Author: Kim Draper
Did you know that recruitment and employer branding go hand in hand?
Without the presence of a solid employer brand, you could be hindering your talent acquisition.
We’ve been preaching about the importance of this for some time and have taken our commitment one step further by employing an Employer Branding Specialist.
What is your employer brand?
Whether you have actively influenced it or not, your company has an employer brand – but what is it?!
Essentially, your employer brand is your reputation as a place to work, both for your potential and current employees. It’s based on how your employees feel about working for you, how you treat them and your overarching company culture and values.
When you’re recruiting, you need to stand out from the crowd and attract the right people. So, if you’ve nailed your employer brand it will do all the hard work for you!
Your employees are one of your most valuable business assets, obviously, you need them to carry out their jobs and keep the business ticking over, but they also have the power to help grow your reputation organically.
Your employer brand is not only integral to successful recruitment and employee retention, but it can also affect your consumer brand. Customers are more likely to be drawn to your brand if they can relate to your values, culture and you have happy, engaged employees.
What is employer branding?
Employer branding is the process of taking control, managing, and defining your employer brand by influencing how it looks to potential candidates.
When we say ‘influencing’, we don’t mean telling candidates what you think they want to hear! It’s about being honest and ensuring your culture, values and offering is reflected in everything you say and do.
If you want to stand out from the crowd in a competitive market, you need to prioritise building an employer branding strategy and implementing it immediately. Your strategy should include key areas, such as your careers page, social media, Glassdoor – this is where job seekers will research your company before applying, and candidate experience.
When you purchase a product and receive good customer service, you’re happy to tell others. This works the same with candidate experience.
You want your potential employees to find the application process straight-forward, to have a good experience in their interview, to be informed at each stage and receive feedback.
When creating your strategy, look at the areas you excel in and see whether there is more you could be doing.
As an example; if you have several employees studying for qualifications, could you add paid study days or financial support with study materials to your list of benefits? If you pay above the National Living Wage, why not look at becoming an Accredited Living Wage employer to cement your stance.
It’s important to note that employer branding doesn’t just stop with attracting talent. According to research, a measly 12% of employees say their company has a great onboarding process.
Onboarding needs to form part of your strategy. There is no point in saying the right things to captivate candidates and immediately falling at the first hurdle. Consider asking some of your new employees what their first few weeks were like. Be sure to ask how they felt joining your team and what do they think you could improve? If you think you’ll get a more open response, try doing this as an anonymous survey.
Why is it important?
When it comes to hiring, employer branding is key. 75% of active job seekers are more inclined to apply for a job if the company manages its employer brand.
By attracting more active job seekers, you are increasing your chances of receiving high-quality applicants who resonate with your values. Hiring staff with aligned values increases the likelihood that they will be a good culture fit. Staff who integrate well with the existing team, will enhance your employer brand and improve retention rates.
Attracting the best talent is important but the next step is keeping them! It’s not just a one-off exercise, it should align with all areas of your business and be an integral part of how you work.
Working with your current employees during the process of employer branding and creating a healthy culture, can increase engagement and employee retention. This can result in a significant reduction of your hiring and onboarding costs.
Retaining loyal staff increases the likelihood of reaching passive candidates through referrals. According to research, 70% of employers referred hires fit their company culture and values better than non-referred hires.
If you get it right, referrals can also come from other sources, such as business contacts, customers and even competitors!
What next?
Keep a close eye on our social media channels and website for more employer branding content.