As companies increasingly compete to attract top talent in often limited industry pools, substandard benefits packages and lacklustre job advertisements have fallen out of favour for both the businesses involved and the employees seeking to choose between them. Instead, attracting top talent nowadays means providing a genuine reason to look your way, which often includes benefits like extra holidays, hefty pension funds, and, of course, a competitive salary.
Unfortunately, overpromising on the employment front can lead to job disappointments, high turnover, and reputational damage that means the best probably won’t look your way again. To ensure you avoid this with tempting yet honest job advertisements at all times, look out for the following signs that you’re making the mistake of overpromising during your onboarding.
Promising what you can’t deliver
While it can be tempting to stretch what you know you can manage when you see your competitors doing the same, if you don’t feel you’ll be able to realistically deliver what you’re promising to new recruits then you probably won’t. Instead, you would be far better off considering other ways to make your company stand apart, such as using your job advertisements as a chance to highlight top clients, focus on company culture, and even push opportunities for advancement. That way, there will be no disappointment, because you’ll be starting every employment journey with honesty, and a whole lot of realistic promise in mind.
Annoying your existing staff
Word gets around in any company, and if you’re putting out a shiny new job ad with more benefits than your existing team gets, they’re quickly going to resent you and any new employees. New contracts with way more benefits and wiggle room than you give your current team will especially go down like a lead balloon, or even see you seeking employment tribunal services in the face of discrimination charges. To avoid this, you should either keep your job advertisements in keeping with what you already provide (which clearly worked to secure the team you’ve got), or you should consider complete overhauls that keep things equal, even if that means offering slightly less to new prospects.
Having to make cuts elsewhere
Many employers are feeling the pressure to make cuts so that they can compete on the job market. Unfortunately, this is never a good idea, both because it means compromising on otherwise crucial elements like your marketing strategies and product development, and because it again highlights inequalities. After all, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to free up enough funds and resources to benefit everyone who’s working for you! Instead, it’s always better to keep on putting as much effort as you can into your company itself. After all, the stronger your company, the stronger your prospects of attracting top talent regardless of the specific or monetary benefits you can offer them.
Overpromising during onboarding can feel like the only way to secure a top team, but there are alternatives, and you can find them by simply considering these warning signs that you’re pushing your recruitment efforts too far.