Coaching Conversation 13: Recruitment & Brand. New Year, New You?

In Brand Engagement,I describe the term brand, as the sum of the promises you keep. Whether individual, product or organisation brand, in the long run, it's all about reputation.

Given the acceleration of so-called social media as an influncing force since the publication of that first book, it must be apparent to all but the blinkered that brand management is a critical component of recruitment from both sides of the "fence", whether recruiter or potential candidate.

A new year is traditionally a time for reflection, taking stock and making plans. So what better time than the start of a new decade to gather a select group of experts from my network of soft skills specialists to reflect on the relationship between brand and recruitment?

This unique group first came up with a "killer" question each, which their peers then answered, without consultation.

For this conversation I was delighted to be joined by:

Jackie Le Fèvre

Rob Robson

Michelle Reid

Q1: What’s the difference between employer branding and recruitment marketing?

Employer branding is, for me, the external representation of the employee experience. Recruitment marketing is the process by which the company seeks to attract people.

For me 'brand' should always be an expression of the purpose and values of the enterprise - reputation forms part of it but identity is the heart. Communicating this sense of organisational self is the task of marketing. The channels chosen, the messages crafted, the imagery evoked should all embody the purpose and values expressed in the brand. So if your organisation claims to value equality/diversity/inclusion then your channels should be selected to connect with potential candidates of varying characteristics and your vocabulary should be inclusive, chosen to be mindful of gender/faith or ethnic features.

The latter is one of the components or activation arms of the former. Employer branding has many facets that should also extend to supply chain management and internal stakeholder engagement not usually included under recruitment marketing.

For me, Employer branding is how you are seen by potential candidates, clients and anyone who is interested in your business or working for you. This includes your website experience, ease of navigation and how easy it is to understand what it's like to work for or do business with you. Recruitment marketing is when you are actively promoting and / or targeting an audience to generate a talent pool / applicants for any live roles you have.

Q2: If we believe that the pace of change will not slow, what can or should employers use as a basis for recruitment given that skills become outdated quickly and work itself is in a constant state of reinvention?

There should be a vision of the business that implies what broad skills and qualities will be required for the longer term. Demand for technical skills comes and goes, sometimes unpredictably. However certain skills, such as developing relationships, will always be needed.

Always remember that humans are beautifully evolved to learn and adapt. We are all capable of change and growth. We are most likely to change and grow when we want to do it. We want to do those things which most closely align with our highest priority personal values and enable us to accomplish something we see as meaningful. In the future those individuals who will thrive in work will be those that have found something to do that feels worthwhile in an environment which supports active experimentation and is psychologically safe. So the basis for recruitment becomes more about employers showcasing the positive impacts they make and inspiring individuals to prefer to use their energies and talents there rather than somewhere else - the language of contribution and co-creation rather than of service and compliance.

I would suggest first of all each vacancy and the skills required are assessed to ensure best match for the future (including a review of internal development options) and then apply a blended approach to recruitment. For example where not only are you using the most innovative technology / online tools that you can (ATS, careers pages, CV & online search, online advertising, Sponsored jobs, ppc, linkedin / twitter etc) but are also utilising internal teams to be brand ambassadors (i.e. promoting roles in their network, posting reviews and to friends / family) and utilising proven relationships with recruitment agents / head hunters to maximise the search|?

Same argument as always. There needs to be continuous improvement built into the system.

Q3: Where do you stand on recruiting for culture fit?

I stand over there where the “optimum” or desired future culture conversation is happening not back there where the people who are part of the problem are still arguing about current culture, already out of date.

Without some cultural alignment between the values and beliefs of the individual and the organisation everyone is heading for a stressful and unproductive future. Fit is not about seeking to create monocultures full of clones. Fit should be about diverse values and world views which share connections and alignment with the core identity of the organisation so that both the work and the way of working can enjoy coherence. This is not about looking for candidates with the 'right' values or 'matching' beliefs. It is about saying "here is what we stand for and why we stand for that".......if that makes sense to you and you can honour these things that matter here and bring your own individual contribution to broaden and strengthen our activity that would be fantastic.

