Employer Branding - Can you improve?

I recently hosted a talk on this topic. As an ex-marketing professional, for me the lines between marketing and recruitment have always been blurred and they 100% work hand in hand.

We are strong advocates of our own employer brand when it comes to hiring talent at MCG& Group, but as a trusted agency partner to our clients, we also need to get under the skin of our clients. I’m always of the opinion that you should showcase ‘what it’s really like to work somewhere.’  That should give an insight into company culture, career progression and the team, for job seekers, this is essential:

From a recruiting agency perspective, it’s now even more vital to be a true partner to your clients and to develop a system and structure that allows you to be a key influencer and broadcaster of your clients brand values and for in-house teams, defining this message is of key importance when looking to bring in top talent to your firm.

Here are some tips on how to improve your employee branding.

1. Define your message

Create an authentic message and tone of voice for your brand, so that candidates know exactly what to expect as an employee. Make sure the brand voice is consistent at every touch-point by aligning the messaging on your website and marketing collateral.

2. Nurture your culture

Recruitment plays an influential role in nurturing culture, ensuring the right-fit talent is brought on board. Consider what type of culture you’re aiming to create. For example, 83% of millennials are actively engaged when they believe an organization fosters an inclusive culture and there are lots of things you can do to make hiring more inclusive. Employer brand is a reflection of your culture rather than something that can be prescribed, and so building a positive culture is the root of a strong employer brand.

3. Understand brand perception

Employees will undoubtedly use platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Glassdoor and Indeed to share their experiences. In fact,in the UK Glassdoor reports that 70% of people look at reviews before they make career decisions. These platforms are a source of valuable feedback to address elements of your employee value proposition. Of course, not all employees will be happy all of the time but look out for pain points that could deter right-fit talent from applying.

4. Build brand advocacy

Thanks to technology and social media, marketing is no longer the guardian of brand. Both corporate and employer brand are in the hands of your employees - and customers. I read in a rcent article in the Drum that 84 percent of people trust peer-to-peer recommendations over any other form of advertising according to marketing magazine, the Drum. This applies to recruitment too. Hence, it’s vital to get everyone who can amplify your employer brand on-board, from front-line staff, hiring managers and agency partners. Afford employees some freedom on social media and provide platforms for them build their own brand by sharing elements of their working lives with others. Consider how you can use posts from employees on enterprise social networks, internal Facebook groups and intranets on your career social channels.

5. Embrace technology

Technology lends a huge boost to employer brand by providing better communication channels and improving the candidate experience, from their first engagement with a company right through to on-boarding. Technology can streamline candidate engagement, job search, applications, assessment and selection processes, as well as interview scheduling and feedback. Thanks to technology, all recruitment teams,  can provide an exceptional candidate experience that reinforces employer brand.

6. Treat candidates like customers

Candidates are treating job search as if they were online shopping – this is certainly true in Singapore! As part of their research job-seekers want to know about your company’s expectations, work style and interview process. They may also leave reviews about their candidate experience. Therefore, it’s important to provide a positive, consistent, fair and engaging journey. 

7. Use storytelling

Once you’ve initiated contact with target talent, keep potential candidates engaged through regular communication. Telling the story might include landing pages that show videos relevant to job roles posted or sharing stories from current employees about their own experiences.

Storytelling is an opportunity to make your brand personal, to tell the story of real people rather than the faceless corporate. By using engaging human narratives, you’ll better attract the type of candidates who could see themselves creating similar stories. Therefore, increasing the probability that right-fit talent will enter the top of the recruitment funnel.

8. Add depth

There are plenty of tactics beyond words that you can use to actively promote your employer brand. Providing an appealing vision that inspires people can often be best accomplished visually – through photography, imagery or video. Many of our clients are exploring social media channels like Snapchat and Instagram to connect with their target talent populations. Depth also means making communication a conversation rather than a one-way street. 

9. Own your space

Make sure you are where your target talent is. Whether it be LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, make your impact in the right places. Microsoft uses Twitter to showcase #MicrosoftLife while McDonald’s uses Snapchat to reach out to younger recruits.

10. Connect employer and corporate brand

A positive candidate experience adds value to both employer and consumer brand. And conversely there are risks: this is true in Britain where I'm from, as 25% of UK job-seekers have either stopped purchasing or purchased less from a brand because of a negative candidate experience. Employer brand enables those outside your organisation to understand your purpose, vision and culture.