The Critical Role of People Professionals in Attracting Talent

Understanding the Attraction Stage

An employee’s experience with a company begins long before they submit a job application; it starts the moment they first encounter the organisation’s brand. Attraction is the first and possibly the most critical stage of the employee lifecycle. It’s not just about posting vacancies; it’s a strategic, story-driven effort to spark curiosity and inspire connection. It forms the basis on which all other employee lifecycle interactions, such as recruitment and retention, among others, hinge. A failure at this step causes a ripple effect throughout the entire employee experience. Attraction influences perception, drives engagement, and ultimately determines whether talent will consider your organisation an employer of choice. Organisations that have mastered and invested in this stage have found themselves strategically positioned in an increasingly competitive labour market. They pride themselves on having higher loyalty, lower turnover, and a reputation that sells itself. Talent attraction has increasingly become about crafting an authentic Employee Value Proposition (EVP), sharing real employee stories, and highlighting culture through social media, events, and networking. It is no longer a box to be ticked in the HR checklist, but a strategic, intentional, and tightly knit part of organisational success.

How Talent Attraction Shapes Organisational Success

The attraction stage is the phase where the battle for talent is won or lost. Winners get to hire the right talent and reap the benefits, including high retention rates, high productivity, and a great brand image. Losers, on the other hand, face high turnover, disengagement, and brand damage.

Firms with powerful attraction strategies fill positions more quickly, attract culturally appropriate individuals, and reduce the expenditure involved in hiring. Companies like Google, SAP, and Salesforce, that have realised and invested in these strategies, have grown to become talent magnets in the industry. These are organisations where people desire to work, even when they are not actively pursuing opportunities; however, those who fail to invest in this stage risk being overlooked, despite having highly qualified talents.

Attraction is also highly impacted by reputation. In this digital-first world, employee reviews and social media stories tend to move like wildfire. Hence, organisations must ensure that what they say and what other people hear about the company align. Truth matters, and it extends beyond simply explaining to people how great the company is. This should be well demonstrated through real-life stories, employee reviews, and a consistent pattern of actions. Ultimately, an efficient attraction stage enables companies to develop a sustainable talent pipeline that mitigates the risk of scrambling to fill positions reactively, allowing them to attract talent persistently and even passively.

Why People Professionals matter

People professionals take a central role in ensuring that the attraction phase is a success. They are responsible for shaping and delivering the organisation’s promise to its people. They actively craft the narrative that a company shares with the world, shape policies and practices that align with evolving workforce expectations, and build trust by ensuring the promise matches reality. This means that they are more than just HR administrators; they are strategists, brand ambassadors, storytellers, and culture champions. For instance, they are responsible for defining the employer brand and cultivating a reputation that reflects the organisation’s values, culture, and employee experience. They align what happens inside the company walls with what is shared externally, ensuring that when new talent arrives, what they experience is what they were promised. Without this bridge, even the most innovative organisations risk becoming invisible in the eyes of talent. People professionals hold the compass, guiding organisations to become not just employers of choice but places where people genuinely want to belong.

People Professionals and Employer Branding

At its core, employer branding is an organisation’s reputation as an employer. It is what people think, feel, and say about working for the organisation. This brand is not built overnight. It emerges from culture, leadership style, communication, policies, and even everyday workplace moments. People professionals shape this brand by translating internal values into external messages, ensuring consistency and credibility. By actively listening to feedback from both internal and external stakeholders and aligning messaging with organisational values, people professionals help to build a compelling identity that resonates with potential talent. They also coach leaders on living the brand, turning values into daily behaviours. This not only enhances the company’s reputation but also increases its ability to attract skilled and motivated individuals.

An effective employer brand answers questions candidates subconsciously ask: “Will I belong here? Will my work matter? Does this place fit my values?” If the answer is yes, attraction becomes easier. It is not achieved through glossy videos or polished slogans but through retaining authenticity. Job seekers today are savvy; they read reviews, speak with employees, and observe how a company stands during crises. A disconnect between the brand and reality harms trust and damages attraction efforts. Authenticity in branding humanises an organisation. Instead of sounding like marketing, it feels real. It highlights both the positives and the challenges of working there, which paradoxically builds more trust than perfection ever could.

The Power of Employee Value Proposition

Another powerful tool in attraction is the Employee Value Proposition (EVP). EVP is a clear and strategic statement that communicates what the organisation offers its employees and what it expects in return. Today’s candidates have countless choices. A clear, compelling EVP helps organisations cut through the noise. It’s a differentiator that attracts not just more candidates, but the right people who align with company values. It enables potential candidates to assess whether the company aligns with their values, goals, and working preferences.

In a multigenerational workforce, where different age groups have distinct priorities, this alignment is more critical than ever. Through policy development and culture championing, People professionals help in crafting an EVP that resonates across generations, understanding employees’ real motivations and ensuring promises are realistic and measurable. This means aligning policies, benefits, and recognition programmes with the EVP promises. For instance, if the EVP emphasises development, then mentorship programmes, learning budgets, and growth-focused conversations must follow.

According to a study by the Center for American Progress, 75% of adult respondents, primarily from the Gen Z and millennial demographics, expressed a strong desire for more flexibility in their work schedules. For many, the ideal employer is no longer just about salary or title, but about trust, autonomy, and balance. Therefore, a powerful EVP might tell the story of a company that introduced flexible work models during the pandemic and, seeing how productivity and morale improved, chose to make flexible working a permanent offering. Such a story signals to candidates that the organisation listens, adapts, and genuinely values its people.

