Upon waking up from our post-event hibernation we sent out a survey to attendees of our previous event to get a general consensus of how it went down. Not only does this provide insights for future attendees, but there’s some great intuition for companies looking to join us at our next event.
Below we’ve highlighted the key takeaways from the event in order to help you stand out amongst the 200+ strong crowd of the most exciting companies in tech.
Bring your A team
We’ve got nothing against your HR team, but our attendees have told us that they much prefer getting to know those that they’re going to work with if they get the job, rather than the typical HR conversations that they’re use to having.
One of the biggest compliments we get from attendees who have attended is the value they receive from having conversations with the likes of CTO’s and Heads of Marketing/Operations etc. We understand your HR team will have a vital role to play in bringing a new person on board, but when it comes to selling this job to an individual we can guarantee you’ll have much more success if you follow this piece of advice.
Clarity is key
We want all companies attending siliconmilkroundabout to succeed, and one way of doing this is to clearly signpost the jobs you’re looking for. This makes it easy for attendees to see if you’re right for them, and means you’re meeting the right people who have the skills you’re looking for.
It can be as easy as a chalkboard or whiteboard with a list of your current jobs. However, some companies go the extra mile and have a pull up banner, or t shirts with the relevant positions. It’s completely up to you and your team how you set up your stand, but be sure to shout about the positions you’re looking to fill.
Promote your perks
Attendees of siliconmilkroundabout love hearing about companies, and one way of grabbing their attention is by shouting about your employee perks.
Unlimited holiday, flexi-hours, and cycle-to-work scheme are all pretty basic perks, and something the majority of companies at our events offer. Other perks such as free lunches, sabbaticals, private healthcare, or Visa sponsorship are much more likely to attract attention from our attendees.
Your Plan of Action
If you like one the superstars attending siliconmilkroundabout, chances are another company did too, and so you’ll want a clear and simple filing system so that when it comes to contacting them on Monday morning, their details are easy to find.
You’ll spend the weekend collecting information on a number of awesome candidates, so you’ll want a process in place. We’ve had lots of companies rave about Akkroo in the past, but the key is to ensure you have a solid process, and your whole team is briefed.
Another common tactic we see at our events is to have 1 or 2 people at the front of the stand, welcoming people and getting to know them. These people then introduce the right attendees to the 1 or 2 colleagues further back. This is a great way of filtering the right attendees through your process, whilst politely moving on those that aren’t right for you.
We also have multiple chill out areas situated around the brewery that some companies often filter through to. Personally, we’d love to sit at a free bar within a brewery and chat with potential employees.
At siliconmilkroundabout it’s all about providing attendees with a casual environment for them to find their dream team, and we’re always looking for ways we can improve the event. This means if we feel we can help companies find the perfect future employees then we’ll do what we can to help.
To find out more and book yourself a spot at SMR click here – and we’ll look forward to seeing you in November.