Have you ever wondered why certain companies attract more top talent than others? How is it possible that some organizations can effortlessly stand out to potential employees while the rest struggle to fill their available job positions?
The answer is—Employer Branding.
In today’s competitive and ever-growing job market, employer brand is key to your company’s success. It is the detail that draws the distinct line between the best companies from the rest.
What Is Employer Branding?
Employer branding is the heart of your company. It’s a mixture of your organization’s vision, mission, culture, and personality. This is how you present yourself to your current employees and how your customers perceive you as an organization.
Though your company and employer brand share the same DNA, you should realize that they are different. Your company brand influences customers to choose your product. It helps in making customers choose your items and services over your competitors.
In contrast, employer branding is how you are perceived during the recruitment and onboarding process. It is a strategy that aims to attract job seekers by advertising the entirety of your brand, including the process from interviews to actual talent acquisition.¹
What Are the Benefits of Employer Branding?
We’ve already established that employer branding can make your business unique compared to other companies with open positions. But how exactly does it draw the imaginary line? What makes it so important for you as an employer or hiring manager?
1. It attracts promising candidates.
An employer brand is like the cover of your book – it is the first thing book lovers see even before they read the synopsis. Considering this analogy, your branding should make your target audience ‘reach’ for your company even if it is on a shelf filled with so many other job opportunities.
A strong employer brand can showcase the best parts of your company to attract top talent. It helps you build a positive reputation within the job market and differentiates your organization from your competitors.
2. It retains present employees.
Clear statements of your values and objectives are not only for potential workers but also for your current ones. If employees are all on the same page concerning the goals of your company, you will be able to build a more like-minded community.
When employees share the same views, they tend to create a sense of community which, according to a Harvard business review, increases their productivity by up to 58 percent. It also increases the likelihood of your workers staying with you by roughly 66 percent.²
3. Decrease time and cost per hire.
Now that you have existing employees that foster the same principles as you do, it’ll be easier to attract top talent by having them share their own employee experience!
Instead of posting about how you’re a good employer, potential candidates can learn more about it from your own team. Whether your staff shares their thoughts on social media or through word of mouth, it’s still free and authentic marketing for your brand that saves you both time and money.
Employer branding strategy can improve your overall reputation and can attract top talent through your employees’ network and employee engagement.
Best tips to build Employer Branding
You now know the benefits of a strong employer brand. You fully understand how important it is to have branding that describes you as an employer.
All that’s left to do now is to create an employer branding that best represents your company identity. The following tips and suggestions will help you do just that!
1. Make your branding attractive.
A good employer brand is determined by how you present your company to your target audience. Learn to paint your brand as attractively as you can but with honesty and integrity.
- Advertise your company by showing its best parts.
- Phrase your values and culture into sentences meant for potential employees to read and understand.
- Avoid technical and complicated terminologies.
- Write in a manner that can reel them in.
2. Keep your scripts updated.
You need to stay up to date with events that can affect your potential employees. A strong employer does not only consider their own needs but also their candidates. Aside from keeping well-informed websites and social media accounts, you should also include statements about social responsibilities.
According to employee surveys conducted by Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC), 40 percent of the employees they asked are ready to leave their stable positions if their organizations do not take a stand on issues that matter to them.³
In another survey by the same entity, more than half of the respondents said they won’t even consider a position in companies that don’t share and defend the same values that they do – no matter how great their candidate experience was.
3. Give rewards for referrals.
Introduce Incentivized Employee Referral Programs (IERPs) in your company by providing monetary or gifts depending on how well their referrals are. If you want to encourage referrals, provide incentives for your workers.
- Give them tokens of gratitude once their referral hits the 90-day mark with your company.
- Send out gift cards for those who referred new hires to critical positions.
- Celebrate with your team by having lunch with them outside the office.
Your outstanding workers already know your company’s needs. Who can better recommend excellent talent for open positions?
4. Conduct active sourcing.
Posting a vacancy and waiting for the best candidate is a thing of the past. If exceptional candidates are applying for jobs but they are not the perfect match for this position, don’t waste the opportunity by letting them go.
Instead, conduct active sourcing by keeping them on file for the next time you have an opening. Who knows, they might be the best candidate for a position opening in the future.
Maintain a tracking system—a spreadsheet or other database—to track who you’ve reached out to, their strengths, and how they might fit into your company. Then you’ll be ready to go during your next hiring process.
5. Mobile everything!
If your recruitment process isn’t mobile-friendly from post to application and beyond, then you do not have a strong employer brand. You can definitely kiss top talents goodbye!
Applicants applying via their smartphone outnumber those viewing it on their computer. As stated in a report made by HCM Technology, almost 70 percent of job applications in the year 2021 were sent through mobile devices instead of laptops or computers.⁴
Make your opening more accessible by making your website available through mobile. This will surely increase your chances of finding the right fit!
6. Use boomerangs.
Have you lost any employees who you’d give anything to hire back? Many people are returning to former employers after finding that the switch they made wasn’t so desirable.
Stay in touch with those shooting stars who leave your organization. It’s best if you can maintain a good relationship even before they go. Let them know that your company will accept them with open arms in case they decide to leave their new jobs.
7. Allow potential employees to “meet the family”.
Around 66 percent of applicants believe that interactions with employees are the best way to get insight into a company. By meeting your current workforce, they would be able to gather a more honest and authentic view of what it’s like to work for you.
The ultimate approach is a multi-step interview where the chosen candidates have the chance to meet the team.
Remember to be confident in your employees. Give them a chance to be candid. As long as you are a good employer, you have nothing to worry about!
NEED MORE TIPS ON HOW TO CONVINCE CANDIDATES TO CHOOSE YOU AMONG EVERYONE ELSE?
Remember, branding is not a one-time thing.
Your employer branding is a continued effort that requires care and constant progress. Ultimately, it is the tried and tested strategy to reach the top talent in your industry.
If your business is eager to hire top talent, partner with experts who understand your target audience. Contact Focus People and help us, help you—today!
References:
- Barck, Jonas. “Why Employer Branding Is Still A Key Priority in 2021.” Forbes, 1 Nov. 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2021/11/01/why-employer-branding-is-still-a-key-priority-in-2021/
- Porath, Christine & Sublett, Carla. “Rekindling a Sense of Community at Work.” Harvard Business Review, 26 Aug. 2022. https://hbr.org/2022/08/rekindling-a-sense-of-community-at-work.
- Dhue, Stephanie & Epperson, Sharon. “Most workers want their employer to share their values – 56% won’t even consider a workplace that doesn’t survey finds.” CNBC, 1 July 2022. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/01/most-workers-want-their-employer-to-share-their-values.html
- Oladipupo, Solomon. “Almost 70% of 2021 Job Applications Were Made from Mobile Devices.” 3 March, 2022 https://www.hcmtechnologyreport.com/almost-70-of-2021-job-applications-were-made-from-mobile-devices/