Is your organisation a great place to work at? You may think so, but do your employees agree? And how do potential candidates perceive your business? 

While most companies put great effort into developing their customer-facing brand, many forget about their employer brand.

This can be a costly mistake, especially in the current climate, where top talent is hard to find. There are limited options on both sides of the recruitment equation. 

Many of the best candidates are already employed and it’s slim pickings on quality positions available in the market for those that are searching. 

Your business already has an employer brand, whether you have proactively created it or not, so it might be time to think about the kind of reputation you’d like your business to have. 

Today’s blog talks about what employer branding is, why it’s so important, and how to develop a positive employer brand.

What Is Employer Branding?

Much like your marketing brand is the way your audience perceives your business, your employer brand reflects what your former, current, and potential employees think it’s like to work for your organisation.

Employer branding is the process of actively managing and influencing your reputation as an employer – not just to potential candidates, but to your employees and key stakeholders.

A strong employer brand captures and defines the purpose and vision of your organisation. It describes what you stand for, what your company culture is like, and why you are such a desirable employer.

Employer branding is a mixture of storytelling (to communicate with people outside of your business) and authentic management (to build your company culture and ensure your current employees are well taken care of). 

Employer Branding vs Employer Value Proposition

If you’re delving into employer branding, you’ll probably come across the concept of an employer value proposition (EVP). 

While slightly different from your employer brand, it is a good idea to work on this simultaneously. Your EVP and branding are interconnected – and equally important to your business.

Employer branding describes the overall perception of your business as an employer – something that you can influence but not dictate. 

On the other hand, your EVP is your promise to your employees – something you can own and hone. Your EVP describes what you are committed to providing your employees in exchange for their skills and experience.

Your EVP will include concrete information on benefits and career development and describe the company culture and environment. 

Why Your Employer Brand Is Important – Especially Now

A positive employer brand is essential at any time, but in the current competitive job market, it’s absolutely crucial.

Many businesses are struggling to attract the right talent, and you may find yourself competing against other employers for the small handful of candidates out there. Naturally, you want your preferred candidate to choose to work for you. A well-crafted employer brand could tip the scales in your favour.

Did you know that 95% of candidates state that a company’s reputation is one of the most important considerations when looking for a new job? And 69% of candidates would turn down an employment offer from a business with a bad employer brand (even if they were unemployed).

Your employer brand can give you an edge over the competition, but it’s also vital to ensure you attract suitable candidates that align with your company culture. This helps ensure new hires are a great fit for your team, which helps boost employee satisfaction and overall retention.  

The Right Employer Brand Makes Recruitment Easier

As a positive buzz spreads about how great it is to work for your organisation, you’ll find recruitment easier and have top candidates reaching out to you for opportunities instead of having to invest time and money in headhunting.

While we’re on the topic of saving money, the data says it all: 

Organisations with a negative employer brand need to offer a minimum of a 10% pay increase to snare top talent.

40% of candidates say they would snap up a position without a pay increase if the company had a positive employer brand.

23% of 18-34-year-olds say they would even accept a pay cut if it meant working for a business with a great employer brand.

Developing Your Employer Brand

Let’s jump back to your overall business brand. How is this influenced? The more straightforward question to answer would be how is it not! Every time your audience comes into contact with your business, they adjust their perception of your brand. 

This happens when someone sees your logo, views your marketing content, places an order, receives a service or product, or interacts with your customer service.

All these touchpoints work together to create your brand perception, so it’s important that every single one is a positive, consistent experience.

The same goes for your employer brand. It’s not just about what your employees say about you when you’re not around (although this is a significant factor in your branding). It’s every interaction job seekers have with your business – from social posts to job advertisements, the hiring process, the onboarding process, and much, much more.

How To Create A Good Employer Brand

If you want to work on developing your employer brand, here’s how to get started:
Conduct an employer brand audit – review all your touchpoints (career page, social profiles, acceptance letters, onboarding materials, exit interviews etc.) to get an idea of what message they are all creating about your organisation.

Get feedback – ask your employees and candidates for meaningful feedback about how they perceive your business.

Create your employee value proposition – what benefits and value does your organisation offer to employees?

Talk the talk – adjust your content to better reflect your employer brand on various channels, such as your career page, job descriptions, online employer review sites, company blogs or vlogs, and hiring processes.

Walk the walk – while crafting a compelling story of what makes your business a fantastic place to work is important, it’s even more vital to ensure your business actually is a fantastic place to work! Take care of (and listen to) your employees, create a positive company culture, work towards a shared purpose and vision, and your employer brand will grow organically.

Want to make sure your employer brand comes through in your recruitment process? Then, we can help here at LD Recruit. Reach out to us today for recruitment support.