For me it’s a delicate balance. It’s not about just recruiting people that will fit in, because that simply cuts off a supply of innovation and change, but recruiting to the future vision. At the same time we don’t want to recruit people that will “throw up on the carpet” or struggle unnecessarily.

I believe that you should be recruiting the right candidate for the role who will support the team / business to achieve their strategic objectives and who has the skills you need to move forward. This may be cultural fit for now or for the future. I don't believe in recruiting purely for team fit, as this may just add 'more of the same' particularly if you are looking to evolve and develop the team for the future.

Q4: Why do HR departments always seem to be more reflective of the culture they claim to want to change than the culture they need to support with recruitment?

I'm not sure that all HR departments fall into that basket. Where HR departments are not living breathing exemplars of the culture to which they say they want to shift this could be because: a) they don't really want to change they are just saying what they think others expect them to say b) they know that the culture in the department/section/site for which they are recruiting would be toxic to a new starter found through a fresher process c) they do not believe that the organisation as a whole is serious about shifting and so it is not worth trying to move themselves when in a few weeks or months everything will just go back to 'normal' d) no one has given he HR department time/space or support to work through what the desired culture would look and feel like in their work so they have little or no idea how to embody the desired culture e) everybody is scared

Because they are often toxic hotbeds of passive aggression focused on self- interest and survival, seldom practising what they preach to others.

Honestly, a lack of commercial and forward- thinking focus.

HR Depts tend to look inward and can be reactive rather than thinking out the box and partnering effectively with the business at a strategic level. I also don't think HR Depts have as much confidence as they could have and therefore don't showcase the value they can add to the business well enough.

I don’t know. Are they?

Q5: What's the best way to ensure that the recruitment supply chain meets the changing needs of the business?

Do a lot of listening: not just sporadically but systematically.

Set up mechanisms to gather feedback from candidates about the highs and lows of their experience of the process and ask them for improvement suggestions. Make sure every step in the chain is consciously and overtly aligned to organisational purpose and values and stays that way - dissonance breeds mistrust. Involve managers and future supervisors in understanding more about the recruitment process so they can keep recruiters up to date with the realities of challenges at an operational level and can generate ideas and other input to keep every element of the process contemporary. Invest more time and thought in relationships with candidates irrespective of how far they get in the process. In this age of hyper connectivity between individuals do not underestimate the power of peer to peer commentary on who is worth working for and who is not.

Stay close to the business strategy and to broader trends - in the industry and economy in general. Keep an open dialogue with internal stakeholders.

A multi-faceted approach (in no particular order). 1 - Businesses should be partnering with schools, colleges and universities to develop the skills needed for the future as well as providing new talent with the opportunity to develop skills and experiences. 2 - Continually review in house skills and offer development opportunities for existing team members therefore maintaining employee engagement and retention. This will also help the evolution and development of mentoring and coaching skills. 3 - When a vacancy arises assess the value of the role i.e. cost, ROI, strategic alignment, business development opportunities etc and recruit for growth not just "like for like" 4 - Use your teams as your business ambassadors. They will have access to peers and networks and are best placed to promote your employer brand. Don't be afraid to engage and use to your advantage (although wisely!) 5 - Be open to new and diverse talent. 6 - Embrace new ways of developing talent i.e. apprenticeships, graduate development, secondments, project roles etc 7 - Create and maintain a strong employer brand using every means available to you (Partner with your Marketing team, they are geniuses in this area!)

Make it accountable by measuring its outcomes then ruthlessly changing if it doesn’t deliver.

Well, as you head into the new year, how do these refections resonate with your thoughts as you plan for the new decade?

If you're looking to build your personal brand leave a comment, join the debate or join us for a future Coaching Conversation.