Are Employee Stories Part of Your A/E/C Recruiting Efforts?

How are you connecting with recruits who may be considering joining your Architecture/Engineering/Construction firm? You want to hire diverse employees while also focusing on retaining your existing workforce.

Key statistics emphasize the challenges:

• The National Center for Construction Education & Research reports that 41 percent of the construction workforce will retire by 2031.
• The Engineering Management Institute says 96 percent of companies surveyed said talent shortages in engineering will impede their growth.
• A Stambaugh Ness survey of A/E/C and environmental firms reveals that recruiting new staff is the top issue, at 77 percent. The survey also cited the lack of mid-career professionals as a concern.

With such fierce competition for top talent, showcasing authentic employee stories can set your firm apart. Many firms want to increase diversity. These stories show a firm’s commitment to an inclusive workplace and may attract a broader range of candidates.

When recruits consider joining an A/E/C firm, they want to know what it’ll be like to work there. What’s the culture like, and will they fit in?

Scott D. Butcher, FSMPS, CPSM, highlights the importance of demonstrating company culture through authentic messaging. Employee case studies are one way to articulate that culture and create a strong employer brand.

“Your company must demonstrate that you’re the real deal if you want to become a destination for talent while retaining the talent you have. And you need to back it up with actions, policies, and culture,” says Butcher in the ENR article “Trouble Recruiting Talent? It Could Be Your Employer Brand.”

He adds, “Only when you can articulate these actions, policies, and culture in your marketing messaging, backed by authenticity and employee promoters, will you have a strong employer brand.”

Do Recruits Share Your Values?

One firm that successfully used employee stories to share its values is Fickett Structural Solutions. I worked with President Andy Fickett to create a corporate identity piece. In this narrative, Fickett and five diverse employees explain how the firm lives its values.

The company invites recruits to review the core values to see if they align with their values.

Fickett says the piece has been successful in the firm’s recruitment efforts.

The brochure “helped us hire new staff and interns in a competitive market,” Fickett adds. Check out the piece at https://blaizecommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/CID_Fickett.pdf.

Highlight Employees in Case Studies

One way to show how a company lives its brand is by creating employee-focused case studies. Through these narratives, employees tell their stories of what it’s like to work at a company.

Many firms may have brief videos or a paragraph or two that highlight an employee’s experience. These approaches offer some insights, but an extended case study provides more details and context. One option is linking a short employee video to a more detailed case study.

What do recruits discover when they visit your website? Do you have compelling career pages that reveal your company’s values? Are diverse employees represented?

Employee-focused case studies provide valuable information about a company. They go beyond brief testimonials and provide accurate, in-depth insight into your company’s culture, values, and opportunities. They can help recruits envision themselves as part of your team.

How to Create an Employee Case Study

Employee case studies are one more way to create a human connection with potential employees. Develop these success stories using this six-step process:

Step One: Identify Strategic Employees

First, who would you like to feature in an employee-focused case study? Consider selecting employees who represent needed positions in key market areas. Also, look for individuals who reflect a firm’s commitment to a diverse workforce. Would their stories align with your firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals?

Employees who share their experiences can serve as role models for others. Upper management and human resource leaders can help identify the strategic hires they seek.

Step Two: Get Employee Buy-In

The next step is to ask selected employees if they’d be willing to be featured in a success story. It could be a video interview or a written narrative of one to three pages.

The final narrative would be approved by the employee before it was published. Throughout the process, keep the employee informed and explain how the case study will be used.

The featured employee would build their brand as a successful team player. They would be asked to participate in a 30- to 45-minute interview and then approve the draft.

Step Three: Write the Case Study

Include your in-house marketers in the planning process. Will they be able to write the employee-focused success story, or will you need a qualified freelance writer?

Before the interview, develop and share questions with the key company contact and the employee.

The case study should include the employee’s background. Encourage the featured individual to share their challenges. How did the firm encourage their success and provide growth opportunities? Have they felt accepted and empowered?

The employee can discuss the company’s values and culture. They may contrast their current job with previous jobs.

Here are some additional questions:

• What skills have you learned in your position?
• Would you like to comment on challenging issues?
• Does the firm provide accommodations for employees with disabilities?
• Do you enjoy working at your firm?
• What would you tell recruits who are considering joining your firm?

Step Four: Get Feedback and Approval

Once your writer interviews the employee and prepares a draft, the team lead or HR representative and the employee should review it for accuracy.

If needed, the writer can ask a DEI advisor to review the narrative to make sure it avoids biases.

Case studies typically are two pages long but can be longer if they use many photos and graphs. At the end of the case study, you can share your firm’s information, logo, and contact information related to job openings. Or you may wish to write shorter case studies that would appear on your website.

Step Five: Design the Case Study

A professionally designed case study helps capture a reader’s attention. Elements typically include the employee’s headshot, at least one callout quote, and photos that help tell the story.

You can also include a sidebar to highlight critical elements not contained in the main text. In addition, you can list an employee’s credentials, key projects, or hobbies to add some interest.

Step Six: Promote the Case Study

Once you have a completed case study, brainstorm ways to use it. Human resources personnel and others involved in the hiring process could send an employee-focused case study to recruits. You could link to it from your company’s career page or use the information in a blog post.

Here are some other ideas:

• Distribute case studies at career fairs
• Use key elements in social media posts
• Include the case study in internal newsletters
• Use the case study as the basis for a video script

Employee case studies are an excellent way to showcase some of your employees and differentiate your firm. They’ll help create a more authentic connection with recruits and other stakeholders.

Want to Know More?

If you’re interested in employee case studies, contact me at [email protected]. To learn more about case studies and storytelling, subscribe to A/E/C Connect or visit blaizecommunications.com. If you have a challenge or question you’d like me to address, feel free to post it in the comments section below. ?

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