People in the Employer Branding space are often overworked and under-staffed. In our interactions with clients across hundreds of companies we have noticed a distinct pattern among small and large organizations which is, typically one person is responsible for all of the employer branding and recruitment marketing services. And more often than not, they are operating with very limited resources. This is the case nationwide and in some instances, the stress is palpable.
Although the need for additional resources is clear to those involved, several obstacles tend to be in the way. Again, citing anecdotal evidence, slow decision making tends to be the chief culprit, followed closely by budget concerns with office politics running a distant third. Any one or all of these concerns could be the reason for daily headaches if you are solely responsible for employer branding at your company. If such is the case with you, allow me to present several tips that will give more long-term benefits than a bottle of aspirin.
The rewards of Employer Branding extend beyond a positive reputation. They include significant cost savings to the company. In our article, “How To Convince Your C-Suite That Employer Branding Really Matters” we discussed the advantages in cost-savings. To quote…
“Investing in and prioritizing your employer brand can also help save your company money. The LinkedIn study mentioned above also found that companies with stronger employer brands than their competitors see a 43% decrease in the cost per candidate hired.
In this booming economy, many people are more concerned with a healthy work environment or feeling valued by their company than just the number on their paycheck. CareerBuilder reported that 67% of candidates would accept lower pay if the company they were interested in had very positive reviews online.
Not only can employer branding save you money, but it could also be costing you money if you have a bad reputation. If you were to ignore developing your business’s employer brand, you risk paying almost $5,000 more in salary premiums per employee hired.”
In addition to money being saved, additional data to validate a decision for more employer branding resources is also beneficial. In order to prove that you are overworked and under-staffed, consider creating a list of all the job titles you are fulfilling and their duties. Add to this list projects you have delivered on and how additional projects relate as well. Once done, you could make the argument that you are delivering enough work for 3+ people. While that may be impressive in the short-term, the pacing is not possible long-term as quality may suffer. Here is an example of how that could look.
Dear Manager,
This is a quick note to request additional resources for my department. As you know employer branding is extremely important as we ramp up for our recruitment drive this Spring. As a reminder, I wanted to point out my duties and responsibilities to support my request for additional resources. To date, I have been working on 3 projects: Project A, Project B and Project C and alone I have done (or am in the process of completing) the following:
What I have managed to perform is beyond the scope of my role as an Employer Branding Specialist. In actuality, I am doing the work of a Digital Marketing Manager, Content Manager and Market Researcher. Although I have produced the aforementioned work without complaint, my concern is that the quality of my work may suffer should this trend continue much longer. This is why I respectfully request additional resources.
Can we schedule a time to discuss this soon?
Sincerely,
John Doe
Saving money and justifying your request with data are two methods for persuading your boss to grant you additional resources. A third and even more powerful technique is to ensure that your pitch aligns with the goals of the business. To encourage thought along those lines, try completing the following sentence with one of the options below.
If I had additional headcount, I would be able to_____________________________________.
a) …meet the goal of (insert a company goal here) ahead of schedule and without sacrificing the quality of projects currently in development.
b) …better compete with (insert company name here) which successfully completed (insert a business rival’s achievement here) due to resources unavailable here.
c) …save money in the long-term with this hire, specifically (insert long-term savings here).
It also helps to make your appeal personal to what your manager wants to achieve.
d) …help you achieve your goal of (insert boss’ personal business goals here).
e) …solve the issue of (insert a problem that your boss has been working to resolve).
f) …protect and promote the company as an employer of choice (insert here how hiring the right person will produce results that will make the company look good internally and externally).
Approaching your manager with a consensus increases your chances as well.
g) …help co-worker (insert name here) meet their goal of (insert co-worker’s goal here). They agreed that this would be a good move when I explained it to them.
Proving cost efficiencies, backed up with data and business goals are powerful tools for attaining new resources for your employer branding initiatives. However, all of your preparation is for nothing if the timing of your presentation is off. Your sales pitch should take into account the personality and work style of your boss. Are they a morning person tackling the more important tasks first? If so, approaching them at that time might make you a nuisance. Do you think they would prefer receiving a one-page explanation ahead of a brief meeting to discuss details? Or, is it better to catch them between meetings? There is no one approach that works perfectly for each employer. That being said, your chances improve dramatically when your sales pitch coincides with perfect timing.
Saving money, data validation, business goal alignment and timing are the keys to your success in this endeavor. Whether your campaign is successful or not, how do you manage things in the interim? Perhaps Proactive Talent can be of assistance? Contact us for a brief discussion of how we can help your company tell its unique story. Operators are standing by.