Hiring top talent: Boost your business communications

An insightful and well-planned communications programme will engage and persuade your target audience – both customers and employees. An experienced public relations (PR) professional on your team can ensure that your brand is front of mind when consumers are making a purchase decision as well as sell the lifestyle of your organisation to attract potential candidates. Your internal communications team ensures that employees are kept up to speed with news and developments in your organisation. These professionals are vital in helping to boost levels of engagement and retaining top performers.

So when hiring such talent, what should you be looking for and how can you be sure you are viewed as an employer of choice to these professionals? 

There are a number of key capabilities that you should assess when selecting from a shortlist and interviewing potential candidates. The two common themes that run through all communications roles are the need for exceptional writing skills and the ability to manage stakeholders effectively. When searching for a comms professional to join your team, flawless attention to detail and an exemplary use of English are essential. You can assess this by reviewing their CV carefully but during the interview process is where you will get a full picture of their capabilities. 

However, these skills aren’t easily identifiable. To truly gauge a candidate’s suitability for a role and to get a better feel for their communication style, try asking competency-based questions as these require a candidate to provide examples of work they have done. Following on from this, one of the best ways to assess a comms specialist’s abilities is to have them undertake a written task. For more junior candidates, this might be writing a press release or social media post whereas, for a senior comms leader, this might mean, for example, that they need to construct a communications plan.

In addition to the everyday role that your comms team plays, PR professionals also deflect and offset any bad news or controversy surrounding an organisation, as well as providing a clear and concise viewpoint to the general public. When hiring for such a position is it vital that you assess their ability to work through a problem and respond to a crisis. Responsible for communicating business updates, information about special events, and supporting the organisation’s employee well-being initiatives, your internal communications team contributes positively to productivity by reducing staff turnover through increased engagement. Past experience in such positions, is highly valuable in internal comms roles. 

However, finding the right people is one challenge, winning top talent is another. The market is competitive, so it’s important that during interviews that you also sell the business and the opportunities to the candidates. Interviews should always be a two-way conversation in which the candidate also has the opportunity to learn more about the position. 

To ensure that you stand out as a top employer and attract the talent you want and need, it is important that you have a good understanding of what they are looking for.

Good candidates want to work for organisations that really value the importance of a strong communications team and offer clear opportunities for career development. Be sure to highlight the opportunities for progression that are available in the role that you are hiring for. This can be discussed further in the interview and will allow the candidates to share their longer-term goals. 

Increasingly, flexible and dynamic working are highly sought-after benefits and are particularly prevalent in this function. Flexibility in the workplace is becoming an important factor in attracting and retaining top talent. In comms roles, much of their day-to-day work can be undertaken remotely. By allowing your team to flex their work around their personal lives you open your business to a much more diverse pool of talent in the market. 

If you are looking to hire a new comms professional into your team, get in touch with your local Michael Page office. Our consultants are specialists in their industry and business sector and in the local areas. Not only do you receive a bespoke consultative service but you also benefit from our national database of top candidates and over 40 years of recruitment expertise.

Managing Consultant, Michael Page Marketing