Why Chambers Should Take the Lead on Talent Attraction

You know this, but we’re saying it anyway: Talent attraction is a major challenge for your members.

Often, the greatest barrier to success for companies — of all sizes, in all cities, in every industry — is access to new, engaged, recruitable talent. At last year's ACCE Convention in Indy, we asked chamber leaders what their members’ number one priority was. The answer? Talent attraction. Over and over and over. Marketing your community to incoming talent and providing clear paths to local employment is something your member companies can’t do on their own. It’s a tangible and valuable opportunity to meet the real and urgent needs they have right now.

Why are chambers the right organizations to provide powerful solutions to this growing problem? We’ll give you five reasons.

Your members can market their jobs and company perks. Chambers can market the community as a whole.

When it comes to getting the word out about career opportunities and company benefits, your members know exactly what to do. They’re well versed in how to advertise specific jobs and are comfortable talking to candidates about the perks and culture they have to offer as a company. What do they often need help with? Telling the right story of your community as a whole: the unique quality of life the region has to offer, the welcoming people standing by and the wealth of opportunities available beyond the job itself. Chambers can and should support their employers by doing what they do best: acting as community cheerleaders and storytellers.

As connectors, chambers are uniquely positioned to build and nurture the local talent attraction ecosystem.

A successful and comprehensive talent attraction strategy is a complex endeavor with lots of moving parts. From engaging local employers to aligning with tourism marketing to pulling in higher education partners, effective talent attraction requires deep collaboration. Chambers fulfill so many roles in a community, but perhaps above all, they’re connectors. Who better to create and leverage connections between many different partners and stakeholders to effectively attract talent?

Talent is a rallying point.

By taking the lead on talent, chambers have a potent opportunity to rally the community around a singular goal. Everyone — from partner organizations and member businesses to Uber drivers and artists — is part of the talent attraction ecosystem and effort. While different entities, organizations and individuals have different focuses and priorities, everyone can agree that talent attraction is an important and worthwhile cause. It’s a path forward that requires and inspires true collaboration. And chambers should be at the center of it.

Even rapidly growing cities can’t afford to coast on talent.

Recently, we were chatting with the president of a chamber in a major city that has been experiencing rapid growth and national buzz. “We have 100 people a day moving here, which is great,” he said. “But I don’t know who those people are or how to make sure they feel welcome and connected.” Even chambers in markets experiencing rapid growth need to be proactive and intentional about the way they attract talent and get newcomers plugged into the community. If population growth isn’t an issue for your community, you can still carve out an invaluable role as a welcoming “front door” for incoming talent.

Leading on talent is a way for chambers to underscore their relevance and value.

Proactive, future-thinking chambers are not only listening to their members’ struggles and concerns. They’re seeking out bold solutions and delivering tangible, trackable results. For years, chambers have heard from their members that they are struggling to find and retain workers. Today, progressive chambers are taking a bold stance: If our members need talent, we’re going to be the ones delivering it to them.

There’s a robust and interconnected community of chamber leaders across the country who are proudly taking on this challenge. If you want to be part of the conversation to move our industry forward, join us at RoleCall’s inaugural Talent Attraction Summit in Flint, Michigan, this June. We’ll be diving into all of these topics in depth, with a focus on building connections and sharing actionable solutions. We’d love to see you there.

RoleCall is a talent attraction agency serving clients across the country. Founders Winona Dimeo-Ediger and Tim Carty have over 20 years of combined experience in the chamber and economic development industry. They’re passionate about pushing chambers into the spotlight as the most critical and valuable partners in talent attraction strategy and community development.