3 Ways to Recruit Top-Notch Talent — Without Recruiting at All

Picture this: Quality talent — I mean talent that truly aligns with your team's mission and culture — is knocking down your door. And you didn't even have to do any recruiting at all.

This scenario isn't as far-fetched as it may seem. If you improve your company culture, promote how awesome your team is, and have meaningful conversations with the right talent, you can recruit great employees without doing any of the time-consuming tasks of traditional recruiting. Instead, your culture will do the recruiting for you.

This approach to recruiting is helping companies everywhere succeed. One company reaping the rewards of putting culture first — especially in recruiting — is Facebook. Facebook's Vice President of People Lori Goler says the organization has its culture to thank for its massive success. By foregrounding culture in its recruiting strategy, Facebook attracts talented people who make a big impact on the company.

What are you waiting for? It's time to take a step back from recruiting and let your culture bring talent to you.

1. Take Your Mission to the Real World

Airbnb ties everything it does — from connecting customers to the employee experience — to its mission.

"No global movement springs from individuals. It takes an entire team united behind something big," the company explains on its careers page.

Airbnb not only publicizes how its team members work together in pursuit of the company's mission, but it also takes its mission out into the real world through its hosting programs. Through this very public mission, Airbnb naturally attracts candidates who have the same passion and values — without even pushing recruiting efforts.

Candidates want to hear about what your company does, how your company does it, and where they might fit into the equation. Get your own mission out there by encouraging team members to share their stories about what excites them and the work they do. Promote these stories via video testimonials on your company careers page and social media accounts.

It's also important to support causes outside of your company that employees are passionate about. If possible, give employees the resource to support these extracurricular missions. The more you get your team out there, the more likely it is that candidates with similar purpose-driven mindsets will take notice.

2. Invest in Employees' Goals, Even When They're Centered on the Company

Facebook's Goler explains that the company brings out the best in employees by encouraging them to pursue their passions both inside and outside of the workplace. Recruitment messages that are only focused on the company's bottom line and the position details won't attract top talent.

Your employees are real people; their lives are not limited to their daily workplace duties. Make sure you recognize this reality, perhaps by starting weekly "fulfill your passion" meetings to better understand your team. Ask each person to share something that has inspired them throughout the week. Find out what their personal goals are and look for ways to help them reach their goals.

Your team will start telling their family, friends, and professional contacts about your impressive company culture. This word-of-mouth marketing will be invaluable in attracting great candidates to your organization.

3. Bring Your Culture Into Your Company Processes

Job seekers are looking for more than good compensation packages. In fact, according to LinkedIn's U.S. and Canada Recruiting Trends 2017 report, culture and values are the primary factors candidates consider when making decisions about new employment opportunities.

For your culture to have a truly meaningful impact on employees, it should be incorporated into every organizational process. For example, if your culture strongly encourages teamwork, you could implement weekly brainstorming sessions, hold regular social activities outside the office, or even ditch C-suite titles. Not only will existing employees appreciate these initiatives, but your efforts to more fully realize your culture will show prospective candidates that your company really walks the walk.

Andre Lavoie is CEO of ClearCompany.