{"id":107,"date":"2018-12-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-18T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sageamptesting.wpengine.com\/en-au\/blog\/?p=107"},"modified":"2026-02-05T20:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T09:14:13","slug":"the-secret-to-hiring-the-best-talent-and-turning-them-into-star-performers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/the-secret-to-hiring-the-best-talent-and-turning-them-into-star-performers\/","title":{"rendered":"The secret to hiring the best talent (and turning them into star performers)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPeople & Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe secret to hiring the best talent (and turning them into star performers)\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\tLuke Thomas<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

As a HR professional, you have to attract the right talent and help them grow into a role. The problem is you face stiff competition not only from other companies, but even from inside your own company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how can you find and retain the best talent, help them succeed and your company thrive?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting recruitment right<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to a LinkedIn survey<\/a> of Australian and New Zealand HR professionals, the three biggest obstacles for attracting top talent are: finding candidates in a high-demand job pool, agreeing on compensation, and competition from employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to overcome these obstacles, know that attracting the right talent starts before you conduct your first interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It means communicating to the job market what your company wants\u2026 and what it will offer talented employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIncreasingly people are less compelled simply by financial reward and are seeking other things as well,\u201d says Jon Ingham, strategic HR consultant and author of Strategic Human Capital Management. \u201cIt\u2019s that total reward proposition that needs to come across.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s about understanding how people work best. So factors like flexible working, professional development or an appreciative environment are often highly attractive to talented candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Free research report: The changing face of HR<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Seismic shifts in the way organisations operate, work, and manage their people are occurring. We surveyed 500+ HR leaders to discover how they are responding.<\/p>\n

Uncover insights on how to stay ahead and transform HR from a process focused function to a people driven business.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Report<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Competing on talent<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many HR managers and directors worry about competing with other companies for top talent and wonder if they can recruit someone without breaking the bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what should you do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTry not to compete,\u201d advises Ingham. \u201cFirstly, that\u2019s expensive and secondly it doesn\u2019t really help you retain people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf people only join [a business] because you\u2019ve offered a higher salary than a competitor, they won\u2019t stay for long. Eventually, someone will offer them a higher salary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re concerned about what your competitors are offering, you\u2019ll stand a far better chance of attracting top talent if you clearly communicate why you\u2019re an attractive employer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn innovative reward proposition can be part of showing [talent] that [a business is] thinking differently,\u201d says Ingham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you do that smartly, very often the type of people you want will be different to the type of people your competitors want.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On boarding your hires<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your job doesn\u2019t end once a talented candidate signs a contract. To justify the investment of time and resources, it\u2019s vital that top talent commits to your business.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To increase commitment, Jon recommends HR managers help new employees build relationships with colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the things many [HR professionals] forget is the team-based element of an organisation,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you can help people form those relationships firstly you can help them perform effectively. Secondly, you will increase commitment because you have given them a social network in the workplace as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once people feel welcome in your business and part of a team, they\u2019re less likely to leave because of conflict or your business\u2019s management style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople join organisations [but they] leave people,\u201d says Jon. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about a manager relationship, it\u2019s about relationships with lots of people in the business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing new recruits into star performers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Companies that offer professional development opportunities will naturally attract talented employees, as will those that help new hires grow professionally.<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how can you help new talent succeed and contribute to your business?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of smart organisations are redefining recruitment from getting somebody into the organisation to [hiring] somebody who is performing in their job,\u201d says Ingham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can help talent in their jobs by providing 360-degree feedback, graduate development programs, courses at external institutions, and even cross-functional project assignments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about coming in on that first day into the office and doing an induction program. [Talented employees] are getting ongoing coaching and mentoring within that first six months,\u201d says Jon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The secret to your success<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t need superpowers to succeed as a HR professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start by clearly communicating to the job market what your company offers and how you\u2019re different from competitors. This helps you avoid competing directly and reduces talent recruitment costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once contracts are signed, the real work of on boarding talent begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s then up to you as a smart HR professional to ensure new recruits feel valued and have what they need a week, month, and year into their role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Free research report: The changing face of HR<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Seismic shifts in the way organisations operate, work, and manage their people are occurring. We surveyed 500+ HR leaders to discover how they are responding.<\/p>\n

Uncover insights on how to stay ahead and transform HR from a process focused function to a people driven business.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Report<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Subscribe to the Sage Advice Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Get a roundup of our best business advice in your inbox every month<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a HR professional, you have to attract the right talent and help them grow into a role. The problem is you face stiff competition not only from other companies, but even from inside your own company. So how can you find and retain the best talent, help them succeed and your company thrive? Getting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":845,"featured_media":379,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,91,74],"tags":[222,233],"business_type":[9],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[107,103],"imagine_tag":[42,65,25,40],"coauthors":[277],"class_list":["post-107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-employing-people","category-leading-people","category-people-leadership","tag-hr","tag-recruitment","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-au","author_name":"Luke Thomas","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-175138834_super.jpg","imagine_tags":{"42":"Enterprise business","65":"HR and Payroll","25":"HR software","40":"Mid-sized business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice Australia","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/845"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=107"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=107"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=107"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=107"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=107"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-au\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}