The New Rules of Employer Branding: Attracting Top Talent in the Evolving Landscape

Every organization has a reputation to maintain. While this is essential to attract more clients and customers, it is also important to attract the top talent in the industry. When you think of your company as a brand, the focus should not be limited to consumers. Consider your reputation as an employer and invest in ways to enhance your employer branding status.

Employer branding promotes a business organization as a desired workplace for the talent you want to recruit and retain to achieve your goals. Having top talent as employees will boost your business growth and give you an edge over competitors.

Did you know that 88% of job seekers pay attention to employer branding when applying for a position? Moreover, positive employer branding can increase the company’s referral rate by up to 51% and employee engagement rate by around 20%.

Let’s learn more about employer branding and how it can help your organization in the dynamic and evolving landscape.

Understanding the New Rules

The world is constantly changing, and attracting the best talent in today’s scenario requires proper planning and approach. The same old conventional methods and models deliver different results.

According to CareerArc, 69% of job seekers will reject an offer from a company with negative employer branding, even if they are unemployed. Adopting and implementing the new rules of employer branding can help overcome these challenges.

Shift from Employer-Centric to Candidate-Centric Approach

Job seekers want to be recognized for their talents and skills. When branding your company as a worthy and favorite employer, you should shift your focus from you to them. For example, your recruitment strategy should begin by identifying and understanding your target candidates. Then, present your EVP (employer value proposition) to reflect your mission, vision, culture, values, goals, etc. You should also streamline your hiring process to increase transparency and reduce miscommunication.

Emphasis on Authenticity and Transparency

As an employer, you should ensure a fair and unbiased recruiting process for the candidates. Additionally, focus on humanitarian aspects like workplace diversity, inclusivity, wellness programs, employee training, etc., to show that your company values its employees. The employer branding content can include anecdotes from existing employees, messages from the top management, a sneak peek into the HR department, and so on.

Executive Communication

Executive communication is much more than sharing a message with employees and potential candidates. Your establishment needs executive thought leaders who can influence and inspire others to drive change for the better and strengthen your brand image. The messages should be well-thought-out and shared with the audiences through the right channels to change how people think about your company and inspire them to achieve the desired goals. Keep it clear, straightforward, and motivational.

Internal Communication

One of the most important steps after finalizing the EVP (Employee Value Proposition) is to communicate the message internally to everyone associated with your business.  Employees within the organization need to be constantly made aware of the company’s values and vision so they align with the thoughts and live the brand.

Public Relations (PR)

Public Relations is what the media says about your brand and is very different from marketing and advertising. Managing the brand’s perception with content, physical presence in the public eye, initiatives and efforts go a long way in garnering a positive image for your brand. A good PR strategy establish your brand’s equity, creates credibility, promotes visibility and generates positive impression among the target audience.

Online Presence

In the modern-day world, employee engagement is not limited to the workplace. Pay attention to the role of the internet and social media in enhancing connections with your employees and job seekers. A report shows that 64% of candidates only apply for jobs at a company with an online presence.

Thought leadership posts on LinkedIn, videos of employee engagement activities, events and cultural showcase of the organization on YouTube, reviews of past employees on Glassdoor all contribute towards building a positive brand image of the organization.

Social media is a powerful tool for directly engaging and communicating with target candidates and attracting top talent to your company. Companies need to be aware of reviews appearing on public platforms such as social media, Glassdoor, LinkedIn and take corrective measures, if any.

Building a Strong Employer Brand

Employer brand identity is as important as your brand reputation among customers and end users. Around 69% of employees think it is essential for their employer to have a brand they would be proud to support and promote. Building your employer brand includes the following aspects:

Defining Company Values and Culture

Your company's mission, vision, values, ethics, culture, and goals can differentiate you from competitors and define your business and market presence. That's because company values indicate what you believe in and what you represent. For example, Dell’s EVP tagline is, ‘You thrive, we thrive.’ LEGO’s EVP tagline states,  ‘Success together.’ Here, the companies define their values by emphasizing that employee success is the company’s success and not vice versa.

Showcasing Employee Experiences and Success Stories

Your current employees are your biggest asset and a great marketing tool for attracting new talent. They can have a vital role in employer branding. Moreover, employees are considered three times more credible than the management when discussing the workplace environment. Promote your top employees on social media through short interviews, infographics, etc. Employee branding and success stories enrich your employer branding strategies.

