think can help attract top talents to a company?