As we enter the next decade, it’s very clear that attracting and retaining top talent in your organization is critical to long-term success. I also believe HOW a leader or organization attracts top talent and retains key people has really shifted, and we must evolve with the trends to remain relevant.
With just one search on Google, LinkedIn, or other online platforms, mortgage leaders can access more information than ever before on potential recruits.
It should be easier than ever to find top talent, but the mortgage industry’s use of outdated and out-of-touch recruiting methods is holding it back.
But those that take the necessary steps to learn, grow and teach their teams how to do this and put great systems in place will have huge success. If you do your recruiting right, top talent should be knocking on your door, not the other way around. The conversations we all see are happening around the modern originator learning to integrate digital technology to direct to consumer and local referral partners’ experiences results in a huge pivot to the recruiting game.
The past was all about selling how great your company is or the tools and programs you offer. It was more of a “let’s see how many people we can talk with and just sell, sell and sell some more with hopes some say yes” strategy.
One of the challenges here is that you fall into the comparison game and fail to connect and build a relationship to know if you and the candidate are in alignment or a model match. These types of conversations are very transactional and typically don’t lead to someone joining or staying somewhere for very long because it never fails that someone else will come along and promise them more. There is a better way.
HERE ARE A FEW THINGS I SEE THE ELITE RECRUITERS IN THIS SPACE DOING:
Systems matter: Author and entrepreneur James Clear shared, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
I believe this is true and the best companies and leaders attracting top people are consistent in working and upgrading their systems. They don’t just have a system – they provide consistent training, look for ways to innovate and improve processes in order to provide a better internal and external experience for customers and team members. One key takeaway in this is every interaction, meeting and phone call should have a defined next step. Involve key partners and current team members in the process along the way. Collaboration and feedback are necessary for improving systems.
Providing a career environment vs. a job environment: Create Culture. But how do you do that? I believe companies and leaders need to get clear on their vision and values and share these regularly to align people with a bigger mission to instill that the work you do together has value.
Once you have this clarity, you can confidently share what you believe and why you believe it, and you will attract and also repel the right people. The stronger and more clear your message, the more powerful this gets. The reality is your company and team is not a perfect fit for everyone so we shouldn’t approach it that way. The best teams come together and collaborate, train, share ideas and help that team become better knowing they have a real voice and can make a difference.
Giving value and leading by example: This is key for both attracting and retaining your best people. I look at it this way – people join with hopes and dreams, and it is our responsibility to ensure we know those and support them along the way to achieve both.
Your best advocates for attracting new top talent can be found within your current team. Let your team members share their why and stories of growth and success. Share testimonies from team members you have mentored. Include other departments in conversations that demonstrate how all departments collaborate and work together. The best teams are very well connected, communicate openly and have their focus on the big vision while also giving team members the tools and opportunity to grow and achieve their own personal and professional success.
In a world where people are following along in your journey on social, we have so many tools to connect; your personal brand and how you share the three points above by documenting what you are already doing will differentiate the top 10% from the 90%.
Lenders and recruiters should be building their personal brand so they are viewed as a leader that talent wants to connect with — a must-have connection instead of a nice to have. Share your values clearly and give insights into what it would be like to work for your team in the process. This switches the dynamic so that lenders can stop chasing talent and start attracting it.
The attracting and retaining of top people is critical to any business and its long-term success. Collaboration is KEY! We can all learn from each other and execute our plans to fit our goals and targets.
If I can see what it would be like to work at your company, on your team, and really what the true culture is like through this process, there is a greater opportunity to attract and retain the best people that are a fit for your organization. Keep things fun, and remember: You are building relationships.
