IVP Beats EVP Every Time - as the World of Politics is Finding Out

Right now it’s debatable exactly how much value EVP adds to the recruitment process.

In theory, it makes sense: EVP or Employee Value Proposition is important because it tells a candidate exactly why you’re so amazing. A long list of really persuasive details and statistics is all you need for candidates to come flooding in, right?

Wrong. In the real world, what usually happens is that the company forgets the whole point of EVP – tangible benefits - and in answering ‘why should someone work here?’ goes on a long detour of self-promotion. The EVP becomes just another boring corporate branding exercise.

With everyone doing it, you stand little chance of having any impact. As one of many companies rattling off a generic sales pitch, your candidates will stop listening. And if your EVP has lost touch with reality - say if you are struggling to differentiate yourself from your competition, and your claims have become increasingly outrageous – they will stop listening all the quicker. This is compounded if you are a big company trying to create a ‘one size fits all’ EVP that ends up appealing to no one.

The only solution is to turn the whole concept upside down. Change the ‘E’ to an ‘I’ and you get Individual Value Proposition. It sounds like just another piece of jargon, but it’s not.

The idea behind IVP is personalising all your interactions with candidates. What a CFO wants to hear is different to what makes a Head of Marketing get up for work in the morning. They might want different benefits depending on their situation. What you choose to communicate will be the difference between a ‘no’ and your next great hire.

The politics of Trump and Theresa May’s Conservatives are a great example of how this works (or not) in the real world. In the UK, a lack of attention to the audience has backfired spectacularly, and across just a few weeks, an expected Tory landslide completely disappeared. Labour surprised everyone (including themselves) by gaining 32 seats. How did all this happen? Because the sitting leader failed to see how out of touch her approach was. Avoiding public debate and using old-fashioned print to denigrate the main opponent simply didn’t sit well with the mood of the people.  

What does this story tell us? Take the lazy route when marketing to your audience and they will see through you straight away. Instead, spend time on getting the data and insights that will tell you who they are, how they are different, and how you can tailor your message accordingly. In our politics scenario, one of Labour’s key winning strategies was to put traditional print media at the back of the queue, and instead engage with the young vote via social media. Likewise, every recruiter should be asking themselves – who am I trying to talk to and how can I best communicate with them? In most cases, a lone job description sitting on a website isn’t going to be an effective solution.

The next question is – what is the right way to communicate? The key is to treat your candidate like you would a customer for your business. Recruiters can’t rely on a great brand (or one that’s ‘strong and stable’) in order to sell the job to the candidate. Just as politicians are learning that people vote for the policies they want, TA professionals need to understand that brand loyalty isn’t a motivator any more. Ask yourself: what is your candidate looking for in a job? If they don’t want to move location and want a top salary – then that’s what your messaging needs to say.

In practical terms, pay attention to your emails, phone calls and any other form of communication, and make them suit the person you are talking to. If you are spending money on branding and marketing, make sure funds are directed into the channels that are appropriate for your audience. To come back to our politics example, the President of the United States has decided – rightly or wrongly – to shun traditional presidential means of communication and to instead use his personal Twitter account to reach the public. While controversial, in terms of securing his fan base, it has definitely worked. A constant stream of communication, on the kind of messages that resonate with the audience, keeps them engaged with the ‘brand’.

At the same time, bear in mind that moving jobs is one of the biggest decisions someone will make. Ensure that your candidate gets their own personalised conversation, but that it can still be taken seriously.

Look also at what you are sharing, as well as how. Technology now offers easy ways to create exciting and customised content that can appeal to whoever you want to target. Make the information fun to look at and easy to consume, and you’re much more likely to start the conversations you want.   

Ultimately, the best way to create an effective, authentic-feeling dialogue is to get your employees involved. Traditional marketing messages are a big turn off as they lack a human feel. No one can tell a more compelling story about your brand than the people who are already working there. This is borne out by the fact that referrals are still the number one way to find new employees – nothing beats a friend, family member, or former colleague telling it how it really is.

Make a referral programme part of your recruitment strategy, and spend time on communicating out to existing employees, as well as making it a part of the induction process for new hires. This is a great way to reinforce your brand messaging and keep it actively promoted throughout your business. In short: trust your employees to sell your company in the right way and you’ll reap the rewards.

And, lastly, don’t be afraid to directly ask your customer, the candidate, what it is they want. You might be surprised by the answer.

The disclaimer: views are my own and do not reflect Naspers’ position, strategies or opinions.