How To Improve Employer Branding & Ace Recruitment

Recruiting top talent isn’t getting any easier. It’s only getting harder in today’s overcrowded job market. For the past few years, HR teams have been doing everything they can to attract job seekers, persuade them to apply, and keep them engaged until they’ve successfully joined your company. So here comes the big question: How can you make candidates come to you in this increasingly competitive market for talent?

It all comes down to this - Employer branding. Below you’ll find questions, answers, and tips on improving your employer brand and acing recruitment.

But first off, what is an employer brand? 

An employer brand is also known as your ‘talent’ or ‘people’ brand, which essentially defines the company’s reputation as a place to work. It showcases your company’s essence, how it differs and stands out from other companies, and your Employee Value Proposition (EVP). It communicates that your company is a credible employer and a top workplace, leading to higher recruitment, engagement, and retention of your current workers. 

Why is it so important?

A strong talent brand affects whether qualified candidates accept your offer or join a competitor’s team instead. It directly influences the organization’s overall success from forming an all-star team. Let’s take a look at some key statistics.

According to TalentNow and LinkedIn, 

• 86% of potential candidates say they won’t work for a company with bad social standing

• Organizations with a strong employer brand noticed a 43% drop in recruitment costs

• A strong employer brand led to 2.5x more applicants, this means you can be choosy about who you want to add to the team

• The top 3 areas to improve your employer brand are: your company website (69%), online professional networks (61%), and social media (47%)

• 64% of your customers will stop buying from you if they hear about your poor treatment of employees

So how and where do we start? 

It boils down to crafting your brand as a brand that resonates with job seekers. With websites like Glassdoor providing a space for dissatisfied employees to vent their grievances, it can feel a little overwhelming to think about how you can improve your employer brand since we have no control over social media and what people say about your company. That is why it is best to start creating the ultimate employment branding strategy step-by-step.

Step 1: Invent Your Company’s Story

Employment branding is storytelling, and you can pen it however you want. If you do not actively narrate your employment brand, your brand will eventually be defined by others. What’s worse, your competitors might give their version of what it’s like to work at your company, and without any proof to the contrary, their story could become a reality.

Dive back into your company’s core vision, mission, and culture, and then take proactive actions toward making that culture your employment narrative. Draft an EVP that showcases the corporate values and unique benefits employees can expect in exchange for their talents and performance. 

One way you can do this is by presenting your valuable culture and EVP across all your platforms - website, social media, and job descriptions. Make your narrative come alive with eye-catching photos, videos, articles, and employee testimonials. 

Step 2: Perform An Audit Of Your Employer's Brand

Inspect your employer brand from a job seeker’s point of view. Conduct both internal and external research from your website, job descriptions, social media, and internet searches, all the way to firms that conduct reputation monitoring. 

For example, you may read through your website from a candidate’s point of view, paying more attention to your careers and mission pages. Does it communicate your employer's brand story? Are your vision and mission expressed with clarity?  

Scroll through every platform with detail, find out what’s working at your company so you can keep doing it, and discover areas of improvement, especially with the recruitment process. 

Step 3: Utilize Recruitment Marketing

Similar to the marketing funnel, the candidate must first be aware of your brand, be interested in it, decide to apply to an open position, and finally act upon an offer. Using basic marketing techniques like asking the questions, “Who are we trying to reach?'' and “What do they want?” can help you craft an employer brand message that speaks directly to your desired target market.   

Step 4: Let Your Employees Tell Your Brand Story

Without your employees, your employer brand is nothing. What’s more, your employees are the ones who foster your company’s culture, define your values, achieve your goals, and turn your mission into reality.

Here’s how the winners do it: Apple, ranking third on the employer brand index, showcases photos and quotes from current employees on its job website. In short, the tech giant has successfully turned its employees into brand advocates.

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