Attractive, Attraction, & Attracting

“Oh yeah, yeah. Tractor beam...sucked me right in.”

- Lloyd Christmas, Dumb and Dumber

Lloyd really didn’t stand a chance when he drove Mary Swanson (Samsonite?) to the airport, as he later told his best friend, Harry Dunne. It was attraction (and comedy) at the highest (and lowest) level. As an employer, you don’t have a tractor beam, so you need to work a little harder to attract high-quality candidates for open positions. But what is the difference between being an “attractive” employer and “attracting” candidates? And why does it matter?

Attractive is an adjective and is important to both job seekers and employers. It is subjective in nature...think “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Attractive employers generally receive more resumes and can be more selective, and attractive job seekers generally have more options.

On the other hand, attraction is a noun. Like a magnet, it is the force that draws you toward a particular job opportunity. Employers that aren’t perceived as attractive need to create an attraction to increase the number of candidates in their applicant pool.

That leads us to attracting, which as a verb, implies action. It is during this process that you highlight your positive qualities and actively recruit candidates. Whereas you have less control over the first two, you are in full control of attracting talent.

I invite you to listen to Episode 4 of Consultant Conversations, where Mike Mueller, Keith Soriano, Todd Smith, and I discuss how to best attract talent in this tight labor market. You can find it on your favorite podcast platforms:

Anchor Breaker Google Podcasts Pocket Casts Radio Public Spotify

We'd also welcome the opportunity to have you submit topics for the four of us to bounce around over a good cup of coffee. I can't wait to hear what you have in mind.

I’m telling you there’s a chance,

Jason Boaz, PGA, ARWC

PGA Career Consultant

Serving the Southwest and Sun Country Sections of the PGA of America

PGA Certified Golf Professional

Advanced Resume Writing Certification

319.651.3510

jboaz@pgahq.com