Your Culture is Your Currency: How to Attract More Qualified Applicants

It's a question hiring managers ask constantly: "Why are we struggling to attract qualified candidates?"

In the 2026 Hiring Trends Survey conducted by The Wilner Group, company executives overwhelmingly cited finding qualified candidates as their top hiring challenge for 2026.

This didn't surprise us. But here's the truth: If you're seeing constant turnover after one or two years, if your job postings aren't getting responses, or if candidates ghost you after interviews, the problem may not be the talent pool. It could be your company culture.

The good news? These are fixable problems. Let's examine three critical areas where companies lose out on top talent — and how you can turn things around.

Your Culture is Your Currency

You have to position yourself as an attractive employer. That means showcasing your culture through your website and social media platforms.

I challenge candidates to research companies before applying. Look at the messaging, see how they appreciate their employees. If there's nothing there? That's a red flag.

Do you highlight employee achievements, celebrate birthdays, and share team wins? These simple gestures create positive culture and don't cost much time or money. They show appreciation. When candidates dig into your company and see nothing, they assume you don't value your people.

Companies that attract top talent understand that it's not about how much you're paying anymore; it's about what employees get out of working there: leadership, culture, growth opportunities, and recognition. If you're not offering that, or at least showing that you offer it, candidates will move on to companies that do.

I also tell candidates to check Glassdoor. Yes, I take it with a grain of salt because dismissed employees tend to dominate the reviews. But if you see a consistent message around a negative culture, that tells you something.

Commit to Continuous Learning

Job hopping has become a thing since COVID, and that’s unfortunate. Companies didn't have training and onboarding programs for remote employees. People were onboarded haphazardly at best, expected to do a job while sitting on an island because they weren't in the office. So guess what happened? They got fired.

It’s not entirely their fault, but it's complicated. If you're remote and trying to learn a new job, you really need to show initiative. You need to be engaged and connected virtually. But employers need to provide that training program, too.

One of our fundamental principles at The WIlner Group is being a lifelong learner. Just because you trained me the first three months doesn't mean I shouldn't get a refresher every year. Companies should have something that engages employees to reach the next level.

Look Around

If you're experiencing high turnover or struggling to attract candidates, look at the companies that don’t have these problems. I can almost guarantee it comes down to leadership and culture.

The talent is out there. There are plenty of qualified, eager candidates who want to build careers, not just collect paychecks. But they're choosing companies that value them, show appreciation, and offer room for growth.

Make these changes, and you won't just attract better candidates. You'll keep them. And that's when the real magic happens: when great people stay, grow, and become the foundation of something exceptional.

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The Candidate Experience: Why Communication Matters More Than You Think

February 20, 2026

n the 2026 Wilner Group Hiring Trends survey, employers told us that their company's "slow hiring process" sometimes kept them from getting the best candidates. They're right, but not for the reason they think. Yes, speed matters. Candidates lose interest when processes drag on too long. But the real culprit isn't the timeline itself; it's the silence during that timeline. Communication is the most critical component of entering into a trusting relationship with a potential hire. It starts the moment you receive a resume and shouldn't stop until there's resolution, one way or another. And when it suddenly stops, you’re sending a very strong message to candidates. Here are three tips to improve your communication with applicants throughout the hiring process. 1. Always Keep Candidates in the Loop When priorities shift or timelines change, just say so. A simple "We promised you'd hear from us this week, but it's going to be another two weeks" goes a long way. But companies don't always do this. Many go silent. As recruiters, we're the mediators trying to keep candidates engaged and clients on track. We sometimes make excuses for companies because we don't want candidates to feel ignored. Candidates call us and ask: "Isn't this a priority for them? Why aren't they getting back to you?" That’s unacceptable. There's no excuse for leaving candidates hanging. 2. Don't Give False Hope Here's another unfair practice: telling candidates at the end of an interview, "This went really well! We'll have next steps for you," and then passing on them. Don't give them false hope. If you're not ready to commit, just say, "You'll hear from the recruiter about next steps." And please: no ghosting. Even if someone wasn't your top choice, give them closure. "We loved you, but we went with someone whose experience aligned slightly better with our immediate needs. We'd love to keep you on our radar for future roles." That's all it takes to preserve a relationship with someone you might want to hire later. 3. Streamline Your Interview Process We hear from candidates all the time that they become disengaged if the interview process drags on. According to one recent study, nearly 70 percent of professionals lose interest in a job if they don't hear back from the employer within two weeks of the initial interview. If the candidate hasn't heard anything in three weeks, that number jumps to 77%. Want to speed up your process? Limit your interviews for any role to three. Especially when you're working with an agency like ours; trust us, we've already done the initial vetting. Coordinate your interviews. Get two or three people in the same room if needed, but don't drag candidates back for a fourth or fifth round. When there are scheduling interruptions or endless callbacks, candidates get a sour taste. And they're probably interviewing elsewhere with companies who move faster. Think of the candidate experience as your reputation. When you work with a recruiting firm like ours, we pre-vet candidates and save everyone time. We negotiate compensation upfront and make sure there are no surprises. But we can only do so much. The rest is on you. You need to communicate clearly, move efficiently, and give candid feedback. Don't leave people wondering where they stand in your process. Because right now, every candidate you ignore is telling their network about the experience, and every drawn-out interview process is costing you top talent. Your next great hire is watching how you treat this one.