3 Things that Trip Up Employer Branding

Investing time, hours, and money into your employer brand is worthwhile if it’s done authentically. Often, companies do it because they think they should and that’s when the effort becomes a colossal waste of resources. Here are a few scenarios where employer branding, when not done from the heart, can fail and some thought starters for how to right the ship.

Problem - When leadership doesn’t walk the walk.  Leadership - directors up to C-level - has a responsibility to exemplify the company values through their communication, interactions, how they manage, give feedback and generally just do business.  This is an internal and external responsibility. If these interactions aren’t a function of the values that are core to the employer brand, why should anyone else in the company uphold them? Over time, the tether to the values becomes looser and looser which leads to a decline in the external facing employer brand, but a deficiency of purpose among employees.

Solution: Communicate the critical importance of sticking to the values to leaders, and do it by using crucial data like employee turnover rate and the cost of hiring, feedback survey results that highlight level of happiness of employees, candid feedback (anonymous of course) from employees. Give employees prime examples of leaders who both do and do not uphold their values so they see the potential negative implications if they don’t lead by example.

Problem - When you attempt to copy a similar company’s employer brand: Yes, it takes work and time to establish and manage your employment brand, so it may seem like a smart idea to mimic a similar company and call it a day. Please, don’t. While the product may be similar, there are nuances and needs to culture, energy, and process as well as outlook on important matters like advancement, training, and leadership development. To assume you can copy and paste how another company does it shortchanges your own unique value proposition. This approach is not authentic to your brand and in the long term (and potentially short term), could self-destruct.

Solution: Think like a lean startup and establish an MVP - Minimum Viable Product.  What are 1-2 things you need to establish right away to straighten out a fledgling employment brand?  Do the company values need dusting off? Administer a survey and ask two questions: What are three things that work about being at this company? and What are three things that are not working about being at this company? Figure out the mission critical items that are tripping your wires and get to those first. Over time, address other priorities.

Problem - When you don’t identify your ideal employees: All brands identify their ideal customer, so why wouldn’t you identify your ideal employee? Define, very clearly, and based on company values, how your ideal employee shows up - from skills to attitude, to what drives them and how they want to grow. This streamlines your recruiting and makes it more likely you on-board individuals who match the skill sets needed and show up with leadership and commitment.

Solution: Identify your ideal employee by considering the types of contributions they will make, their level of industry expertise, education or certifications, achievements and risks taken, what relationships they have, and what, if any, unique skill sets they have like presenting or negotiations. Define who you’re looking for so you can refine and strengthen your recruiting process.

Employer branding is the accumulation of establishing, executing and upholding both tangible components and intangible variables of your company. It’s a process of trial and error that takes cues from the industry and requires willingness to take risks, take time, and champion the process to senior leadership, ongoingly.