In a competitive job market, how can employers stand out and win talent?

A booming job market is great for workers — and challenging for the companies trying to hire them.

“We’re in the hardest hiring and retention environment of the last 25 years,” said Matt Watson, CEO of money management platform Origin. “It’s a challenging time because of how much choice employees have. If you want to be a place where people bring their talent, you have to take care of them holistically.”

Speaking at a panel at Employee Benefit News’ Workplace Strategies Agenda on Wednesday, Watson was joined by other business leaders to discuss the wildly competitive state of hiring in a post-COVID world. Increased options for employees means increased pressure for employers, who are working to recruit and retain workers that are more vocal than ever about the support they’re looking for from a workplace.

Read more: No degree, no problem: Workers without degrees may be the key to tackling company labor shortages

“Employees want training and development — they’re looking to employers to provide both internal and external opportunities for learning to help them rise up the ranks,” said Sirmara Campbell, chief human resources offer of staffing firm LaSalle Network. “If someone is interviewing for an entry-level position, we’ll have them speak to someone who started in that same position at the company so they can see the growth potential.”

Sending thoughtful signals to job candidates can be particularly impactful for Gen Z and millennial candidates, who are especially eager to understand what a company’s opportunities and culture are before signing on. Job descriptions should detail all aspects of culture, training opportunities and benefits, Campbell said, but companies should consider that candidates will explore a brand’s digital identity, as well.

“It’s important that companies have a strong social media presence,” she said. “As much as some of us have a love/hate relationship with those platforms, Gen Z and millennials love social media, and you’ve got to speak their language and use those tools to portray the culture of your brand.”

Read more: Why returning to normal 'was not working' for this HR leader

But the challenges don’t end once an employee accepts an offer, said Dionna Smith, global head of diversity, equity and inclusion at Thumbtack, an online platform that connects customers with local professionals. To build a foundation with an employee that will help create long-term loyalty, businesses should examine their onboarding processes.

“Especially for companies that decide to remain remote or hybrid, we’ve got to get a heck of a lot better at onboarding,” she said. “That part of an employee lifecycle is so important, and doing it via Zoom adds an extra challenge. We have to help them understand the culture, connect with their peers. We have to make sure these processes are equitable in a different way than we thought about them when they happened in person.”