Just as candidates need to show who they are and what they’re about through their application materials and resumé, employers need to do the same in order to attract and retain the best talent.
Enter: employer branding.
What is employer branding? In short, it’s how employees and potential employees perceive your organization. It’s your reputation as an employer including your company values, mission, and treatment of staff.
James Ellis, author of “Talent Chooses You: Hire Better With Employer Branding,” calls employer branding “the perception of your employee experience — and it can make or break your recruiting efforts.”
Here are a few keys to developing and showcasing your employer branding to both future and current employees.
Think about this: Over half of adults say that company culture & values are more important than salary. Seventy three percent of adults say that they wouldn’t even apply to a job ad at a company if the organization’s values didn’t align with their own personal ones.
So, what are your values? What is your mission? This means more than just what your company does.
Take some time to understand your core values and overall mission. These values need to be clear so that any content, web design, social media posts, and more are consistent and implemented throughout the organization.
And with 9 in 10 employees saying they’d leave a company if values & culture deteriorated, this is something you should be focusing on in the long term — not just for recruitment purposes.
That being said: ensure that values, mission, and culture also find their way into your job postings. Remember, many people won’t even apply for a job if they don’t feel the company aligns with their values. Adding that information into job descriptions is a great way to get your values across clearly right from the start.
People are good at spotting when something isn’t authentic.
Any misrepresentation of your company or brand will only harm your reputation. With websites like Glassdoor and LinkedIn, employee reviews will uncover any dishonesty or inauthenticity, greatly harming your reputation & making your company seem untrustworthy.
Use photos and media of your actual employees, not just stock photos. Incorporate your true values and mission into your website and job posts, not just things that sound good.
Create content that incorporates your values & mission naturally and organically throughout your company’s site, ads, job posts, and more.
Getting feedback from current, past, and potential employees is the best way to understand how your brand is perceived by the audience you’re trying to target. Feedback also helps you understand where you need to improve along with what’s working well.
Ask current employees:
For past employees, asking for feedback during their exit interview is a great option. You could also reach out down the line if a relationship is maintained:
One of the most helpful areas of feedback would be from job candidates and interviewees. For new employees, you could ask:
Even candidates that turn down a job offer are a great source of feedback:
The answers to these questions will help you better understand where you need to improve your employer branding and give you some specific areas to work on.
Employer branding is just as important as the branding & marketing you portray to your clients & customers. Implementing consistent employer branding from everything from the job description to your career website to your mission statement will help your company stand out from the crowd.
The struggle to stand out doesn’t end there, though. Your job postings are amongst millions of others that are also right at your potential candidates’ fingers.
Jobiak can help. We can get your jobs ranking higher, seen by your target audience, and stand out from the crowd of confusing application processes easily and quickly.
Learn more about our recruitment technology here, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.
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