A key element to address the current hiring crisis is to become an employer of choice. This class of employer has people wanting to work for them because of their reputation of being a great place to work.

I interviewed professional recruiter Joanne Vassiliou of Prestige Human Resources about the current situation, and she pointed out that to become an employer of choice means that companies need to invest in creating a good work experience for their employees.

She explained that employees want good benefits, to be treated with respect and to have opportunities to grow and develop. She said that satisfied employees will leave positive reviews about their employer on sites like Google, Indeed and Glass Door.

Reputation has become open to everyone online and potential employees will look at what others have to say about a company, which will greatly influence their decision to consider employment there, according to Vassiliou.

Building a good reputation as a good company to work for takes time to build and thus needs to be part of an employee attraction strategy. Every size company needs to plan this important component of their operations otherwise it can have a serious impact on their ability to grow and be profitable. Several examples of this was given in an article in the French daily newspaper La Presse.