Incorporating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives

Diversity and inclusion should not be limited to theories and promotional posts. Create recruiting initiatives to build strong teams with diverse and talented employees. You should also have strict workplace anti-harassment policies to prevent marginalized employees from being targeted. Make ethical and cultural training a part of the process. Diversity, Inclusion and Equity (DEI) can boost your employer branding as 3 in 4 candidates feel that a diverse workforce is one of the deciding factors when joining a company.

Strategies for Attracting Top Talent

Employer brand communication should be your primary focus when attracting top talent. Everything about the job advert should reflect your company values, culture, mission, etc. Move away from the identical old uninteresting job postings, where candidates can apply irrespective of their skill set. Find the target audience and customize the posting accordingly.

Personalized Recruitment Marketing Campaigns

Personalization of recruitment marketing campaigns refers to tailoring the job advert for each candidate based on their interests, skills, experience, etc. You rely on data analytics to identify the top talent best suited for the position. Then, you create a compelling job posting based on their preferences and experience. This will create a more significant impact on the candidates and nudge them to apply for the position. Show them that you want their expertise to help your company grow.

Leveraging Employee Advocacy and Referrals

As mentioned earlier, your employees can help enhance your brand reputation as a top employer. Encourage feedback from employees and celebrate their success. Involve employees in building the company as a safe, creative, and happy workplace. Employee advocacy is where your existing employees happily recommend you as a worthy employer. Ask employees for referrals, as they know who will be the best fit for your organization. You can offer incentives for qualified leads.

Offering Competitive Benefits and Perks

Diversity, work-life balance, excellent workplace atmosphere, etc., are essential. However, the compensation package must be considered in totality. Financial compensation is one of the key deciding factors for a job applicant. When developing your employer brand, carefully craft a competitive and attractive pay package with incentives and perks on par with the current market value. Ensure that the incentives add value to the employees rather than flashy offers that may or may not be helpful in the long run.

Navigating Challenges and Pitfalls

Implementing the employer brand strategy can be complicated. You will have to deal with roadblocks and overcome challenges (some of which can be recurring) to create a strong, compelling, and authentic employer brand identity.

Addressing Negative Online Reviews and Feedback

One of the common challenges for a company is the negative review by a disgruntled employee. According to a study by Glassdoor, 67% of job seekers consider a company’s response to reviews when deciding on a job offer. After all, not many would want to work with an employer who is rude or tries to bully someone online for posting a negative review. Of course, ignoring such reviews will not help your brand reputation. Be prompt, polite, and professional when responding to negative reviews. Acknowledge the problem, offer a solution or apology if necessary, and thank the person for taking the time to provide feedback.

Handling Crises and Reputation Management Effectively

There is always a risk of a crisis that can adversely affect your employer’s branding reputation. It can be an internal matter leaking into the public, a global event, a controversial post/ statement by an employee, or someone with a prominent position in your business. Handle the issue by recognizing the problem and acknowledging that it exists. Form a temporary team to gather more information and determine the best action. Then, convey the efforts to the public through a statement and reinforce your commitment to your values.

Case Studies and Examples

Many international brands have artfully crafted and developed their employer brand identity to attract the top talent in the industry. A few examples are listed below:

PwC

PwC was initially considered an accounting firm, which limited its reach in appealing to the desired talent. In 2015, the previous director of recruiter marketing designed a creative strategy by adding a new page to the website.

This webpage called Career Advisor is not just a place to check for openings in the company but a space for job seekers to get great advice even if they don’t want to apply for a job at PwC. After working on it for 18 months, the company promoted it in colleges and job sites. They soon gained 27,500 visits, which added new prospective talents to their database.

Starbucks

Starbucks is a popular international chain of coffee shops that is also known for its employer branding. The company’s employer brand strategy focused on using social media to attract talent. The recruiter marketing program manager highlighted how the upcoming generation uses social media for almost Everything, such as job searches, research, recommendations, etc.

The company created accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram that catered to job seekers. These handles posted about the company culture promoted current employees, and used the hashtag ‘#sbuxjobschat’ for candidates to ask questions. Additionally, Starbucks calls its 330,000 employees global partners to show that each employee is equally important.

Conclusion

As times change, new trends and preferences gain prominence over others. The current global scenario demands a robust employer branding strategy for business organizations to attract the best talent to work with them. It is also necessary to increase employee retention rates and promote loyalty.

Employer branding is a comprehensive and continuous process. It would help if you understood what your employees and the job seekers want to provide them with personalized opportunities for personal growth, which leads to your business growth.

Talk to us at Origami Creative to create a compelling employer branding strategy to establish your market reputation as a reliable and worthy employer. Achieve your business goals by attracting the top talent to the establishment.