September 25, 2018
Embracing “employer brand thinking” is the next evolution to modern recruiting. It helps candidates understand not only what the job and the company is all about, it helps them see the likelihood that they will fit in and be a match to the company’s DNA. Before you can build your employer brand and a strategy that supports it, you have to be able to define what your culture is, so start there! It’s very important that newcomers to your brand are easily able to understand your mission and values as an employer. Be clear, even about the more challenging parts of working for your company, that way candidates know what they are getting into before they even apply. This saves you time, which means you are saving money.
For strategies to leverage employer branding, look inward to find tools and resources that let you “try before you buy.” Every company has untapped resources they can use to see the kinds of impact a future investment in employer brand might yield. Here are some great ideas on how to use your existing assets to prove to your boss that it really is time to take employer brand seriously.
1. Surveys
Surveys are a great way to get a pulse on how your employees are feeling about working for your company. Before you begin your employer branding program, conduct a culture and engagement survey for your employees. This provides you with a good baseline and makes measuring success in the future much easier. The survey will allow you to see how engaged your employees are with your brand now and compare changes down the road. You can also use the results and particularly inspiring answers to your open-ended questions as marketing collateral. Check out this resource guide from SHRM on how to make an effective employee survey program.
2. Career Page
Most companies’ career pages are incredibly underutilized. Your career page is a great opportunity for you to include the following types of videos to gain traction with and inform candidates of your company’s story:
3. Employees
Your current employees are an army of promoters at your disposal. They should be your “go-tos” as brand ambassadors. Add “brand promotion” into your job descriptions so your employees know what’s expected of them. Take advantage of the natural strength of each employee by having them focus on their area of expertise and what they are passionate about.
Empower your employees by encouraging them to post their personal experiences about working for your company on social media. Have them bolster their LinkedIn profiles and describe what it’s like to work at your company in the summary section. This employee-generated content can easily be turned into content for promotion across your company social media channels, as well as on your careers site and blogs.
4. Social Media
At this point, a social media presence for your business is almost universal, but make it a priority for someone to update all of your company social media pages. Make sure the images are all current and the company logo and a cover image are included.
Keep in mind LinkedIn users can and will search for keywords, so make sure you have words that describe your business in your profile. Once your profile is fleshed out nicely, make sure you are sharing relevant and captivating content consistently to keep your followers engaged. And don’t forget about SEO! We’ve seen that once Pages gain 150 followers, their opportunity for growth becomes exponential.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor is a fantastic employer branding tool if used correctly. They key is to respond to all reviews, both positive AND negative. Many Glassdoor grievances start with the candidate interview experience and can be avoided by simply respecting the candidate.
5. Interview Experience
A candidate’s interview experience can make or break their impression of an employer. Therefore, treat each candidate how you would expect to be treated if you were in their shoes. Don’t cancel interviews unexpectedly, give candidates a heads up if schedules are running late, and always offer water and bathroom breaks between on-site interviews. These courtesies may seem like “no brainers” but unfortunately, they are often overlooked. Always err on the side of over communicating, rather than under-communicating so your candidates will have nothing but positive things to say about both the interview experience and your company.
These 5 strategies are just scraping the surface of the many employer branding strategies you can employ to change the future of your business. For other strategies that may require some bankroll, but will more than pay for themselves, check out our previous blog post about how to build an employer brand budget.
Please consider hiring Proactive Talent to help you build a strong employer brand that will have candidates seeking you out as a premiere employer! Contact us today!
