Employers should look as much at what they have to offer potential employees as what candidates have to offer them if they want to gain an edge when it comes to hiring talent, according to recruitment specialist.
Thorpe Molloy Recruitment has said more employers need to recognise that hiring is a two-way process.
HR division head Claire Hedley said: "Until recently the emphasis was always on what candidates had to offer to businesses and, whilst this is still a vital part of the process, it is now even more crucial that employers carefully consider the package that they offer to employees.
"This will help to ensure that they not only recruit the right staff but that they also manage to retain them," she added.
Employers also needed to recognise that attracting and retaining staff was not necessarily about paying the highest salary.
"Many people are now focused on achieving a healthy work-life balance and are interested in flexible working hours or the choice of having corporate membership of a gym," she suggested.
"In addition there is a growing awareness that we live in an ageing society and people are increasingly conscious of the need to make sure that they are able to provide for their retirement, therefore, for some candidates one of the most important components of their package will be employer pension contributions," Hedley added.
Employers wanting to make sure that they had the pick of the candidates in the marketplace looking for work needed to ensure the package they are offering does not exclude potential candidates from the outset.
"Where possible, employers should be flexible in terms of the package that they offer to employees," said Hedley.
"For example, pension contributions will be more important to some employees whereas others will be more interested in flexible working or the possibility that they might be awarded a bonus.
"Employers should always make sure that potential employees understand the total value of the package that they are being offered rather than just concentrating on the salary figure as this can sometimes make the difference between someone accepting or declining an offer," she concluded.