Chasing talent: Employer branding solutions for recruitment

In a world where businesses pursue talent—rather than the other way around as it used to be—one puzzle that HR managers lose sleep over is: What do candidates want?

Today, apart from fair compensation, benefits, work-life balance, job satisfaction and other concerns, a majority of job seekers want to work for a company they can be proud of.

A Glassdoor survey (January 2023) says:

“Public persona is important. Almost 70% of workers surveyed said it’s extremely or very important that their employer has a brand they’re proud to support... with 70% also saying it is... very important that an organization’s leadership team actively promotes the company’s values and culture.”

In business speak, “public persona” translates to a company’s employer brand (EB)—the reputation it has as an employer, both within its workforce and among job seekers at large.

Building a successful EB needs vision, strategy and empathy.

Here are some broad perspectives on effective brand building:

Tell a good story: How should your organisation be perceived in the job market? The answer to this question will determine your narrative’s focus. Create messaging that speaks clearly about your company’s needs to the candidates.

Walk the talk: Good storytelling should be backed by authenticity; it is important that your company is what you say it is. Enthused and happy employees will help amplify your message. The opposite is also true! Disgruntled employees venting their frustrations on social media can take the shine off your employer brand.

Furthermore, an EB that closely aligns with your organisational values ensures that candidates are clear about what to expect if they join your company.

Getting started

Behind every successful story is good planning. Here’s how you can get going:

• There are no rules to define effective storytelling. One company may highlight its CSR initiatives while another will talk about its career development policies. Emphasise your priorities so you get noticed by the audience you want to attract.
• Audit your current EB to understand how job seekers and employees perceive the company. Send out employee surveys, collect opinions through social media searches and track reviews from employment sites. Analyse this data to understand what’s working for your EB and pinpoint areas for improvement.
• An Employer Value Proposition (EVP) is a snapshot that features what makes your company a desirable workplace and what employees like about it. EVPs are widely varied. One business may highlight its vibrant work environment. Another may focus on employee benefits. Create an EVP that plays to your consumer brand strengths but is directed towards your employees and job seekers.

Promote your EB on a host of channels. Here are some ideas:

Careers page: This space on your company website offers versatile ways to attract candidates. Use it to post content here, highlighting specific aspects of your company as an employer. For example:

• Write posts on the company’s vision and mission, employee benefits, work culture and commitment to career development.
• Showcase employees’ accomplishments.
• Post unscripted employee testimonial videos.
• Write appealing job descriptions that include content on employees’ daily routine.
• Talk about your tech-based, bias-free recruitment methods.

Social media platforms:

Explore digital spaces where your audience is largely present:

• Post high-quality images, videos and slideshows that capture the company ethos or display attractive workspaces on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. This gives candidates a sense of what it’s like to work for your company.
• Select social media channels to communicate a range of content, from organisational values and goals to on-the-ground activities like official events, company offsites, CSR initiatives, etc.

Employees as ambassadors:

Job seekers trust employees’ opinions over other sources of information. Encourage your staff to share their work-life experiences on social media and employer review websites.

Are your strategies working?

Analyse the impact of your branding strategies on talent acquisition to determine future strategies. Some essential hiring metrics to track are:

• Cost-per-hire
• Time-to-fill
• Quality of hire
• Retention rate

Also, use your research and employee feedback to identify areas of your EB that need updating such as compensation policies, hiring processes, work schedules or inclusivity programmes.

Employer brand building pays off in the long term with more effective hiring, a healthier bottom line and a productive, enthused workforce. Professional recruitment companies can help you get there quicker.

Resources:

• blog.hubspot.com
• hbr.org
• oktopost.com
• glassdoor.com
• linkedin.com/business