In a down economy, companies have their choice of talented candidates vying for jobs — often-times those they are more than qualified to hold. However, California appears to be regaining its momentum, as the unemployment rate is lower than it’s been in years.

The California unemployment rate has been steadily declining in 2015. In January, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.0%, dropping to 6.3% in June — the lowest it’s been since February 2008. At 7.3% as of June 2015, the (non-seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate is slightly higher in Los Angeles County, but this still represents a sharp decrease from the 8.2% realized in June 2014. Conversely, Ventura County had a below state average 5.2 percent (non-seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in June 2015, compared with a 6.4 percent in June 2014.

Now that more jobs are available, it’s important to work extra hard to entice top talent to join your team. It’s probably going to take a little more of an effort than needed during the past few years, but they’re worth it, so don’t give up.

How to Draw Top Talent in a Competitive Environment

Use these three tips to make the best and brightest want to be part of your organization:

1. Offer Flexible Working Conditions: Being stuck in a cubicle from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. is a thing of the past. Get the best workers on your team by allowing them to choose their own hours (within reason) and work remotely. People are happier and more productive when they can do their jobs on their own terms.
2. Provide Attractive Benefits: Make a job at your company hard to pass up by sweetening the deal with great incentives. This can include a wide variety of options, such as 100% paid healthcare, generous vacation time, free Friday happy hours, complimentary fitness center memberships or a 401(k) match.
3. Build an Outstanding Online Presence: The most talented people do their homework before applying for a job at a company. Create a robust online presence to make them eager to join your team. Use your website to share employee testimonials, photos of your office space and team accomplishments. Supplement this by using your social media accounts to regularly share information detailing why your company is a great place to work.

If you’re looking for the best talent the industry has to offer, contact Barrington Staffing. We are so confident in our screening and evaluation process that we guarantee the skill set of our temporary employees. Our direct hire placement services are also generously backed with a placement satisfaction guarantee.