Rather than a single promise, modern EVPs have become layered and dynamic, offering choice, adaptability, and personalisation. The goal isn’t to please everyone, but to remain authentic while addressing diverse needs. Employers recognise that a well-articulated EVP can help reduce hiring costs, enhance brand reputation, and increase employee referrals. When employees believe in the EVP, they become ambassadors, organically attracting talent.

Creating Long-term Value

By shaping the EVP to sell the company’s employer brand, it shows how people professionals do far more than fill vacancies. They create the conditions that attract the right people in the right way, ensuring that the first stage of the employee lifecycle sets the tone for everything that follows. People professionals influence culture, shape leadership behaviours, and build practices that foster loyalty, innovation, and reputation. By aligning employer branding and EVP with business strategy, HR teams help organisations hire people who not only have the right skills but who share the company’s mission. For instance, this alignment supports long-term success by reducing turnover and boosting engagement.

Moreover, when HR acts strategically, attraction becomes proactive. Instead of reacting to shortages, they build talent pipelines, nurture future leaders, and anticipate skills needed for tomorrow.

Challenges People Professionals face: Misaligned or Unclear Employer Brand

People professionals are likely to face challenges during the attraction stage that may hinder their ability to impact this stage of the employee lifecycle positively. Such challenges include a misaligned or unclear employer brand.

When an organisation’s external image doesn’t accurately reflect its internal culture, then there is a high possibility of attracting the wrong talent or failing to engage the right ones. Without genuine insight into what makes the organisation unique and appealing, it’s challenging to craft an EVP that resonates. Imagine telling candidates that your culture is collaborative and laid-back, only for new hires to discover an environment where competition overshadows teamwork. This mismatch doesn’t just cause disappointment; it damages trust, tarnishes reputation, and leads to early turnover.

Misalignment often stems from leadership decisions that overlook the employee perspective or branding efforts that prioritise appearance over substance. Sometimes, it’s because organisations rush to copy trendy perks from competitors without checking if they fit their unique culture.

Take the case of Missy Empire, a UK-based fast fashion retailer, which highlights how employer branding failing to reflect employee experience can severely damage an organisation’s ability to attract and retain talent. Missy Empire publicly promoted itself as a champion of female empowerment and confidence, targeting bold and ambitious women. However, former employees reported a very different internal reality, one marked by a toxic work environment, instances of bullying, and leadership that allegedly dismissed staff concerns. Many junior employees reportedly left within 18 months, and internal complaints were often ignored or inadequately addressed by the HR department. This disconnect between the company’s outward image and internal practices led to reputational damage, high turnover, and a loss of trust both within the organisation and among potential applicants.

The Missy Empire case vividly illustrates how HR failures at the attraction stage can undermine an organisation’s talent strategy. When HR fails to ensure that the employer brand aligns with the lived experiences of employees, the organisation risks undermining its entire talent strategy. People professionals must therefore take an active role in listening to employee feedback, addressing workplace culture issues, and ensuring that any employer branding is rooted in genuine values and behaviours. Simply projecting a compelling image to the outside world is not enough. Suppose the internal culture does not support the promises made to potential candidates. In that case, the organisation will struggle to attract and retain top talent. Ultimately, authenticity, transparency, and responsiveness are essential at the attraction stage of the employee lifecycle, and it is the responsibility of HR to uphold these principles.

For people professionals, the challenge is to constantly bridge the gap between promises and practice. It means talking to employees, auditing policies, and challenging leadership to walk the talk. Fixing a misaligned employer brand isn’t about rebranding an organisation’s social presence; it’s about transforming experiences so the external message genuinely reflects reality. To overcome an occurrence like that of Missy Empire, people professionals should engage in active listening and data gathering, both internally and externally. Conducting employee surveys, exit interviews, and candidate feedback sessions can reveal valuable insights into what people appreciate or despise about the organisation and its culture. Additionally, analysing competitor employer brands and industry trends can help identify gaps or opportunities. By using this information to shape an authentic, inclusive, and value-driven EVP, people professionals can more effectively attract talent that is not only qualified but also aligned with the organisation’s mission and culture.

When alignment is achieved, the impact is powerful. Candidates see consistency between what they hear, what an organisation’s employees say online, and what they observe during interviews. That consistency is magnetic because it feels honest and dependable, qualities modern talent values now more than ever.

Conclusion

Attracting talent today isn’t about flashy perks or superficial branding. It’s a profoundly human process built on trust, authenticity, and a clear promise of Value. People professionals stand at the centre of this transformation. They are the bridge between internal culture and external messaging, ensuring organisations not only attract but truly deserve the talent they seek. By understanding the attraction stage, building an authentic employer brand, and crafting a compelling EVP rooted in authentic culture, organisations move from reactive hiring to proactive engagement. Challenges will always arise, misalignment, outdated assumptions, and cultural blind spots, but with data, active listening, and leadership support, they become growth opportunities. Ultimately, it’s about creating workplaces where people not only work, but also belong. Where the stories told online reflect the lived reality inside. And where attraction becomes less about marketing and more about genuinely being the kind of employer applicants choose, stay, and thrive.

FAQs

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